Before
I ever knew anything about wine I was working at a Murder Mystery event in Paso
Robles for a private party. I think I got killed early in the evening and was
probably dead while the guests finished their catered dinner. There was wine on
the table, some label I didn’t know because I didn’t know anything at that
point. It was a Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon from Eberle Winery.
Since I was a scavenger and poor, when the party ended I absconded with a half
empty bottle of wine, when home and promptly drank it. Thus began my man-crush
on Gary Eberle and a turning point into a world of wine I could never have
imagined. Now as a professional wine writer and wine judge, I still recall that
most excellent wine crafted by Gary Eberle. So
when the California State Fair (they
run a large wine competition which I have judged at) correctly decided to honor
Gary Eberle with their Wine Lifetime
Achievement Award it was like, what took you so long? Gary Eberle has been
called the Father of Paso Robles wine, the Godfather of Paso; it really doesn’t
matter because he is one of the two most important men (including Jerry Lohr)
in the history of the Paso Robles wine.
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| Dinner in the vineyard with Gary, August 2014 |
Eberle
Winery is one of the most awarded wineries in the nation with literally
thousands of awards and accolades. Originally from Pennsylvania, Gary found
wine at an early age. “I suddenly discovered what James Bond was talking
about,” he told me. “I was young and stupid and went from drinking Boone’s Farm
to Chateau Latour.” Fresh out of U.C. Davis, he and a few investors bought 160
acres in Paso back in 1973 when the place was mainly large tracts of dirt. He
started by heading his family’s Estrella River Winery. In 1980 he co-founded
the Paso Robles Appellation and in 1983, Gary opened the doors to his own
Eberle Winery with the premiere of his 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon. Eberle Winery’s
Cab was the first wine to place the Paso Robles AVA designation on its label.
Gary was also the first to plant Syrah on the Central Coast, and the first to
make a 100% Syrah varietal wine in the United States.
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| Judging with Gary at the San Diego International Wine Competition |
As
if that wasn’t enough I placed Gary at #43 on IntoWine.com’s Top 100 Most InfluentialWinemaker’s list; the winery was the recipient of the “Winery of the Year” as
voted by the wine judges at the CentralCoast Wine Competition in 2014 (caveat #1: I am a wine judge here too). But Gary, ever modest, takes his milestones in stride
instead preferring to promote Paso and his love of red wines (“A wine’s first
obligation is to be red,” he recently told me), specifically Cabernet. “If you
want to know how good Paso Robles Cabernet is,” Gary once told me, “have a
blind tasting of Napa Cabernet and a Paso Robles Cabernet. We may not always
come out on top, but we can compete against Bordeaux and Napa first growths.”
And having started my wine writing/judging career on the back of his wines, I
know he’s right.
“We have the potential to have the same reputation as Sonoma or even better.”
Well, that may still be a ways off, but if Paso focuses its energies collectively,
the region will be able to stand its own ground. And much of that is do to Gary
as a believer in the region and a fighter for better quality wine from the
region.
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| I love being on the Eberle property, almost as much as I love the wines. |
A
visit to the Eberle tasting room off Highway 46 East begins with the bronze
statute of a boar sitting out front of the main doors, a replica of an original
from 1620 that sits in Italy. Eberle in German means “little boar,” and it’s
considered good luck to rub the boar’s nose and toss a coin in the water. All money
collected at the Eberle boar fountain is then donated to local children’s
charities. The winery offers a free 30-minute tour of their facility,
discussing the entire winemaking process and if you’ve never taken a tour, this
is a great crash course on wine education. And if education seems too
formulaic, consider another of Gary’s nuggets of wine wisdom. “The difference
between wine and children is that you can sit down and reason with a bottle of
Cabernet.” See, this is why I like the man. The winery also has a beautiful
picnic area overlooking the vines and a bocce ball court. And Eberle is heavily
involved in the community, most notably being the founder of the long running Winemaker’s Cook-Off held each August
(caveat #2 – I am one of the judges at this fantastic event too), which raises
money for local charities. The annual event pulls in 30 winemakers who
personally grill up their best dishes to match their wines. It’s a feast of
food and wine with live music and has raised nearly $500,000 for local high
school charities. Damn!
So,
if you don’t care that someone was a warded a lifetime achievement award,
that’s okay, in spite of the fact that Gary Eberle is the most deserving person
to get this award. What’s not okay is to bypass Eberle Winery when you visit,
or drive through, Paso. Check it out for yourself, rub the boar’s nose and
enjoy the wine. It’s that simple. Eberle Winery - 3810 Highway 46 East, Paso
Robles. They are open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone (805) 238-9607.
