About Paso Robles' West Wine Country

Laura and I went to one of our favorite destinations last weekend. We drove to Paso Robles for the Zinfandel Festival. Zinfandel has become my favorite varietal and they sure make some good Zin in Paso. We met our friends Denny and Jodi at Tobin James winery, visited with our friend Tim Booth, and drove west on highway 46 for a few more stops.

First up was Zin Alley. Frank Nerelli is the owner and he makes a superior wine in very small quantities. Frank is very down to earth and makes you feel right at home.

Our final stop of the day was at Jada Vineyard. Operations manager Susan West had arranged a private tour for us and it was something we'll never forget. We walked down to the barrel room and were shown the new wine "eggs" that they have begun using in addition to the wooden barrels. The eggs are made of concrete which allows the wine to "breathe", something it can't do in stainless steel.

The egg is to the right of the wine barrels.

We then got in Susan's car and drove around all of the vineyard. It was a glorious spring day and the views were magnificent. We went back to the winery where Susan had a table set up for us. We tasted barrel samples of their various wines paired with different cheeses. If you visit Paso Robles, make sure you stop at Jada.

Later, Laura and I returned to Tobin James for their James Gang Reception. Food from about 20 different restaurants, live music and lots of wine. They had a new product called "plush puffs", flavored marshmallows that we got to roast over a flame.

Steve Anglim makes excellent wines which you can sample in the tasting room of Anglim Winery in the train depot downtown. That was our first stop Saturday morning. We sampled some of Steve's wines while we nibbled on salami and cheese and visited with Steve and his lovely wife Steffanie.

Next stop, four blocks down on Pine Street was the Mid Life Crisis Winery.

Jill and Kevin Mittan are the owners and winemakers. During the week they work in Hollywood. Jill works in post production on the TV series 24. It was great to visit with Jill, sample some more fine wines and pick up some sparkling wine for our upcoming wedding.

From there we went to Zenaida Cellars where they were celebrating a "Zen" fest. Flute music was playing, and we entered the candle-lit barrel room, where they offered "library" tastings of their different wines, vintages from 2003 to barrel samples of 2007 wines accompanied by delicious hors d'oeuvres. Winemaker and owner Eric Ogorsolka was on hand along with cellar master Tyler Russell.

The wildest part of the afternoon was at Four Vines Winery. Shortly after arriving, winemaker Chris Tietje led a group of about thirty of us into a dark barrel room, lit only by candles. He told us about his wines, mostly Zinfandels, and we tasted barrel samples. The last taste came from a glass carafe that we held above our mouths and let the wine flow in - extremely bizarre. Make no mistake though, Four Vines makes superb wines.

Sunday morning we drove to the end of Vineyard Drive and began the day at the fabulous Carmody McKnight Estate Vineyards. Laura and I found this place last year on our first visit to Paso and we just love it. We passed a bicyclist on the way and we met him when we were parking the car. It turns out he was winery owner Gary Conway. You may remember him as an actor from Burke's Law or Land of The Giants. We had a nice visit, then proceeded to the barrel room where winemaker Greg Cropper was just getting ready to sample the barrels for the days' visitors. We were extremely happy that he asked ask to taste along with him. Carmody McKnight's wines are world class and the work Greg puts into them really shows.

We had two last stops to make. We discovered Dubost Winery on our last visit and met Kate Dubost then. Kate's son Jacob is the winemaker, and he is one of the very talented new winemakers making his presence felt. Jake's making some delicious wines, and we also enjoyed some very tasty barbeque before heading down the road for our final stop.

Finally, we pulled into Starr Ranch. Owner Judy Starr sells grapes to many of the area wineries. She opens her gates a few times a year. We've been lucky enough to be there on two occasions when she's been open. Laura is very fond of her Gypsy Rose. I'm partial to her Cabernet Franc and Odysseus blend.

Phil Stevens was on hand and he is just getting ready to release wines under the Del Real label. He gave us a great tour and let us taste several barrel samples including his phenomenal Zinfandel.

We're already looking forward to our next visit to the Central Coast. We'll be staying in the winemaker's loft at Zenaida cellars. You can see a few more photos if you visit my photo blog.

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Active Rain Ambassador (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

Subscribe in a reader

This report details North County Real Estate throughout the first three quarters of 2008. Various segments of the market are performing at different levels of activity and price strength.

Just under 500 residential single family homes have sold throughout 2008. Approximately 40% of these sales have been foreclosed properties. The average sales price has hit $375,000 and there appears to be a bottom in pricing for properties valued below $400,000. First time buyers and investors are actively seeking single family properties priced below $400,000. There are multiple offer situations. Inventory is in balance at these price points. Pricing is defined. Buyers are very educated and will respond only if the price is right. There is no upward movement in price today. Residential single family homes priced at $500,000 and up are languishing on the market and pricing is not clearly defined. There is more supply then demand. The bottom, in pricing, is near and will probably be realized within the next two quarters. Sellers need to be aggressive in competing for buyers. Waiting for a market to turn is a doomed strategy.

Homes on acreage is also a two tiered market. Smaller homes on smaller acreage, priced below $500,000, are getting decent activity. Supply still outstrips demand but there is a bottom being established at these lower price points. The million dollar category of homes on acreage is an altogether different story. We have moved the price point for the analysis down to $800,000 since this is representative of the floor in higher end estate type properties today. There are over 100 estate caliber homes listed for sale today and there will be 20 or so that sell in 2008. Almost one fifth of the higher end listings are distressed which means either bank owned or soon to be bank owned. The price reductions have been dramatic in this category. Supply overwhelms demand. It is the ultimate buyers market. There are some great values in this category and buyers are slowly beginning to re-enter this market segment. There will probably be twice as many of these homes that sell in 2009 and the values will be extraordinary.

Vineyard oriented properties are experiencing more buyer activity. Grape pricing has firmed at a reasonable level and wineries are signing multi-year contracts to purchase fruit. There is clarity and definition in the wine grape and bulk juice market. We may even see vineyards being planted in 2009. Existing vineyards are reasonable values when one considers the replacement costs.

Commercial real estate lags behind residential real estate. After a couple of weak residential years the commercial market is softening. Office space is overbuilt, industrial dirt is overbuilt and rents are weakening. Big rental users and some niche smaller retailers are surviving. Retailers are surviving but prosperity is relatively absent throughout the commercial environment. Sales of commercial property are weak because buyers see the supply situation and buyers are demanding good deals. This market is stagnant and rents are dropping. Weak rents will attract tenants throughout 2009 and 2010.

The best buys in the market are finished lots and acreage. Pricing has to be right but as our market recovers dirt always jumps in value. Our residential market is in the early stages of recovery. There are very few lots for sale and the cost to create new subdivisions is enormous. Dirt is finite.

The single most significant situation in our market today is the short-sale listing category. A short-sale listing is a property offered for sale at a price below what the seller owes the bank or banks on the home. The lenders must approve the sale and the red tape involved makes these transactions long, frustrating and unpredictable. That's the good news. Many of these short sales never happen. The illiquidity of these properties creates a false illusion of an inventory situation that really does not exist. The media always focuses on inventory, or homes for sale, when commenting on the market, but most of these short sales are fake inventory. How many people do you know that would like to spend six months getting jerked around by a lender? Buyers have this figured out. Our inventory level is much lower in North County when one subtracts short-sales. There's a reason there are multiple offers on many residential properties even thought the inventory appears bloated. People want to buy properties that are deliverable. Short-sales do happen. The fact is that the number of short-sales as compared to the number of short-sale listed inventory is dramatically lower then the ratio of other sales to listing deliverable properties. Short- sales cast a shadow over the entire market.

The local economies of Paso Robles, Templeton and even San Miguel are holding up pretty well in this environment. Tourism and hotel occupancy are remarkably strong. Wineries are selling wine but it is competitive. Existing businesses are holding on throughout the malaise. It's unfortunate to watch the debacle in Atascadero and we certainly hope that the community pulls it together soon. Overall the Central Coast is poised for greatness and prosperity in the coming years.