Paso Robles 2022 and 2023: Polar Opposites

BY ERIC GUIDO | JUNE 26, 2025

Paso Robles has quickly become one of my favorite destinations for tasting and visiting estates. I often think that if I didn’t cover the region professionally, it would be at the top of my list for a vacation that combines wine, local shopping and a multitude of outdoor activities like biking, hiking and horseback riding. Paso Robles has also stepped up its restaurant scene over the last few years with establishments such as In Bloom, Les Petites Canailles (run by Chef Julien Asseo, son of L’Aventure’s Stephan Asseo), Etto (established by Brian Terrizzi of Giornata), neighborhood favorite Jeffry's Wine Country BBQ, plus many more. Each of these proudly pours many of the best wines Paso Robles has to offer. During my visit in late April, an announcement that Charlie Palmer is set to renovate and open three new restaurants in the coming months had everyone buzzing. Paso Robles has officially grown up, offering world-class wine and all the necessary tourist accommodations to continue booming into the future.

As for the wine scene in general, local excitement couldn’t be higher. Despite climatic challenges, even the most difficult vintages have turned out some fascinating wines thanks to quick thinking, a little luck and a willingness to adapt. The 2021 vintage continues to impress with dramatic, lively, balanced wines. The 2022s are more successful than many would have anticipated (more on that later), but the 2023s may be the most promising of all.

The Willow Creek District estate vineyards of L’Aventure.

As for grape varieties, there’s something for everyone. On average, Paso Robles experiences extreme daytime temperatures that reach as high as 100°F before dropping by 30-40°F at night. This diurnal push-pull allows an extensive array of varieties to thrive, helping fruit to retain acidity. Wineries like Saxum and Tablas Creek—as dissimilar as they are styistically—have inspired a generation of winemakers to explore Rhône varieties. I’m not just talking about Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier and Roussanne. Paso Robles excels with an entire cast of lesser-known Rhône grapes, such as Counoise, Carignan, Grenache Blanc and Clairette Blanche. Cabernet Sauvignon actually remains the most widely planted variety here, but Paso Cabernet differs from that of Napa Valley, Sonoma or Washington State. Here, Cabernet Sauvignon easily achieves physiological ripeness and yields wines with energy and verve that remain approachable despite their youthful grip.

High-pH limestone and compressed clay soils in a cutaway beneath vines in the Adelaida District.

Zinfandel often takes on a distinctly savory profile in Paso Robles. Ueberroth Vineyard (planted in 1885) and Dusi Vineyard (planted in 1925) are home to some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in California. Readers may recognize the Dusi name from its regular appearance in the Ridge portfolio. Most of the Paso Robles producers who make Pinot Noir source fruit from other locations, but Adelaida’s HMR Vineyard, planted in 1964, continues to yield a fantastic local interpretation of the variety. Last but far from least, Italian grapes continue to gain recognition. Each year, I encounter compelling new wines made from Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Barbera, Vermentino, Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano and more. 

Old Zinfandel vines at the Dusi Vineyard in the Templeton Gap District.

The 2022 and 2023 Vintages

Paso Robles is truly unlike any other region I cover. Sardinia might come close, an area that also does well with varieties like Carignan, Grenache and Vermentino. In Paso Robles, heatwaves happen in almost every vintage. No one bats an eye at a 100˚F day. Rain, usually totaling around 20 inches a year, occurs in the spring and fall—the worst possible times in the growing season. Nevertheless, the region succeeds due to a mix of extreme diurnal shifts, limestone soils and good ventilation from the Templeton Gap. Even so, no one could predict the 2022 or 2023 vintage.  

Speaking with producers in Paso Robles about the 2022 growing season elicits dramatically different opinions from address to address. Many winemakers have written the vintage off as a failure. Others regard the results as a happy surprise. All agree that 2022 was like nothing they had ever seen before. Challenges included a late spring frost on May 11th, which severely reduced yields at lower elevations. Compounding this, the overall warm year and the third consecutive season of drought stressed the vines. Then, a ten-day heatwave exceeding 105˚F in late August forced winemakers into rapid harvest decisions, triggering widespread logistical issues such as labor shortages, difficulty scheduling picks and limited winery capacity. To make things worse, the typically significant diurnal shifts didn’t take place. Fruit arrived at the wineries warm, if not hot. The sun's searing heat oxidized tannins, sometimes rendering them practically nonexistent. Some wineries harvested too early and others too late. 

The biggest issue with the 2022 wines is consistency. A large proportion of the wines come across as front-loaded, with soaring aromatics and enticing textures that quickly drop off through the mid-palate. This often results in a saturation of primary fruit with underripe or barely perceptible tannins. Many wines finish with lingering tension, but lack the balance necessary for aging potential. The 2022s are particularly large-scale in feel and often tire out the palate. Alcohol percentages are relatively high in the context of the region, yet alcohol is generally well integrated across varieties, which is undoubtedly a strong point of the year. Ultimately, most 2022s are best taken in small doses and enjoyed in the short to medium term. Consumers will enjoy these wines for their drinkability.  

Sandy clay/loam soils and gravelly stones atop a sandstone ledge at Ledge’s Adam’s Ranch Vineyard, situated at the base of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range.

That's not to say that 2022 was without its triumphs. Many of the wineries I visited for this report were able to craft successful wines. In most cases, these producers prevailed through a combination of well-timed harvests, severe selection and responsive approaches in the cellar. Shorter macerations, reduced whole-cluster fermentation, gentle pumpovers (or simply moistening the cap) and less time in barrel helped winemakers obtain balance in the wines. Sacrificing fruit was often necessary, and many wineries experienced a drastic reduction in quantity as a result. However, even in the best cases, I don't see the majority of the 2022s as wines to cellar for longer than a few years. Most will be at their best from the two- to three-year mark, then drink well for several years before beginning a slow decline. 

Mother Nature did a 180-degree turn with the 2023 vintage. Nearly 50 inches of rain saturated soils in early spring, flooding communities, causing erosion and washing out roads, but that rainfall also paved the way for one of Paso’s most exciting vintages yet. 

Spring rain in Paso Robles, as seen from the high elevations of the Adelaida District.

A cool late spring and summer followed. Many winemakers compared the cool conditions to 2011 and feared they might struggle to achieve ripeness. Instead, an Indian summer in October and November provided the balanced warmth to achieve perfectly ripe, healthy fruit. Wineries harvested at their leisure, at times well into November.  

My only concern about 2023 was that wineries accustomed to dramatic heat and drought would struggle to adjust to a cool year with ample rainfall. Luckily, from what I’ve tasted, producers rose to the occasion. This year, I sampled many 2023 whites and just-bottled reds. What I’ve tasted so far is very good. The 2023 vintage showcases stimulating minerality, pronounced acidity, depth of fruit and balanced structure. The wines are nervy and spry, mixing New-World fruit with Old-World tenacity. Alcohol levels are in line with a typical Paso Robles vintage (in other words, high). The extended harvest and extremely late picks meant that fruit achieved the same level of ripeness it would in a typical vintage. With that said, there’s no denying the balance in these wines. I expect the 2023s to be a bit wiry and awkward from the get-go, but I predict that they will be especially capable of maturating well in the cellar. Two thousand twenty-three is a vintage that I plan to buy for my own cellar. 

I tasted the wines for this article in Paso Robles in April 2025 and in our New York City offices in May 2025. 

© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

 

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