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    Whalebone Vineyard

    4.6 (201 reviews)
    ModerateWineries
    Closed 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Outside where you can drink your wine. The shop dog is there to greet you

    A wonderful place to visit. The winery is on top of a small hill with a great view and the small winery is an awesome ambiance that is one of the best deals in Paso are the small real cute winery. The people working there were really down to earth people easy to talk to and make sure you are comfortable visiting.

    Whalebone mascot Bentley
    Leilani M.

    A happy greeting by winery mascot Bentley will bring a smile to your face. So husky and cute he'll show you right where the door is and lead you inside. A knotts berry farm sort of old rustic western shop. You'll walk in and wanna hear the westworld piano playing the saloon theme song in the background. Homemade jams, mustards, olive oils and aged balsamic. You are free to sample any of the oils before purchasing. Tasting spoons and cups are self serve. Recommend the cilantro jalapeño and Italian herb blends. Also the truffle aged vinegar was insanely delicious. 2021 boneyard & 2020 Zin were the take homes. Outdoor seating only, one bathroom also located outside next to the shop. The vineyard is named whalebone because of the actual fossils found here during construction. Displayed at the front of the patio area is a large whalebone vertebrae. Large stones have chiseled areas of fossils located around the grounds. A slower paced winery that's a little hidden gem.

    Sarah G.

    Curious how Whalebone Vineyard got its name? When the Simpson family ripped up 10 acres to plant a small vineyard after buying the property back in 1986, whalebones and other marine fossils were discovered! Aside from some great wines and a chill vibe, the real star of the show here is Bentley, bulldog mascot/greeter/overall ham! Bentley memorabilia (signs, statues, wine labels) is everywhere!

    Maxwell enjoyed his tasting... of the salami and cheese.
    Kevin L.

    I stopped by with my parents on a beautifully sunny day. The sun had finally come out after weeks of grey and gloom (my favorite weather, but enough was enough); it was warm enough to be comfortable on the patio the entire time and the breeze made sure we remained comfortable. The deck had plenty of shade. Each table has its own heater, so a winter tasting would be just as beautiful. I can't wait to experience a tasting in all seasons! Situated atop a verdant hill, your tasting allows an incredible view of the luscious green surroundings as you sip and savor. Such a beautiful way to unwind! Immediately upon arriving, arriving, you'll be greeted by Bentley, one of the most even-keel, easy going pups you'll ever come across. We had a pup with us and they got along well. Gina took care of us and poured us their rosé as a welcome splash, a touch of hospitality I absolutely love! We were also able to chat with the winemaker for a good while. Being a former, and probably future, industry member, this level of hospitality and warmth is the beating heart of Paso. The Whalebone crew is proof that incredible wine doesn't have to come with an attitude or air of superiority. Everyone was so great! Every wine was stunning! The rosé was light and perfectly fruity, 100% Tempranillo. It's the only non-red they had on the tasting menu that day, which isn't a problem for me at all. As we tasted through the generous nine wine menu, each red was better than the last! Our favorites were the WOW (Women of Whalebone) rosé, the Boneyard (a really fun and seriously tasty blend of seven delicious reds (with Bentley mugging on the label), and the Bob Wine (a delicious blend with a great story). I love looking at the wine labels and Whalebone absolutely did not disappoint. There's a small tasting room inside if the weather calls for it; there's some great stuff for sale in there, too. We'd just come from an olive oil tasting so we didn't try much. Being the foodie I am, I had to try some of their fun flavors (vanilla bean balsamic was beautifully subtle and sweet; you could tell what was in there without it being over the top), the white truffle balsamic (if you have a truffle addiction like it do, just buy it!), Pacific Spice vinegar (like spice and vinegar? This one's waiting for you. It's absolutely delicious with a spicy hit, but not killer with the heat), and the tequila pepper jelly (great with charcuterie or a retro snack poured on top of a block of cream cheese). I didn't ask, but I get the impression they're happy for you to bring your own spread. If you show up empty handed, they have a delicious selection of cheeses, crackers, salamis, and ice creams to nibble on as you taste. My main disappointment is me, is that I didn't stop in earlier in my eleven years on the Central Coast! For me, this is the Paso I love. A small, unpretentious winery with killer views and a chill vibe, a warm and welcoming staff, and delicious wines at a wallet-friendly price point (the average is in the $40s). The group next to us had come up from San Diego; what a sell! Whether you're headed north or south, to another winery or an olive oil tasting at Pasolivo (don't pass it up, btw), make sure you save time to stop in for some amazing wines at Whalebone!

    The beautiful view as we sipped some delicious wine
    Besh S.

    Great wine, beautiful scenery. The cats roaming around are super cute. Our pourer Izzy was attentive, but not overbearing. We had a great time.

    Wife and I enjoyed the wines and excellent service and knowledge of their wines from Izzy.  We will return again to Whalebone!
    Chris C.

    We enjoyed the wines and Izzy has excellent knowledge of their wines and suggestions based on our palate. We will return again!

    Tasting menu
    Bethany R.

    Whalebone was the crazy aunts house of our Paso Robles wine tasting weekend. There was so many people having a great time, lots of party buses pulling up and a smaller tasting area. Our hostess was saying they don't take reservations and they dont turn people down so it can get full. One tasting was $20 pp, and they had you taste their whole menu!! 9 pours! I'd suggest sharing a tasting if you don't want to get drunk. The pours were very inconsistent though, some were small and some good sized. They had some good bold yummy wines that were fun to try. We also liked all the cats and the cute dog on the property! It felt like a big family party!

    The whalebone
    Kellie H.

    Delightful visit on a wine tour. We tried several different wines and were able to purchase some to take with us.

    Bentley pressing his chin on my leg for another snackie!

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    2 months ago

    This was a stop on our wine tour. I'd definitely go back. The wine was excellent and the service was outstanding This is a must visit

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    2 months ago

    Amazing gem, fabulous wine and views! First time there we joined the club and love going back!

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    11 months ago

    Great wine, great ambience! A very fun place to visit and the people are awesome!!! Wine is decently priced and very good.

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    1 year ago

    Meh. 4 stars for the view, 0 for customer service, might give 1 for the average wine(but priced good).

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    1 year ago

    Great vibes and great wine! Jake and everyone there made it feel like home. It was cozy and beautiful. Very relaxing. Definitely going back!

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    1 year ago

    The Vinegars, olive oils and 100% Reserve Cabernet are excellent. The view is tremendous.

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Whalebone Vineyard

    Review Highlights - Whalebone Vineyard

    Excellent wines, friendly animals (Bentley and the cats), yummy oils and vinegars, and a great staff.

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    Kiamie Wine Cellars

    Kiamie Wine Cellars

    (101 reviews)

    $$

    A highly recommended place that I'm so grateful we went to…read more After visiting some of the fancier vineyards, Kiamie became the most suggested place to visit, and I'm so glad we did. It was described a place: with a guy, his dog and goats, a shack, delicious wine, and that's exactly what it was. Super down to earth host, outdoor seating in the shade, with a backyard vibe. The owner was a super cool dude, playing classic rock on the radio, who makes sure your glass is always full and you have everything you need. Intended on a quick visit, ended up staying over two hours and it felt like home. Bought a couple bottles at a great price and got the road. Definitely would return and highly suggest you check them out. Make sure and grab a pic with his pup before you leave.

    We talked about coming to Kiamie on a few trips down to Paso because we heard it was a lowkey spot…read morewith goats and dogs. And while we're all about a relaxed wine tasting experience, especially when animals are involved, the wine still has to be good, and luckily that was the case here! We came in without a reservation on a Saturday afternoon and were warmly greeted by two of the winery dogs - already a big success. We checked in at the tasting room and were greeted by Greg, the owner and our host for the day, then grabbed a spot outside. Greg brought the wines from the tasting menu out 1 at a time and told us a little about each. We even got an extra pour of an off menu wine. We ended up taking two bottle home from the tasting - the rosé and the R'own blend.

    Halter Ranch - White wine

    Halter Ranch

    (397 reviews)

    $$

    Not much of a winery tasting type, but the beautiful property and professionalism at Halter Ranch…read morewas very memorable. Just the drive up to HR was wonderful, rising higher and higher up the mountain to reach the place. I was jokingly telling my wife trying to be snooty, I don't drink wine from the lower elevation Paso, lol! Super large estate with such a beautiful building for indoor and outdoor seatings. Was amazing just driving up the property to the tasting room. Had made reservation online ahead of time, since was in Paso to check out the sensorio thing on a Saturday in mid March. Don't think I've really been to winery to do tasting, but this was one place I wanted to come to after tasting their "Ancestor" at inlaw's house over a year ago. They had gotten the bottle from their neighbors who must be club members. All I remember was it was one of the best wines I've had. I'm a cheap wine drinker, but things like the stag's Artemis and halter ranch Ancestor just leave lasting impressions in my mind. Checked in with the gentleman at the host stand in the beautiful building. Everything so clean and nice here. Chose to be seated outdoors on the beautiful day. It was quite crowded and busy with folks enjoying food and wines. Ms. Kristie was our server and she was fantastic! Working multiple tables with bottles in hands for all the tastings happening. She was super friendly and accommodating and helpful with explanations of each wine and so energetic to manage every table! Her energy helped stave off the fatigue from driving 4 hours since morning and the food coma from lunch before arriving. We already had lunch so opted for just the olives with the tastings of Ranch and Silver to maximize tasting all the different wines. Initially requested Ranch for both of us, since I expected to get 2 bottles of the wonderful ancestor to get one tasting waived. Shortly after, I noticed ancestor was also considered part of the silver label wines, so switched one to Silver flight (thought maybe ancestor was not silver, since it was part of the ranch flight, but Ms. Kristie said it's just on both flights since it's their signature wine). The olives were very salty, maybe should be rinsed out of it's brine before to reduce the salt. I expected olives to be from HR, but olives are not, and I guess just the olive oil in is is (on the olive oil later). Maybe the sourdough would have been better since it's served with the olive oil, but was just too full from lunch. After tasting all the wines from both flights, for my novice taste buds, I think Halter Ranch is just a master of blends! I actually preferred the blends over the single grape variety wines. Suspected as such after tasting the ancestor before, but my plans to get 2 bottles of ancestor went out the door once I tasted the Cuvee Alice! Wow, so smooth and complexity in depth, instantly scrambled my brain of thinking I came solely for the Ancestor. Ms. Kritie explained the Cuvee Alice was named after the owner's mom. That made perfect sense! It was a wine deserving of owner's pride, what a wonderful wine! Doubt came over me, now maybe I have to step up to buying the Cuvee Alice instead of Ancestor? Can't get better than the Cuvee. But the final round of Ancestor showed off why it's their signature wine, still was so wonderful, and couldn't make up my mind since I love the Ancestor, but I could not imagine not enjoying Cuvee again. Ended up splitting my decision and got a bottle of each to make sure I can have both again! Will introduce inlaws to the Cuvee since we all had Ancestor before. And will have Ancestor for my dad on Father's day then so I can have it then to see if I can decide then which is my fav, or just both :) On the way out, saw the bottles of olive oil by the entrance. Got tastings and loved it, wow! Some "real" olive oil! I preferred the ancestor over the tuscan. Wife got a bottle the Picual olive oil. It is so smooth with delightful flavors and a wonderful bitter bite to it. It's too good and pricey to use for food, so we just take a spoonful daily like a super antioxidant supplement! Already getting low on the bottle... These wines and olive oils are way above my pay grade, but why gotta be so good. Maybe I need to ask inlaw neighbor if they are club members to order me some:) I noticed there is a HR in Temecula closer to home...

    My girlfriend and I visited Halter Ranch for a wine tasting and had a solid overall experience. She…read moredid the Ranch Flight, and I went with the Silver Flight. Both were good, but I felt the Silver Flight had the stronger overall lineup. I ended up buying two bottles of their Malbec before leaving, which says a lot about the quality. We had a 2 PM reservation and arrived about 10 minutes late due to a detour through the hills getting to the winery. Even so, they were very accommodating and seated us right away at an open table. There were quite a few open tables when we arrived, so on this particular Saturday in April, a reservation may not have been necessary, but it's still a good idea to have one just in case. Service was a bit inconsistent but still positive overall. We were initially greeted by another team member who brought water and got us started with our first pours while our assigned server, Janise, was tied up. She later served a couple of the middle pours, and another team member stepped in again for one of the later wines. It seemed like she was balancing multiple responsibilities, and while the handoff between staff kept things moving, it did feel a bit disjointed at times. That said, the overall tone was more casual and friendly rather than overly formal, which some people may prefer. One thing I did appreciate was that there was no hard push to join their wine club. At other wineries in Paso Robles, I've experienced a much stronger sales push, so it was nice to be able to enjoy the tasting without that pressure. The wines themselves were consistently good. We didn't have anything we disliked, and most of what we tried ranged from solid to very enjoyable. They also offer food, though we had already eaten beforehand and didn't try it. The property also has a small retail area near the front with apparel and other merchandise. There are EV chargers available at the far end of the parking lot, which is a nice feature, but accessing them can be a bit tricky. Larger vehicles like sprinter vans and limos tend to park in that same area, which can make maneuvering into the charging spots more difficult than it should be. Overall, I would come back. Good wine, a relaxed atmosphere, and a nice setting. If you're in Paso Robles and looking for a laid-back tasting experience with solid wines, Halter Ranch is worth a visit.

    JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery - JUSTIN Estate Tasting Room Patio

    JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery

    (940 reviews)

    $$

    Back at Justin and was able to take my eldest daughter, her boyfriend and my Border Collie…read more I would not normally post a review, but we were talking about the travesty of Yelp reviews being mostly negative. I am a nobody. Sure, I am a longtime Wine Society member, but I don't expect a Michelin Star restaurant and one of Forbes best places in the world to remember me. They didn't know me; but it didn't matter Justin Winery and Restaurant, treated my party fantastic! Service was excellent. Food was great. Wine was superb. The tasting went slightly off list, which was welcomed with the heat. Lovely white wines to start off, which lead into the bold reds. 10 out of 10 atmosphere. 10 out of 10 for service. 10 out of 10 for food. Wine was a solid 93 average. IYKYK

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Every time I walk through this vineyard I have the most incredible time…read more This review has been a long time coming. A recent member but consistent visitor. Visited this past weekend and was greeted by Mike , served by Kevin. Gorgeous view, whether a member or not the service is always on point. Perks of being a member is that you get a discount for having a great time. Brought my family and they got to indulge in the perks with me. Wine was top tier. They don't serve you what is in your local grocery store, they've got the exclusive wine here. Reserves hold a special place in my heart. Enjoyed all glasses but th Isosceles, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet , Rose...ok all of them were the best. lol Can't have a bad drink here. Highly recommend, food is incredible! 2025 Michelin star, need I say more ? Our group enjoyed the Winter Salad, Mushroom pasta, charcuterie board, and apple pie. Parking was easy , reception is bad until you reach the property. Casual wear is ok in this classy setting. People are down to earth and ready to story tell about the wine here. Excited to go back.

    DAOU Vineyards - We came home with these bottles. So so good!

    DAOU Vineyards

    (1.3k reviews)

    $$$

    DAOU is easily home to one of the most beautiful winery views I've experienced anywhere. Perched…read morehigh above Paso Robles, the scenery alone makes the visit worthwhile, with sweeping vineyard views that feel almost endless. It's the kind of place where you could easily sit for hours enjoying the landscape and a glass of wine. The wines are consistently excellent. The tasting lineup always showcases the quality DAOU is known for, and one of the great perks is that they often have several library wines available that can be requested and served by the glass. Being able to enjoy some of their older vintages this way makes the experience even more special for wine enthusiasts. What I appreciate most about DAOU is how they've managed to maintain a small, family-style atmosphere despite being acquired by a larger company a few years ago. The hospitality still feels personal and genuine. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, not only about the wines themselves but also about the history of the vineyard and the vision behind it. I'm a big fan of this winery and how it has evolved over the years. Between the stunning views, exceptional wines, and welcoming staff, DAOU is always a must-stop whenever visiting Paso Robles.

    First time at DAOU Vineyards and was very impressed. Breathtaking views and beautiful property…read morewith tasting and dining. Both the wines and the food are very good and our server was very helpful, too. We tasted 6 wines and love reds...all of them were good but the Soul of a Lion especially stands out....an excellent wine. We also had their chopped salad and beef tartar and both were delicious. Will definitely have to plan a return trip.

    Whalebone Vineyard - wineries - Updated May 2026

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