PURCHASE 2026 PASO REPORT HERE: https://owenbargreen.com/store/2026-paso-robles-report
Heat It, Cool It: Paso Robles in 2023 and 2024
I had a marvelous March visit to Paso Robles. We had some warm weather and there was green everywhere from the winter rains. Crop cover looked really intense for the second straight years. The last day of my visit it was nearly 80 degrees!
2022 was not an easy year for Paso wines, but there were many great wines made. The September 2022 heat dome clearly did not have the same impact in Paso as it did in Napa. Those who were patient made really great wines that are slightly more on the hedonistic side. This is a vintage to drink early.
2023 was a polar opposite vintage and shows strong aging potential. It was an extremely long harvest with some picking their fruit all the way in November. 2023 wines have impeccable balance. Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch, explained that her ‘23s are arguably the best wines I have made.” Her lineup has a hallmark beginning, middle and an end. Similarly, Booker winemaker Pete Turrone sees 2023 as “a great vintage and one that will age for decades.”