One of the most adventurous, fearless and talented wine makers in California today is Neil Collins of Lone Madrone. If the fruit is exceptional, he will take even the lesser known varietals that are grown on the west side of Paso, far from their native regions and turn them into fine wines. So great is he that his peers named him WINE INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR 2020 in Paso Robles, many of which are winemakers or winery owners themselves. This is a monumental accolade.
His obsession goes beyond the wine, it goes to the vineyard, to the soil, to those vines no matter if he is in the winery or not. It’s as if he’s in the room but his feet are walking through the vines. This is a common occurrence. When Collins sees bottles, he sees vineyards. And when he sees vineyards, he sees farmers, which he deems to be “ the true badasses” behind it all.
To pass muster vineyards must be organic or sustainably farmed by people Neil would want to invite into his home and brake bread with.
“We’re working with vineyards that we absolutely love, and our goal is to continue to work to do a few things very well. I have a very distinct idea of what I want to make and it is not the big, typical Paso Robles wines that have become popular over the past 15 years. We want to offer something a little more graceful. We want to make what we, as a family, reach for when we sit down to have dinner.
Lone Madrone’s special Pinnacle Wine Tasting is interactive and intimate with their most experienced wine stewards who will pour you a flight of their finest wines sourced from dry farmed vineyards on West Paso soils. Make a reservation for these unique tastings and savor the terroir, only $35pp. Or stop in and enjoy tastings daily without a reservation if they have space available.
