This area of California’s Central Coast remains a treasure trove for quality bargain hunters, especially those who love Rhône varieties. But I’ve also found wines that think outside the Rhône box, including Rococo’s collection of gorgeous Chenin Blancs reviewed with this article. Happy Paso Robles Hunting!

Caliza

Caliza is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Carl and Pam Bowker. Carl grew up in Hawaii. After graduating from the University of Hawaii, he moved to California and soon discovered he had a taste for wine. In 2001, he and Pam went on a journey of wine discovery around Europe. Upon their return, they promptly set out to find a vineyard site in California, homing in on Paso Robles. In 2004, they bought the 60-acre site for Caliza, located in Paso Robles’ Willow Creek AVA, and Carl began his winemaking studies at Napa Valley College. He and Pam traveled to the Rhône Valley for inspiration and came back with a plan to make wines that rival the homeland.

“Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were planted here when we bought it,” said Carl as we strolled the vineyard on a hot August day. “It’s too hot here for those grapes. We replanted in 2008 to mainly Rhône grapes—Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and a few other varieties.”  

The Bowkers currently have 28 acres planted. Their vineyard falls within what has been established as the “Templeton Gap” area—a swathe of land that experiences significant temperature swings between day and night due to the cold ocean breeze that is drawn through a gap in the ridgeline of the Santa Lucia Mountain range. This tends to produce brighter wines with better natural acidity and freshness.

"I love 2021 for the purity," Carl said on the subject of recent vintages.

“In 2022, the yields were very small. The berries were tiny, and there wasn’t much juice, but the wines are so concentrated.”

Caliza currently produces about 3000 cases.

Willow Creek Wine Co.

Willow Creek Wine Co. is the umbrella company for three small-production wine brands: Rococo, In Medias Res, and Willow Creek. All are owned, grown, and made by Brian and Natalie Brown, who are based in Paso Robles’ Willow Creek District. 

Like most Paso Robles producers, the “Willow Creek” and “In Medias Res” labels focus on Rhône varieties. The Willow Creek wines are fun, fresh Rhône blends that contain some purchased fruit, focusing on Paso Robles growers. In Medias Res are estate wines coming from the Browns’ SōNA Vineyard in Willow Creek District AVA. These are denser, more structured “tête de cuvées” built for aging. 

While Natalie and Brian craft stunning Rhône varieties wines, I am most smitten with Natalie’s Rococo wines, which are all about old vine Chenin Blanc.

“I'm really impressed with how Chenin handles the heat and dry conditions,” Natalie told me. “We traveled to South Africa and that confirmed to us that Chenin can work in this climate.”

Natalie has managed to find vineyards around California Central Coast that have blocks of old vine Chenin Blanc, many planted on their own roots. Her “Own Rooted Chenin Blanc” label is a blend of these vineyards, and she makes four single vineyard wines. All are amazing value with the Own Rooted priced at $28, and the single vineyards going for $36. There is also an oak-aged Reserve label, priced at $45.

“Chenin's phenolics are very textural,” said Natalie. “We use a basket press to get the most out of the texture. And I always inhibit malolactic. I don't think malolactic works with the style I'm looking for. The Own Rooted and single vineyard wines are aged only for a couple of months in stainless steel drums to preserve freshness and purity.”

These Rococo Chenin Blancs are pure, intense, age-worthy expressions that are absolutely worth the hunt!

Nicora

Nicora is an amalgamation of owner/winemaker Nick Elliott’s name and that of his great grandfather, whose name was Ora. Family roots run deep for Nick. He grew up in Fresno, California, where his father owned a construction company. When he was kicked out of high school, he joined his father’s business. It was kismet that he moved to Paso Robles to build metal houses and wound up working part-time for Scott Hawley of Torrin.

“I got a job shoveling grapes,” Nick recalled with a smile. “It probably sounds like an awful job, but I loved it. I loved being in a winery. Then I worked harvest for Scott, who was just starting Torrin. I worked 90 days solid without a day off. I was hooked.”

Nick worked in wineries around Paso, including Booker Vineyards and Alta Colina, saving funds to buy his own fruit and barrels. 2009 was his first vintage of Nicora. In 2013, he moved his winemaking operation to Paso’s bustling winemaking hub, Tin City.

"When I came to Tin City in 2013, none of these buildings were here," Nick recalls. "Now, there’s never enough room."

Nick works closely with his vineyard partners, including some of the best: Bien Nacido, Slide Hill, Fulldraw, Russell Family, Denner, and Shadow Cannon Vineyards. His winemaking style favors intense, highly structured styles that are built for the long haul. To prove his point, Nick pulled bottles for me to taste from his first and second vintages: 2009 Buxom and 2010 Euphoric. Both were simply stunning, and the 2009 Buxom (mainly Syrah) still has many years ahead of it.

Nicora currently produces 1800-2000 cases per year. The wines and the tasting room at Tin City come highly recommended.