Paso Robles Wine: Four Lanterns Winery

A couple of weekends ago Annie and I went to two wineries. One was Pelletiere Estate Vineyard which I wrote about here and the other was Four Lanterns http://www.fourlanternswinery.com/. We chose these two for two reasons, 1) we had not been to either before and 2) our friend Amy Butler is the winemaker at both.

Four Lanterns is located where Lone Madrone used to be, right across from Niner Wine Estates on Highway 46 West. The owners, Steve and Jackie Gleason, are in the midst of many changes at the property. They have basically gutted the exterior landscape around the tasting room and are adding tasting bars, seating, grass, a stage, and eventually an onsite winemaking facility. When Steve mentioned a stage to me that piqued my interest so I’m looking forward to checking out some live music there.

Steve and Jackie were both in the tasting room while we were there. Jackie poured for us and Steve took us on a little tour of the above mentioned landscape projects. They were both very kind, engaged, and seemed to be having a lot of fun with this new part of their life. Annie and I enjoyed our time with them, as well as the wine, so we will definitely be back.

Now let’s get down to the business of wine. Here’s what we tasted:

2013 Sunset Rose $28.00/ bottle

2013 Apricity Picpoul Blanc $28.00/ bottle

2013 Lamplight Viognier $28.00/ bottle

2012 Lights Out Grenache/ Syrah $35.00/ bottle

2012 Fire Light Syrah $48.00/ bottle

We enjoyed the wines and of course, if you know us at all, we love whites so the Picpoul and the Viognier were fun to try. Picpoul obviously is not too common in Paso. The Rose was quite nice as well. The Grenache/ Syrah and the Syrah were both very nice. I don’t drink a ton of Syrah so it’s nice finding ones that I like.

Overall, great experience. And what makes a great experience? Cool people (read: good customer service), good wine, and fun/ interesting place. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Side notes:

Four Lanterns is on 35 acres

The hill on the vineyard was originally terraced for an apple farm in the early 1900’s

They named it Four Lanterns for their four daughters

Here’s a little Q&A we did with Steve Gleason:

Matt: How long have you been in the wine business and what made you want to do so?

Steve: Four Lanterns is our first venture into the wine industry.  We started working the property before we actually became owners in July of 2013.  Our desire to make outstanding wines created a need to bring in exceptional talent.  We, therefore, hired Neil Roberts as our vineyard manager and Amy Butler as our wine maker.  They have both embraced this “project” and recognize the unique opportunity to work on a historic property that has the fundamentals needed to make great wines.  Jackie and I are fortunate that they each bring more to the table than their stated roles.  They act more like advisers or partners for us.

Why did we do this?  A combination of a love for the area (we have been coming here for 25 years), an interest in leaving the corporate world and striking out on our own, a passion for good wine, and a desire to be financially irresponsible for once in our lives (just kidding – kind of).  I think creating a business is creating a micro community; I am hopeful that we can pull this off.

Matt: How would you describe Four Lanterns wines?

Steve: Our wines are balanced and intricate yet they can be powerful as well.  As an example, the Picpoul Blanc is very dry white wine that can augment an array of food flavors from delicate to forceful.  It does not, however, pull any punches.  The wine is direct and forthright.  The Syrah, on the other hand, is huge and meaty without being fruit forward.  I think the point is to have wines that can compliment food as well stand up on their own.  We try to let our historic vineyard shine through all the way to the glass.  Neil Roberts has said, wines are made in the vineyard and preserved in the winemaking process.  (I don’t think he is trying to slight Amy when he says this. He is one of her biggest fans.)

Matt: Favorite wine on your current tasting list?

Steve: I don’t have a favorite wine on the list.  It depends on what I am eating or doing at the time.  It also depends on what mood I am in – or mood I would like to be in.

Matt: Total current acres of vines on your property? Do you have plans to increase this?

The property is 35 acres.  We have 22 planted.  8 of these are new plants.  The 14 acres of producing grapes are in Syrah, Viognier and Picpoul Blanc.   The new plants are Grenache, Carmenera, Ugni Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc , and Clarette.  We are dominated by Rhone grapes but we have some non-Rhone varietals in the pipeline; Carmenera (as noted above), and on another vineyard: Cabernet, and soon to be planted Mourvedre, Petit Verdot and Tempranillo.

Matt: Do you have a favorite food and wine pairing?

Favorite wine and food parings? – tough question.   My sister has a spice company which makes a great Coriander/Cumin pork rub (the name of the company is Smith and Truslow if you are curious).  A pork loin covered with the rub, cooked to medium rare on the grill, and sliced with a dab of fig jam is phenomenal with our Lights Out Grenache.