Dover Canyon Winery

Open: Year-round

Dover Canyon Winery is located on Vineyard Drive in the Willow Creek appellation. Dan Panico, owner and winemaker of Dover Canyon, has long believed that the northwest-running strip of calcareous soil along Vineyard Drive is optimum for growing Zinfandel and Rhône varieties. Our estate vineyard Tre Noce, features Organic, Dry Farmed Zinfandel and Syrah. Our production is focused on sustainable practices, and small lots of artisinal wines, often vineyard designated. With a love for our heritage grape in Paso Robles, we seek out Dry Farmed, Mountain Grown, and Old Vine Zinfandel.

Our playful label, the bright blue dog with the big red tongue is an original piece of art, painted by family member Ed Smith. Our dog label has graced all of our red wine vintages since 1994.The winery name, "Dover Canyon," comes from a steep east-west canyon that slashes directly through the heart of northwest Paso Robles, bringing us a wind tunnel effect of cool Pacific air every afternoon. The vineyard is named Tre Noce, which is Italian for "three walnuts," in honor of the three remaining trees from the original El Paso de la Robles rancho orchard, of which our property is a tiny portion. A small Dunn wine barn near our 1921 farmhouse serves as wine storage, tasting room and crush pad. The house and crush pad are on a hilltop vectored between the Templeton Gap and Dover Canyon wind tunnels. In the low creek area of our property is an old Diamond walnut processing facility which we have converted to wine storage.

Summer breezes are so brisk they will slide a full glass of wine right off the patio tables. While Paso Robles has been traditionally thought of as excessively hot and dry, the western hills lead into the Santa Lucia foothills and enjoy cool breezes, strong diurnal temperature swings, 22 inches of rainfall a year, and steep hillsides with varying soil patterns.In addition to our own Zinfandel and Syrah vineyard, we buy fruit produced in the northwest corner of the appellation, from the Templeton Gap microclimate to the Adelaida Hills district.