What was once a ridgetop landing strip for private aircraft now lies Prime Vineyard — fifteen acres of Rhône varieties on calcareous lime shale, rooted in the Monterey Shale formation. Surrounded on all sides by ancient oaks and wildlife corridors, this land is secluded from the rest of the outside world creating a truly special terroir.
Overview
Prime Vineyard occupies a prominent ridgeline in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. Fifteen acres of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Graciano, and Grenache Blanc, planted on calcareous lime shale soils with slopes exceeding thirty-five percent. The site is surrounded by ancient oak woodlands and native riparian corridors, creating a protected microclimate that encourages slow, even ripening.
Terroir
The Land Beneath the Vines
The Monterey Shale formation underlies the entire site — a marine sediment laid down more than twelve million years ago, now weathered into calcareous lime shale that drains freely and forces the vines to work. Slopes exceeding thirty-five percent ensure that water never lingers. The result is a naturally low-vigor site: small canopies, small clusters, concentrated fruit.
Viticultural Philosophy
We farm this site with restraint. The slope dictates the approach, and every pass through the vineyard is deliberate. Through herbicide-free farming, our goal is creating biodiversity and maximizing organic matter in the soil. We are not in a hurry. The vines were planted in 2021 and 2022. They are just beginning to tell us what they can do. This site is spectacular and a viticulturist's dream, and you truly get swept away walking the rows, hearing the turkeys meandering through the open fields that separate the blocks, and gazing in amazement at the red-tailed hawks that circle overhead or land in the oak tree centered in the vineyard.
2026 Fruit Availability