Tobin James Wine Tasting Review: Serious Wine, Zero Pretension

Years ago, when we were just developing our interest in wine as a couple, we took a spontaneous trip to Paso Robles wine country to go tasting for the weekend. I didn’t plan ahead much and it was before the pandemic, so reservations weren’t required. We drove around, trying to decide where to go, and we ended up doing a Tobin James wine tasting. Over two hours later, we left, new James Gang members. Serious wine, zero pretension, there is a magic about the winery that any wine lover needs to experience to understand.

Fast forward 12 years, we’re still members of their wine club. We visited again two weeks ago when we spent four days tasting wine for my birthday, and we’re still enamored.

Tobin James Wine Tasting Review: Serious Wine, Zero Pretension

Snobbery is a thing amongst the wine community. We all know it. We’ve all seen it, and it likely won’t go away, which is one reason I chose to start this website. Being exclusionary over different palates and budgets is just unnecessary, but I’ve run into a couple of self-proclaimed wine pros over the years who feel this winery is somehow not a “serious winery.” If you’re into wineries that require whispers and raised pinkies, Tobin James Cellars is not your place — but I hope you’re not, because we can’t drink together, and I really like making new wine friends.

So let’s talk about the vibe. In a word: fun. Tobin James makes serious wine, and some bottles have serious prices, but in general, it’s a winery that’s accessible to everyone and every budget. New to wine? They’ll talk you through a tasting. On a budget? They’ve got bottles that won’t break the bank but will give you a bottle you can proudly take to a party.

A Tobin James wine tasting appointment is an hour of unlimited tasting. UNLIMITED. This means you get more than five pours most wineries provide; you get the pours you want, and on your schedule. Your wine educator will describe the wine, and you’ll get fab advice about how to best enjoy it. It’s an incredible value for $20. (Wine club member tastings are complimentary.)

The winery sits on 71 acres on a rise above Highway 46, built on the site of the original 10-mile Stagecoach Stop. It offers ample parking and an outdoor seating space that make a great picnic spot. (There’s no food available inside the winery.) Its building gives off a western vibe, from the ranch-esque gate over the driveway to the gleaming mahogany bar from Missouri directly across the room as you enter the winery. Rumor has it that a bullet hole in one area is from the infamous Jesse James.

Additional bar areas were added later, providing space for a large number of guests. (This is why I say it’s not a quiet space, but it entirely suits the vibe, and the liveliness is part of the whole experience.)

A large selection of logo’d gear is available throughout the building, and you can also purchase the special gift items usually available only to club members in their twice-yearly shipments.

Next to the building is a large yellow Victorian house, a hotel available to wine club members, with the bonus that you essentially stay for free — you spend $250 on wine and get the night for free. (We weren’t able to stay in it yet; it books up in advance, but one day we’ll make it happen. Photos of the suites are available online and each is different.)

But let’s get to the real good stuff: the wine.

When you start your wine tasting session, you’re given a menu of available wines, and a pen. You’ll need the pen, because you’ll be taking a lot of notes and circling your purchases for ease at checkout. If you join, you also get a 20% discount if you buy a case and 15% if you buy less, so consider this as you’re putting together your list.

The club ships only twice a year — October/April — giving you plenty of time to drink your eight bottles before the next box arrives. Each box also comes with a special gift, and I’ve got a lot of those unique items around my house, because they’re actually usable items. Their marketing team does a fantastic job of making sure this membership comes with a lot of perks.

Back to the wine.

I’d show you my Tobin James wine tasting list, but it’s full of scribbles. It basically breaks down the wines into whites and reds, desserts and sparkling, and reserve reds. I’m sure this changes depending on time of year, but the Available for Purchase section has some randoms that are still available.

The tasting notes are spot-on, and I say that with the disclaimer that I try to not read them before I have my first sip. I want to test myself and see what I pick up on the nose and on my palate, because I find wine tasting to be an art and not a science. (While science is involved, and there are particular things we’ll all agree on, learning to trust your nose and your tongue and all of your senses, then putting it into words, is an art.)

Starting with sparkling and working our way through whites and reds, we tried so many, far too many to list them all. Here are a few highlights including some of our favorites:

2023 Sauvignon Blanc Sundance: Light, crispy citrus, dry. I indeed got grapefruit and lemongrass, just like the notes suggested. Light-bodied, decent acidity, it’s 13% ABV and high on flavor. This will pair with a lot of things, but I can also see me sitting by the fire pit one of these nights (if it ever cools off in southern California) putting a good dent into this bottle.

2022 Tempranillo Rose Paradise: Let me preface this by saying I’m not what you’d call a big rosé fan, and my tasting note descriptions are still a work in progress. My first foray into the rosé world was in Paris, and theirs are much drier in general than US-made styles. I do find this to be changing though, and I was happy that this particular bottle was delightful, so much so that it came home with us. Gorgeous pale pink color, dry, strawberry notes both on the nose and the palate, and a hint of peach. At 12% ABV, this is a pescatarian’s dream wine.

2019 Chateau Le Cacheflo Blend: Say this one like “cash flow.” It’s a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Barbera (and sometimes rounded out with a touch of Zinfandel, Primitivo, or Malbec depending on the specific block harvest). Coming in at 14.6% ABV, this full-bodied red is a solid affordable choice with notes of raspberry and cranberry, and a bit of a spice kick at the end.

2019 Merlot Made in the Shade: My only bummer with this wine is that I didn’t bring home more of it. It checks all my boxes for a red wine: medium-bodied, jammy, notes of dark fruits like cherries and currant, and chocolate, with a hint of smoke…and an ABV of 14.6%. Total winner.

2019 Zinfandel Ballistic: Zinfandel is their flagship varietal, and Ballistic brings it with its full body, velvety mouth feel and jammy fruit flavors. Think dark blackberry. As a vegetarian, this would be a dream with a cheesy pasta dish to help cut that fatty feel. (And it’s 15.6% ABV, so plan accordingly.)

2020 Zinfandel Silver Reserve: This one’s technically medium-bodied, but don’t tell it that. Its bold, smooth flavor hints at dark berries, cranberries, and a hint of black pepper. SO good. The dark, deep purple color of this wine is beautiful. The “reserve” bottles are indeed more pricy, but one sip and you’ll see why. I’m not sharing this bottle.

2021 Zinfandel Blue Moon Reserve: This bottle is also less budget-friendly, but if you buy enough wine, you can take 20% off that $85 price tag and you’re actually saving money. Wine math. Anyway, if velvet was a wine, it would be this one. I heard “chocolate-covered raspberry” and that term fits it better than anything I can say…but picture dark chocolate with very little sweet to it. (I’m so not a fan of sweet wines so you probably won’t ever see them here anyway.) Medium-bodied, garnet in color, 15.6% ABV. It’s a dream.

2022 Primitivo James Gang Reserve: The website does it best by referring to this wine as chewy. This one’s tannins are prominent, and in the best way. Jammy, fruit-forward, notes of blackberry and a hint of spice, coming in at 15.8% ABV, if you like solid red wines, give this one a try. This one could hold up to a saucy barbecue or rare steak and a big piece of lasagna with rich ricotta and spicy tomato flavors. (As a pescatarian feeding carnivores, sometimes it’s hard to pick a bottle that pairs with both versions of dinner.)

We picked up some of all of the above, and threw in a couple of Silver Reserve Sangioveses and a White Reserve. The Sangiovese is full-bodied with plum and dark cherry notes, while the White Label Reserve is a very limited high-end bottle ($155 per), a Zinfandel-based blend, with roughly 50% Zinfandel alongside structural additions of Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, and Tannat. With aromas of dark cherry and toasted pecan, we got notes of cherry, strawberry and cocoa. It’s such a rich, smooth, complex bottle, it was worth the splurge.

I hope this extensive Tobin James wine tasting review is helpful when you’re planning your next trip to Paso Robles wine country. Gorgeous rolling hills, covered in vines, wineries everywhere you look, and trees surrounding roads in a way you don’t see around Los Angeles — it’s an incredible place to spend a few days…or more.

Learn more about me here, and if you have questions about any of the wines I’ve shared, I’d love to see them!