Cerro Prieto Vineyard & Cellars

Specialties

Big Reds, Mountain Merlot, Cab, Syrah, all either 90 – 94 pts, Intl PLATINUM, GOLD or SILVER medals in Intl Competitions, or SF Chronicle Gold Medal wines by apptmt only. Also mountain valley Gold medal Pinot Noir (SF Chronicle). All wines from 1 – 2 ton/​acre yields. We do private tastings with winemaker, but are by appointment only. Private tastings are for true wine aficionados. We do vineyard tours of Paso’s most photographed vineyard, a mountain vineyard, but this is booked 3 – 4 mos in advance.. Prices $ 79-​$ 33 .

Hours are Fri-​Sun 10 a. m– 4 p.m.

History

Established in 1999.

Low yield mountain vineyard, specializing in low yield big bouquets and big flavor wines, mostly red blends. See article in Wine Enthusiast, Oct 2009.

Boutique vineyard/​winery, tasting by apptmt only with vintner, pre screening necessary thru Lush Limo in Paso Robles. Short history of business is the quest for the perfect grape, which we accomplished in 2006, and production of only the best 5% of our grapes into very fine wines since then. Everything is hand done, vintner involved in all phases of farming and eco practices. We are NOT an organic vineyard, but choose to be known as «going towards green». At 1 ton/​acre yields, our clusters ripen thru and thru completely, we need way less sprays than conventional vineyards, and limit varmint containment to trapping, with no poisons. We use bird distress calls and netting instead of Zon guns to keep the pollution noise down to a minimum. All phases of farming and winemaking involve minimal use of chemicals wherever possible.

Meet the Business Owner

Larry S.

Business Owner

Dermatopathologist and Dermatologist for 40+ yrs, with 33 yrs of farming background. Avid hunter, fisherman, and sportsman, who happens to have a love of great wines. Our goal has been to grow the perfect grape, and since then to make world class wines. We make only 300 cases/​yr, keeping top 5% of our grapes, and selling remainder to high end wineries. Tastings are personal w/​vintner and by apptmt only. Clients are sceened thru Lush Limo of Paso Robles. Our goal is to provide intimate one on one tasting experiences for clients with world class wines. We are extremely selective in whom we pour for, the main requirement being true wine aficionados. My wife and I have lived here 12 yrs, and essentially live in a villa overlooking the vineyard with a view 35 miles to the S. We love the outdoors and essentially live in it. A good day for us is having not just true wine aficionados here, but chatting with interesting people who have been successful in many different lines of work.