The Grapevine: Paso’s Vina Robles winery works quietly to make a name for itself

By Laurie Daniel

Vina Robles in Paso Robles doesn’t produce the sort of in-your-face wines that would make it the darling of a lot of wine critics. You could even say that it has sort of flown under the radar.

The winery’s visibility with consumers got a boost last summer with the opening of its spacious hospitality center on Highway 46 East. I hope this will be the first step toward the winery gaining the attention and following it deserves for its well-balanced, finely crafted wines.

Vina Robles got its start in the late 1990s, when Hans Nef, a civil engineer from Switzerland, purchased land in Paso Robles with the goal of planting vineyards and producing wine. Nef, a wine lover, was a collector of fine Bordeaux. He planted three vineyards on Paso Robles’ east side.

In 1999, Nef turned to another Swiss native, Matthias Gubler, to make the Vina Robles wines. Gubler, who studied winemaking in Switzerland, had worked in that country as well as in California, France and Italy.

A balanced approach

Paso Robles is a warm growing area, so ripeness—and consequently, alcohol—can get pretty high. But most of the Vina Robles wines are in the 14 percent to 14.5 percent alcohol range. Although Gubler says that “I’m not too thrilled about greenness,” he also doesn’t like “overripeness and jammy, candied characteristics.” Nor does he want to make wines that are too oaky. “I try to keep the oak in the background,” he says.

His aim, he says, is to make wines with varietal character and a good balance of fruit and structure.

Gubler has at his disposal 1,200 acres of estate vineyards. Vina Robles produces only 20,000 cases a year, so most of the fruit is sold. But the winery also purchases some fruit, Gubler says, mostly from sites that impart different characteristics from those provided by the estate vineyards. “I like to have fruit from all over” the appellation, he says.

A trio of estate vineyards

The three estate vineyards have more than a dozen grape varieties, mostly Rhône and Bordeaux varieties, but also grapes such as tannat and touriga. Gubler says he would also be interested in working with tempranillo. The Vina Robles lineup, however, sticks mostly with the Rhône and Bordeaux themes, at least for now.

Although Vina Robles does produce some white wines, my favorite offerings are the reds. The 2005 “Jardine” Petite Sirah ($26), for example, is a big, bold wine that manages to retain some elegance. It’s dark and dense, with ripe yet bright blueberry and black raspberry fruit. The 2004 “Huerhuero” Cabernet Sauvignon ($19) offers ample ripe fruit, good concentration, bright acidity and firm structure. There’s a reliable zin, too—the West-side Zinfandel ($26) — although the most recent vintage is sold out. A 2006 zin will be released next month.

More savory reds

Also coming next month is the 2005 Signature ($36), which is based on petit verdot, a grape that more often accounts for just a tiny portion of a Bordeaux-style blend. Cabernet sauvignon and syrah account for the rest of the Signature blend. The wine displays generous rich, bright black cherry and raspberry fruit, accented by some toasty oak. The texture is plump and supple, though the wine has plenty of structure.

Also on the way is the 2005 Syrée ($34), a blend that’s about three-quarters syrah, along with some petite sir-ah and cabernet sauvignon. It’s rich, dark and mouth-filling, with black raspberry fruit and fine tannins. The Syrée will be available only at the Paso Robles tasting room.

Although the Vina Robles reds are big wines, Gubler wants to be sure they will pair with food. “A good wine is a wine you can drink with a good meal,” he says. “If the bottle is empty in a certain amount of time, it’s a good wine.”