Villa Creek Cellars - Paso Robles, California

Nick L.

Amazing! A private, appointment only experience where you really get a one-on-one wine tasting with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The wines are delicious, the views are incredible, and the private tasting experience really makes it feel special. We will absolutely be doing this again and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a more intimate experience that you wouldn't get with larger tasting rooms.

Also, there are wonderful friendly dogs that greet you and wander the property. Which is a HUGE bonus.

Jason L.

We came up for a tasting in February when the weather is a bit cooler. Villa Creek focuses on Rhone varietals, so not the very fruit forward Cabs, Syrah's, Petit's, etc. It's a smaller winery on Peachy Canyon versus the larger venues that I'm less fond of. Wine was very approachable and I liked their Syrah blends.

Lyndsay (sp?) was our host and super knowledgeable and friendly. We ended up not buying bottles as the pricing for most wineries these days is trending towards $100/bottle and if you're not selling at that price point, maybe you're perceived as lower end winery Net/net is the wine industry is in flux as demand is slowing and the younger generation is not drinking as much as previous generations. It's going to be interesting where things go from here, but as I look at my wine budget currently, I'm going to Costco's and finding very good bottles in the $40 - $75 range. Occasionally I'll splurge on a $100+ bottle, but that's not the norm. I truly love Paso and I hope there is a balance that can be reached to keep wine lovers coming out to drink great wine, wineries running a profitable business and pricing that is reasonably enough so I can re-stock my shelves occasionally 🙂

Derrick D.

My wife and I did the Higher Place tasting experience and it was worth every penny. Very laid back. Very cool. I’m sure the giant operations are fun to see, but hopping in a family member’s pickup and riding up to the top of the vineyard to hear about the family history and the business journey while also learning about the grapes and tasting some really excellent wine was exactly the experience we were hoping for. We were there a full 2 hours, maybe longer, just hanging out and seeing the place. We chatted with the wine maker. We chatted with Cris the founder. Camille shows us all around their operation. This was really a cool experience. Bravo to the family for making it chill and cool and informative. We really felt like family guests.

David H.

Small, quiet, relaxing winery; a true hidden gem. The views surrounding the property are amazing and the wines are just as great. Lindsay was our sommelier and she didn’t disappoint. She’s a very wine knowledgeable and friendly professional. She deserves a raise!

Richard F.

Quick Summary
Decent wine, views and property. It's a smaller place. My major knock was the pacing (it felt like we were rushed throughout the whole tasting)

Views- 4 stars
Decent views of their vineyards. It's a smaller winery so it doesn't have the large picturesque vineyards

Property- 4 stars
Contemporary and clean. They do have an iberico ham hanging around that is covered with duck fat. Didn't get a chance to try it but sounded and looked amazing

Tasting- 4 stars
The wine was decent. Really liked their label with their last wine, but everything else was just ok. My main complaint was the pacing. We were basically on the last wine in 20 minutes. The winemaker was cool and interacted with all the guests. I get that they're trying to sell bottles and memberships, but it appeared like they didn't have any other appointments so wasn't sure why the tasting was rushed

Bottom Line
Decent winery experience. Probably a one-time thing. Wasn't very fond of the pacing

Gavin B.

Had a great time doing a tasting at Villa Creek. Wines were great and our server was very friendly.

Thomas R.

Villa Creek is hands down the best winery on the Central Coast that is open to the public. I have been a fan of thier Avenger for years, and is the best Rhone blend you will find in my humble opinion.
This is a small winery that isn't an over the top winery. This winery is all about the wines, not about having a winery that is all about the views.

Rob S.

We visited four wineries recently and this was by far the worst experience. The manager I guess or older lady that greeted us was rude from the start. We were starving and would had sandwiches to eat. They do say no food but originally it was because they didn't want people past the hour allotted. I assured them that we would have no problem eating a sandwich and tasting 6 wines within an hour. The story then changed too they didn't want it to compromise the wines. They didn't seem to have the same problem with the party of nine which I believe violates California guidelines eating burritos and Cheetos. Maybe I didn't realize that Granache and Cheetos were an excellent combination. The only positives were they do have nice friendly dogs on the property and two of the wines were good, too bad the employees are not as friendly. It was the only place we didn't purchase any wine or join the club but fortunately other experiences at Calcareous and HammerSky were great. Jada has great wines too but the tasting area isn’t as nice.