Petite Wine Traveler
Luxury Wine Travel in Paso Robles: DAOU Mountain and the Central Coast by Jamie Knee
S
SANTA BARBARA’S HOME FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
27 Miles
34.0259° N, 118.7798° W
Montecito
vallorani
ome destinations do not clamor for your attention; they quietly unfold around you, and Paso Robles is one of them. Rolling vineyards, mineral-rich hillsides, and luminous evening skies invite you to slow down and experience a wine region through its people, its cellars, and its light. Tucked into the California Central Coast, it offers a rare blend of warmth and refinement, a balance of rural charm and world-class craftsmanship. It will also be featured in my upcoming PBS series, Petite Wine Traveler Explores: California Central Coast, which celebrates the region’s wines, food, culture, and the singular terroir that defines it. My most recent return to Paso Robles, known simply as Paso, was an immersion in that beauty, a few luminous days centered around the incomparable DAOU Mountain. My home for the week was the AVA Hotel, a polished new retreat in the center of downtown Paso. Calm, contemporary rooms with balconies offered a gentle landing after full days of exploration. Guests can enjoy breakfast at their Pine Street Bistro, a bright and thoughtful start to the morning, and evenings on the rooftop at Esperanza, where coastal Mexican cuisine is paired with panoramic views. It is a place designed for travelers who appreciate ease and elegance without excess, the perfect base for discovering the region. Rising 2,200 feet above the Adelaida District, DAOU Mountain is both a vineyard and a viewpoint, a marriage of natural beauty and meticulous craft. Its calcareous clay soils mirror those of Saint-Émilion, giving cabernet sauvignon an extraordinary stage upon which
A taste of wine and fun at DAOU
to express itself. Renowned winemaking authority André Tchelistcheff once called it “a jewel of ecological elements,” a prophecy fulfilled by brothers Georges and Daniel Daou. A guided tour with Winemaker José Alberto Santos revealed the depth of their commitment. Rows of cabernet sauvignon clones stretch across steep slopes, each vine tended with precision. The climate, cooled by Pacific breezes drifting over the Templeton Gap, shapes fruit of astounding phenolic concentration. As Daniel Daou once shared, the soil and climate dictate the quality of the wine, and here the harmony is near perfect. Lunch at the tasting room was a highlight of the trip, prepared by Executive Chef Spencer Johnston. His dishes rise from the land with a sense of purpose, shaped by a childhood spent in the gardens of the Central Coast. The result is cuisine that feels both soulful and elevated, each plate designed to complement the estate wines with ease.
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