Best Paso Robles red wines for summer
– Paso Robles is celebrated for its rich and diverse red wines that captivate both casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike.
As daytime summer heat gives way to cooler evenings, there’s nothing quite like indulging in a glass of robust red wine to complement your meals or simply to enjoy on its own. The region’s unique terroir and innovative winemakers produce reds with depth, complexity, and character.
Here are our top recommendations for the best Paso Robles red wines to enhance your summer nights.
Red wine recommendations for summer
Ancient Peaks 2021 Renagade – $28
This blend of syrah, petit verdot, and malbec presents complex aromas of violets, blue fruits, and pomegranate with notes of graphite, cinnamon and toasted oak. The palate is rich with flavors of cherry, currant, raspberry, cranberry, and smoked meat.
Austin Hope 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon – $56
Dark ruby in color, this cabernet sauvignon expresses aromas of freshly picked black currants and blackberries, with subtle notes of violets, mocha, and dried spices. On the palate, it features flavors of olallieberry, cherry fruit, cedar, clove, nutmeg, and vanilla bean.
Austin Hope Troublemaker – $20
The nose on this blend of syrah, petite syrah, grenache, zinfandel, and mourvèdre is bursting with jammy boysenberry and blackberry, along with a fresh hint of raspberry. These fruit aromas carry through the palate and are accentuated by underlying tones of peppercorn, dried tobacco, and roasted coffee.
Barton 2021 California Love Grenache and Counoise – $65
This blend of grenache and counoise features aromas of freshly picked red plum, red raspberry, wild strawberry, and cinnamon stick. It’s packed with tastes of dried hay, fennel, and sage. Best enjoyed on an outdoor patio on a warm evening with herb-roasted chicken.
Brecon Estate 2022 Zinfandel – $69
This bold zinfandel from the Paperstreet vineyard is complimented with structure from tannat and petite sirah. It features notes of balanced fruit flavors like red plum and blackberry with a touch of black pepper. It was aged in American and French oak barrels.
Calcareous 2022 Zinfandel – $55
This zin presents a clean ruby-red color and emits an earthy blend of raspberry, fresh mushroom, and white pepper. Upfront jammy strawberry and blackberry flavors overlay mild structural tannins and acid with spicier mid-palate notes combining for a complex and enjoyable red wine.
Calcareous 2021 Estate Cabernet Suavignon – $60
The nose offers bright aromatics, exhibiting earthy notes, tobacco and black currants. A robust style shows upfront with blackberry and cassis framed by cast iron minerality. It is delicious.
Cromavera 2021 Grenache Joven – $25
This delightful grenache features a palate full of cranberry, plum, and salty meat flavors. On the nose, this wine features notes of cherry, incense, hibiscus, and earth. It was fermented by carbonic maceration for eleven days in bins and then pressed to a stainless steel tank while alcoholic fermentation was completed. Secondary fermentation was completed in neutral French oak barrels for four months. It earned 91 points and was an editor’s choice at Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Crush Vineyard 2021 Sassy – $58
This wine is dark purple in color with a spirited blend of fruit, spice, and earth. This blend of syrah, tempranillo, and grenache has notes of blueberry, black cherry, peppercorn, and cocoa on the palate. It’s full-bodied with gripping tannins that lead to an endless finish.
Dubost 2019 Homestead Red – $30
Medium garnet in color, this blend of sangiovese, grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre features flavors of bright acidity, soft, medium tannin structure. On the nose, it features aromas of earthy red fruit compote with green peppercorn and slightly muddled fruits, dried clove and cinnamon. It’s a great value.
Dubost 2021 Nebbiolo – $65
This 100% nebbiolo features an aroma of strawberry hibiscus tea, red mango, spiced black licorice, violets, prunes, and herbs. On the palate, it features a light-medium body framed with tight-bound tannins.
Écluse 2021 Syrah – $52
This vintage begins with a deep ruby color and dense, dark fruit aromas with notes of vanilla, espresso, campfire, and a hint of leather. You’ll find these characteristics on the palate along with flavors of cassis and anise. It’s well-rounded and smooth. This wine finishes with notes of pepper and baking spice that linger on the palate.
Graveyard Vineyards Paso Tombstone Red – $25
This blend of cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and petite sirah was barrel-aged in French oak. It is totally dry with great fruit and supple tannins. It earned a gold medal from the Orange County Wine Society.
Graveyard Vineyards 2021 Quatre Cuvee – $54
This wine offers a smoky spice scent mixed with the brightness of boysenberries and vanilla. The taste is elegant, with big flavors upfront and a beautiful balance of floral, fruit, and spice start to finish. Serve with rib eye béarnaise sauce and chicken parmesan.
Hard Working Wines 2022 Bull by the Horns Cabernet Sauvignon – $19.99
This is a decadent and complex cabernet sauvignon from McPrice Myers. It offers aromas and flavors of bing cherry, black currant, red licorice, blond roast coffee, cloves, sassafras, and grilled herbs. It was aged for 10 months in stainless steel tanks. It’s a tremendous value!
Lone Madrone 2021 Points West Red – $25
This blend of counoise, grenache, vaccaresé, and mourvedre features aromas of boysenberry, cherry, green peppercorn, and dark chocolate. Red fruit pops off the tongue, with balanced tannin throughout, and textural salinity on the palate.
Midnight Cellars 2020 Grenache Moonbeam – $52
This light red has a beautiful ruby color and delicate aromas of ripe red fruit, earth, and minerality. This wine was aged for 30 months in neutral French oak and new French oak. It will pair wonderfully with white sauce pasta and charcuterie.
Mystic Hill Vineyards 2020 Malbec Reserve – $45
This 100% malbec is medium ruby in color. It offers scents of cocoa, red cherry, light smoke, herbs, and earthiness. It features flavors of vanilla wafer, cherry, earth, and cocoa. It’s a perfect wine for a summer evening.
Mystic Hill Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Franc – $45
Pale garnet in color, this 100% cabernet franc features red berry, currant, dried fruit, light floral, herbs, and crushed rock on the nose. On the palate, this wine showcases flavors of raspberry, light vanilla, and earth. It was one of our favorites.
ONX 2020 Mad Crush – $48 
This blend of grenache, mourvedre, and tempranillo was aged for 17 months in French oak barrels. The aromatics are juicy and ample, showing off the warmth of the year.
Opolo 2022 Reserve GSM – $ 45
This blend of grenache, syrah, and mouvèdre features aromas of red fruits with hints of rose petal, sandalwood, and savory game. A broad, supple palate displays jammy bramble fruits, blueberry, black tea, and vanilla. underlying acidity drives deep into a fresh sophisticated finish.
Opolo 2022 Mountain Zinfandel – $32
Deep aromas of blueberry, cherry, and leather reveal notes of sweet baking spices. The mouthfeel is plush and expansive with seamless flavors of ripe plum, black cherry, mulberry and vanilla. A velvety smooth finish lingers with a kiss of subtle peppery spices. It’s a Paso Robles classic among zins.
Peachy Canyon 2022 GSM – $50
This blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre is medium ruby in color. It features ripe strawberries, bing cherries, espresso, rhubarb, and tobacco on the nose. Then on the palate, tar and black olives give way to currants, cranberries, star anise, cinnamon, and orange peels. It’s a fantastic Rhone-style red.
Pelletiere Estate Winery 2019 Sangiovese – $85 
Aromas unfurl like a tapestry of dark plum, black cherry, fragrant fennel, and a hint of cocoa. This 100% estate sangiovese features flavors of wild berry and minerality. It was aged for eighteen months in neutral oak.
Serial Wines 2021 Adelaida District Grenache – $85
This wine opens with luscious scents of raspberry creme, sweet tobacco, and forest floor. It has a rich, rounded mouthfeel and is saturated with baked plum, macerated strawberry, and fresh leather. It was aged for 15 months in French oak barrels.
Serial Wines 2019 Paso Robles Adelaida District Halter Ranch Syrah – $95
This bold red wine offers aromas of wild berries, huckleberry, and savory jam, with hints of earthy cedar and black licorice. The mouthfeel is commanding, with complex flavors of black cherry, cassis, pomegranate, leather, pipe tobacco, and graphite.
Vista Del Rey 2020 ‘Sorbo Ocaso’ Zinfandel — $30
This wine is a delightful sample of dry-farmed zinfandel grapes from long-time local winemaker Dave King. He loves zinfandel and it shows. It’s a big, spicy wine with dark berry, plum, and cherry flavors, but not overly sweet. Drink it all by itself or pair it with grilled meats at your summer barbecues.
Vista Del Rey Zin-Bera — $30
A robust mouthful of dry-farmed zinfandel and barbera grapes. The zin provides spicy cherry and berry aromas and flavors, while the barbera adds a backbone of racy acidity. It’s a well-balanced, structured wine that is versatile with food dishes.
Vista Del Rey 2018 Barbera Dessert Wine — $30
The winemaker took a little barbera and made a dessert wine in a port style. The result is a superb and sticky dessert wine. It tastes like dark berries, dark chocolate, and spices. It is 19 percent alcohol and comes in a 375ml bottle.
