Templeton Gap District

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WINE TASTING IN TEMPLETON GAP

Due to COVID-19, some wineries may not be open for tasting or have different hours than listed below. Given the rapidly changing landscape of rules and regulations, please contact wineries directly to ensure you are able to visit, and make reservations as necessary.

The Templeton Gap District is one of the smaller districts in the Paso Robles AVA, but home to several world class wineries, many of which have tasting rooms near their vineyards and are open to the public for wine tasting and events.

The district’s centralized location also makes it a popular destination with locals and tourists; the district is centered over the town of Templeton, with the vast majority of vineyard tasting rooms along Highway 46 W.

Learn more about the vineyard tasting rooms open to the public below, and how you can experience another piece of Paso Robles’s Wine Country.

If you can’t make it to the vineyards check out Paso Robles’s Food & Drink Page to see the wine bars, off-site tasting rooms, and restaurants that feature Templeton Gap District wines!

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FEATURED WINERIES

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VINEYARD TASTING ROOMS

Are we missing a winery, or have outdated information? Let us know by emailing hello@sanluisobispoguide.com

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Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar

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Bella Luna Estate Winery

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Bethel Rd. Distillery & Winery

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Castoro Cellars

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Clesi Wines

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Doce Robles Winery

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Fratelli Perata Winery

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J Dusi Wines

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Peachy Canyon Winery

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Seven Angels Cellars

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SummerWood Winery

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Victor Hugo Winery

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Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards

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Windward Vineyard

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Zenaida Cellars

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TERROIR PROFILE

The Templeton Gap District is located on the western edge of the Paso Robles AVA, just south of the Willow Creek District and west of El Pomar. The district itself sits on top of the city of Templeton, and uses the Santa Lucia Mountain Range to the west to define one of its borders. Its southern border is defined by the Salinas River as it winds towards the mountain range, and to the east is defined by South River Road as it travels to South El Pomar Road below. The northern border is really more of a pointed edge in the district, and stretches all the way up to the middle of the city of Paso Robles.

Given the district’s proximity to the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, it comes as no surprise that Templeton Gap sees a wide range of elevation changes as you travel from the wineries closer to the valley floor in the east up to the wineries in the mountains to the west. Wineries at the lowest point in the district can actually sit at 773’ while those at the highest elevation sit closer to 1,157’. However, the overall higher elevation of the district and its location near the Santa Lucia Mountain Range makes the Templeton Gap the most heavily impacted by marine influences, and one of the cooler districts of all in the Paso Robles AVA. 

The heavy marine influence on the Templeton Gap brings significant fog and coastal breezes to the district, as well as to the other districts in the Paso Robles AVA in varying degrees. However, Templeton Gap receives the most direct impact of these coastal influences, resulting in both the highest humidity in the entire AVA and a longer ripening period (grapes here can be picked up to two weeks later than other districts in the AVA).  However, the district doesn’t see that much more rain than other districts in the AVA (even with the heavy coastal influences) with an average of 20” annually (2.54” occurring during the growing season). 

The soil in the Templeton Gap District is also one of its most defining features, and is what helps distinguish its true borders in the north and south. Templeton Gap actually sits on hard bedrock that is part of the Monterey formation, and the shift from bedrock to the shale and calcareous soil found north in Willow Creek is what differentiates and defines the two districts. There is also a similar shift of the higher and lower Monterey formation that defines the district’s southern border, but no sub-district exists in that area. 

Although the Templeton Gap District has its own unique mix of topography, soil, and climate, they are able to produce wines similar to others crafted throughout the larger AVA. Southern Rhône varietals such as Viognier and Zinfandel also do quite well in the Templeton Gap, but their Bordeaux-style blends and Cabernet Sauvignons should also not be missed!

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