LIVE from Paso Robles: BlendFest on The Coast
Revisiting the “Rhone Rangers,” Beach Towns, and the Designated AVA’s of Paso
I am LIVE this week from BlendFest on the Coast: the only wine festival dedicated to blends taking place February 19-22, 2026, in San Simeon and Cambria, CA with a selection of exciting events. This week I am a guest of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, a non-profit trade association aimed to strengthen awareness among wine enthusiasts to the Paso Robles Wine Country. Paso Robles’ winemakers love to blend wine, mixing varieties to craft something unique and delicious. BlendFest celebrates rule-breaking, traditional, and unconventional wine blends throughout the weekend.
Caption: An Interview with Jason Haas, Tablas Creek
Paso Robles and the Rhone Rangers
Last year I interviewed Jason Haas, the 2nd generation proprietor of Tablas Creek, the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® vineyard. He is the vintner of world-class Rhône varietal wines in Paso Robles, CA. The flagship wine is Esprit de Tablas (modeled on Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and serves as a benchmark for Central California Rhône-style red thus the Rhone Rangers moniker. See “Interview: Jason Haas Tablas Creek Vineyard, 2nd Generation Proprietor,” March 18, 2025, Wine Wanderings.
Jason was the Past President of the “Rhone Rangers”, the 2015 Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year, and 2022 Food & Wine Magazine Drinks Innovators of the Year.
“There is a great 1989 cover of Wine Spectator where Randall Graham, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards, dressed up like the Lone Ranger. So, they called him the ‘Rhône Ranger.’” – Jason Haas, Proprietor, Tablas Creek, February 11, 2025
Winery Interviews, Exceptional Lodging, Coastal Cuisine
During my four days in Paso Robles not only will I be attending BlendFest on the Coast, I’ll also be interviewing the principles at several well-known wineries. Two of them offer boutique inn experiences. One has a MICHELIN 1 Star, Green Star restaurant on property, the only one of its kind in the US. I will be talking to these wineries about the tourism experiences they offer as well as tasting a portfolio of their wines.
My itinerary includes:
· Justin Estate Vineyards & Winery – An interview with Taryn Salazar, Sr. Manager of Winemaking and Operations. Tour and portfolio tasting of their world-famous blends: ISOSELES and JUSTIFICATION. While staying at the JUST INN and Dining at MICHELIN 1 Star, Green Star, The Restaurant at Justin , I will also do a tour of their wine caves.
· Le Vigne Winery – An in-depth interview with General Manager, Phillip Anderson about their four decades of winemaking excellence and artisan blends. Two-time 2025 Winery of the Year recipient.
· Tobin James Cellars – The “James Gang” Wine Club is California’s most popular wine club. Defined by over-the-top fun and overseas group excursions, there are lots of activities for this large wine club. I’ll be interviewing the co-owners/partners, Lance and Claire Silver, while tasting the wines from this 71-acre estate. I’ll be staying at the ranch-style Guest House on property, where I plan on absorbing some of the James Gang atmosphere. James Gang Festival 2026 is March 20-21. $181
· Jada Vineyard of Riboli – I will be interviewing principles at Jada about their small, sustainable estate wines which produce world-class small-lot Rhône and Bordeaux-style wines. The Riboli family manages a diverse portfolio of brands including the popular Stella Rosa wines.
· BlendFest on the Coast – More than 40 Paso Robles wineries come together to pour their unique blends that make this AVA* (American Viticultural Area) special.
· The Restaurants and Shops of Paso Robles, Cambria, and Cayucos Beach – I will be reporting on my favorites from Paso and the coastal towns.
The AVAs* of Paso Robles: 11 Appellations, Bold Blends, Western Flair
The 610,000 acres of Paso Robles are vast and diverse. Until a few years ago Paso Robles was a single AVA*. Justin Winery founder, Justin Baldwin, almost singlehandedly elevated Paso as a premium region for Bordelaise** grapes four decades ago. In 1994, Tablas Creek Vineyard partnered with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel. They are known for their Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rhône wines. Tablas Creek imported cutting of the Rhône grapes of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Roussanne to create a “vineyard-to-bottle” movement defining the modern Paso Robles.
In October 2013 the TTB- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau allowed subdivision of this massive area into region-designed AVA’s (11 sub-AVAs) to better highlight the specific soil climate, and elevation differences within the area. Cool nights with Pacific breezes and the “Templeton Gap” (a dip in the Santa Lucia coastal mountain range) bring in coastal fog in the Western regions, while some of the Eastern areas have elevated topography and warmer climates. Soil differences range from calcareous, limestone-rich to sandy loam over clay areas.
Shops in or near Paso Robles and the coastal towns of Cambria and Cayucos Beach offer unique handcrafted western-style products like jewelry, apparel, and hats. I may have to pick up several items to be an authentic member of the “James Gang.” Watch for subsequent Wine Wanderings articles about this Paso Robles adventure.
*AVA – American Viticultural Area – When a U.S. winery wants to tell you the geographic pedigree of its wine, it uses a tag on its label called an Appellation of Origin. The AVA is a designated wine grape-growing region in the U. S., a federally recognized region.
** Bordelaise grapes – (grapes of Bordeaux) consist of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Carménère for red wines and Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, and Sauvignon Gris for white wines.
Wine Wanderings Editorial Calendar 2026
Celebrating Five Years on Substack
Mahjongg and Wine/Spirits: Introducing the Inaugural Mahj Tile Talk on Substack
Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday with Wine and the Presidents
Will a MICHELIN Star System Work for Wine? Introducing The MICHELIN Grape
The Most Difficult Reservation in the World: ???
Angelina Mondavi Taking the Helm at Charles Krug: The Mondavi Legacy
How Do You Start a Cooperage: A Texas First- Standard Cooperage
Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant Group: America’s Largest Wine Club Celebrates 20 Years
Canada’s Okanagan Wine Region
The Imaginaries and Wine: The European Tour
Cité du Vin: Celebrating 10 Years as the World’s Foremost Wine Museum
50th Anniversary of the Judgment of Paris: Putting Napa Valley on the International Wine Map
Touring Portugal: An Oporto Tasting
The Most Difficult Reservation in the World: ??
Expiry Date Never! Author: Victoria Tomlinson Interview and Book Tour
LIVE from the Danube River with Wölffer Estate Winery: Old World vs. New World Wines
Meeting the “King of Wines,” Tokaji Aszú, Touring Budapest
The Venice of Portugal
*****
In Case You Missed It in the Wine/Spirits News:
WineBusiness News, Jan. 23, 2026, “Wente Family Vineyards’ Flagship Chardonnay is Wine Spectator’s Number Five Value of the Year.” Editors Note: This is my “house” Chardonnay. Retail: $11-12 in most locations.
Travel Opportunities
Editor’s Note: I will be cruising on AmaWaterways this April 20, 2026, on the Romantic Danube Cruise. Wine Wanderings subscribers: Come and join me and Wölffer Estate Winery’s Roman Roth, Winemaker/Partner on the Danube River. We will be visiting Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Hungary.
Cruise the Danube on AmaWaterways with Wine Wanderings and Wölffer Estate Winery April 20, 2026, Romantic Danube.
“Enticing Douro River Cruise” with Dr. Bob Young. M.D. of Bending Branch Winery April 6-13, 2026
