One of my friends is an avid birder. Her fascination combines a love of the outdoors with an almost scientific study of native and migrating species. She views them, records their numbers, and (with the aid of her expert’s gear) produces beautiful photographs. She also appreciates fine wine. So why not enjoy an adventurous day that combines sighting the local bird life with a visit to one of Paso Robles’ exceptional wineries?
After a much-needed eye-opening cappuccino and fresh-baked croissant at Amstrdm (in downtown Paso Robles) we headed out. Guided by a tip from a local, our destination was the Calcareous Vineyard. He said it would be the perfect spot to go birding and wine-tasting.
Peachy Canyon Road is one those classic California backcountry byways. As soon as it gets beyond the city limit, the road snakes its way into rolling hills dotted with 100-year-old black oak trees, bucolic grazing cattle, and rows and rows of vineyards.
The sign indicating the turnoff for Calcareous did not offer a hint of what lay in store. Higher and higher it climbed, leaving the canyon far below cloaked in long morning shadows. The view that had until then been defined by canyon walls opened up onto a vista of panoramic proportion. And still we continued to climb.
Finally, at an elevation of 1,700 feet on top of one of the highest limestone plateaus in the region, the road leveled out at the parking area. An elegantly rustic building of wood and glass turned out to be the tasting room, which was fringed by a large patio for alfresco sipping and dining. On the other side was the barrel-storage barn with a population of swallows that my friend spotted instantly.
It was still too early for normal visiting hours, we were informed by a young woman in chef’s white garb carrying at least six dozen eggs.
“These are for the quiches,” she commented as she bustled by.
Not wanting to go where we were not allowed, I headed for the barn, where I met the winery’s marketing director, Kristen Gillespie. I explained I was working on a story that would combine birding in the vineyard with tasting what the vines had to offer.
“If you stay on the dirt access roads, it’s not a problem,” she said. “You’re the first people who ever asked about combining bird-watching and wine-tasting. Have fun. When you’re done, come to the tasting room.”
So off we went. I was immediately impressed by the peacefulness of the scene, while Ann was already searching the sky and trees with her binoculars, her camera at the ready.
“Is that an eagle?” she called out. It was, soaring on high above us on the currents. “It’s a golden!”
Over the course of the next hour we (I say we, but mostly Ann) spotted yellow-breast warblers, an assortment of squawking scrub jays, cedar wax wings, blackbirds, a magpie, a western bluebird, and several turkey vultures.
“Do not call them buzzards,” I was reprimanded.
The sun was high in the sky and the parking lot was filling up as we headed for the tasting room. We sat down at one of the outdoor patio tables and soon were joined by Jason Joyce, the head winemaker. Joyce, who projects more of the vibe of a “Hey, dude” surfer than a master wine craftsman, turned out to be a font of information. Not only did he fill us in the vineyard’s history (it was founded in 2000 by Lloyd Messer) as well as its remarkable limestone-saturated soil, he also knew the best place to spot coveys of quail as well as a host of other birds that call the vineyard home.
With Ann’s massive camera at rest on the table, we sampled the winery’s Rhone and Bordeaux-style varietals, including a fragrant 2021 Chardonnay, the 2020 Kate’s Vineyard Zinfandel, 2021 Reserve Grenache, 2021 Estate Syrah, and the 2020 Devil’s Canyon Syrah.
By the time we left, both Gillespie and Joyce were convinced that offering birding tours of the vineyard (led by a knowledgeable local guide) combined with a wine-flight tasting was an idea well worth being explored.
