Business Profile
Shelley and Michael Gill
Michael Gill Cellars From the minute you step into Michael Gill Cellars, you become aware that this is no ordinary tasting room. You are sharing the opulent space, reminiscent of a French hunting lodge, with stuffed trophy game including elk, antelope, Siberian lynx and an arctic wolf, which is towered over by a 10-foot tall polar bear. This is “where the wild things are!” Upon shaking Michael Gill’s calloused hands, you don’t expect these to be the hands of a dentist. Dentist by profession and winery owner by desire, Gill grew up in the oilfields of Taft. Graduating from University of Southen California’s dental school in 1974, he returned to Bakersfield to build a healthy practice Michael Gill Cellars now into its 39th year. Spotting a barren Address: 4125 Peachy Canyon 25 acres in Peachy Canyon, Paso RobRoad in Paso Robles les, he turned it into more than 12 acres Number: 805-239-1668 of grapes that he originally sold to Website: gillcellars.com neighboring wineries. For the last five Hours: Tasting room hours are 11 years, Gill has focused his talents into a.m to 5 p.m. Saturday through fine wine production. Sunday or by appointment. “Rolling hills, deep valleys, clay and limestone soils, and 50 degree temperature swings produce to a premier example of what Paso Robles can do with Rhone wines,” remarked Gill. “The steeper 134
Bakersfield Life Magazine
March 2013
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL GILL
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the hillside slopes, the more character the wine has.” Producing up to 1,000 cases when in full production, Gill wants to stay at a smaller scale to keep as much consistency, control and excellence in the wine as possible. “If one grape takes extra care, it gets extra care; we make the time,” said Gill. He and his wife, Shelley, oversee every aspect of the process, from the demands of the vineyard to the bottling. All of the wines are estate grown; if it is in the bottle, it came from the Gill Vineyard. Having just opened the tasting room in 2012, they had only two varieties to begin with, Syrah and Viognier. The 2008 Double Rings Syrah melds rich aromas of blackberry, licorice, cassis and stone pebble. Gill’s syrahs are among the darkest in the county, blending well with the thick, luscious texture of these treasures. The 2009 Black Tie Syrah has sweet blackberry jam and currant aromas sprinkled with spearmint. Another favorite is the 2010 Tuxedo Cellars Viognier, which has lush banana, peach and ripe apricot aromas. The recent release to wine club members is the 2011 Tempranillo, called Tantrum. Coming from the steepest of the hillsides, the fruit has the very best sun exposure to produce a bright and lively wine. Fruit driven, you can taste the berries and plum flavors, laced with vanilla and tobacco. For wine club members, a wine country cottage overlooking the winery, vineyards and the Paso Robles valley is available for rent. To see what others are saying about Michael Gill Cellars, and to stay informed about upcoming events, visit gillcellars.com, or check out their Facebook page: MichaelGillCellars. Stay connected for details.