Winery Review: Eberle Winery, Paso Robles, CA
It’s worth a visit if only to learn about the owner, a forefather of the now thriving Central California wine region.
Overall Rating: 11 of 15 Saluts!
Our take(s): Eberle Winery is on everyone’s list of top wineries to visit near Paso Robles and California’s Central Coast wine region. Known for its cabernet sauvignons and other reds, including its “Cote-Du-Robles, the wine isn’t just good: At $24 to $55 a bottle, it’s reasonably priced for a boutique brand. It’s worth the trek to Eberle, if only to and meet founder and owner Gary Eberle himself. A former Penn State defensive tackle, the hulking Eberle, now nearing 80, is one of those bigger-than-life characters. For a working-class kid, he’s claimed a number of wine-industry recognitions. The most impressive one: the 2020 American Legend Wine Star Award from the “Wine Enthusiast.”
Winery Name: Eberle Winery
Owner(s): Gary Eberle
Address: 3810 HWY 46 East, Paso Robles, CA 93446
Website: https://www.eberlewinery.com/
Specialty: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, done in French Rhône style
Club: Yes
Winemakers: Chris Eberle, no relation to the owner
Staff members we met: Mike
Hours, contact, wines, club details are all available on the winery’s Website.
Ratings
Ambience: 3.5 of 5 Saluts!
Eberle sits on 79 acres about five miles due east of Paso Robles within an easy drive via CA 46, a straight four-lane road. The tasting room fronts one of Eberle’s estate vineyards. We sat at the generously sized outside patio on a weekend that featured the live music of a local country-western musician. Plus Gary Eberle himself was present, seated in his typical place — right outside the front door, sharing a bottle with his customers. It’s not a hoity-toity winery, like you’ll find, say, in Napa. No wine snobbishness here, so even inexperienced wine drinkers will feel welcome.
Service/staff: 4 of 5 Saluts!
Mike, our server, had only recently returned to his hometown, Paso Robles. He’d only been at the winery for a couple of months. Either as a reflection of Eberle’s training, his ability to learn, or what he absorbed as a local, this young man knew his stuff. He was pleasant and engaging. Most of all he was attentive, especially notable on a summer weekend when tourism and tasting are at their peaks.
Character: 3.5 of 5 Saluts!
If there’s anything that makes Eberle Winery distinctive, its Eberle’s back story. He grew up not far from where I did, near Pittsburgh, Pa., to working-class parents. A shot and a beer, yes. But wine? hThe legendary Joe Paterno recruited him to Penn State in the mid-60s (thus explaining the winery’s conspicuously located blue-and-white wine barrel.) He graduated as a biology major and went on to LSU to pursue cellular genetics — where a prof introduced him to the world of wine. So taken was he that he enrolled in an Enology Doctorate Program at the UC Davis. After finishing his coursework, Eberle moved to Paso Robles and eventually started his own label which debuted with Eberle’s flagship wine, its 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our winery reviews aren’t about the wines. You can get reviews and ratings aplenty from far more expert sources. Instead, our focus is on whether a winery is a worthwhile destination. Yes, we enjoy tasting and especially learning about the wines, but far more important, is how much we enjoy the experience of the winery itself and interacting with the owners, winemakers, and staff. This is the first in a planned regular feature.