Halter Ranch was a recommendation from the Sea Chest restaurant hostess. We hadn't planned to do any more wine tasting but decided at the last minute to make the drive. It was worth it! We visited Dec. 30. Cathy was our server. The tasting fee is waived on purchase. The 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is $19, the 2011 Cab Sauvignon is $32 and the 2010 Syrah is $32. Wines this good at this price confirmed to me that Daou is over priced. Halter Ranch is a ranch and we heard the chickens as we drove up. I recommend this winery for it's great wines and comfortable tasting room.

Wine trail travelers who have seen Napa and Sonoma may be surprised at finding there are over 300 wineries in and around Paso Robles located in California's Central Coast region. Many of these are small family owned operations. More often than not they feature blends of varietals other than "the usual suspects:" cabs, merlots, chards and zins. Unusual Rhone or Italian grapes find themselves at home in the Paso AVA's on both the east and west sides of Highway 101..

Roads to the west are mostly two lane and wind through beautiful hill country. Some wineries are perched on top of hills and others are lower down often near creeks. Halter Ranch is one of these. Coming onto it from Adelaida Road or Vineyard Drive is a surprise. A large Victorian ranch house is set on spacious grounds with lots of parking and a tasting room that gives the visitor room to spread out. Lindsay, our hostess led us through a course of tastings from light chilled whites to heavier bodies reds. She was most knowledgeable and anticipated our needs before we were aware of them. We're wine geeks and she was up on her technical answers as well. All in all I would call Halter Ranch a destination spot to visit. It's comfortable and low key. It just fits the Paso Robles wine region.

Sarah at Halter Ranch gave us an amazing cave tour of the facilities there. The setting is gorgeous. The history is interesting. The wine is fantastic. I highly recommend stopping by. Call ahead for the cave tour.... it's worth a visit!

Halter Ranch doesn't have the stunning views of Denner or Daou (WOW!) or others in Paso, but the wine is simply fantastic. It's the only wine club I joined on my visit there. Ancestor (big, bold red), to me, is about as good as it gets outside of Napa. Let Katie Hamblin at Uncorked Wine Tours be your guide. What a fantastic way to spend a day.