Menu
Menu
Tina and Brett
Joseph Bianchi was a New York chemist who left his penicillin lab behind when he moved to California in the 1940s. Joe was an entrepreneur at heart, and it didn’t take long for him to start creating a slew of small businesses and living the California dream.
In 1947, Joe created the Roadium drive-in movie theater, which was one of the first drive-ins in Southern California. A few decades later, after the drive-in movie theater expanded to include a swap meet market, he turned his sights on winemaking. The original Bianchi vineyard, purchased in 1974, was located in the small Central Valley town of Kerman and has close to 600 acres.
Joseph had what was then considered some wild ideas about wine production and marketing. In addition to still wine production, he pushed his company to dabble in canned wines and wine spritz-like coolers.
It didn’t take long for Joseph’s son, Glenn, to be drawn into the alluring world of wine, and he soon brought his own ideas to his father’s investment.
In 2000, Glenn wanted to take the father-son wine venture to the next level. He began scouting properties whose location would match the family’s ambitions of crafting premium California wines. After a diligent search, Glenn found what he thought was the perfect property: 40 acres of sloping hills just off Highway 46 in the eastern part of Paso Robles.
But this was just the start for Bianchi Vineyards. Just like his father and grandfather before him, Beau Bianchi envisioned a winery experience that could rival the boutique wineries of Napa and Sonoma. To that end, he built a hospitality center on the Paso Robles property, created a Koi lake around a natural waterfall feature, and added a bocce ball court. The Bianchi Vineyards Paso Robles wine tasting room is considered one of the best wine experiences in the area and has a near-perfect review rating on Google reviews.
But Bianchi wines aren’t just popular with the public. The 2004 Bianchi Vineyards Jack Ranch Signature Selection Chardonnay was given a 90-point score by Wine Enthusiast and named one of the best of 2005.
Current winemaker Todd R. Weiher works with pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot grigio, zinfandel, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and sauvignon blanc. Estate-grown fruit is used to make Bianchi’s zinfandel, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon, while grapes for other bottlings are sourced from nearby vineyards in Paso Robles.
The family plans to replant 15 of their 40 acres with three to four additional varieties to continue expanding their Estate bottled wines.
Today, Bianchi Vineyards produces 10,000 cases of wine a year.
What’s great about Bianchi Vineyards is that they have not one but two tasting rooms. The Paso Robles location includes the winery, vineyards, and a tasting room experience that is regularly called ‘luxurious’ for all of the on-site features. The view across the valley is great, and the outdoor seating area has a fabulous stone fireplace that’s a popular place for guests to relax and enjoy their wine.
It’s the kind of place that makes you want to kick back and stay a while instead of hurrying to the next Paso Robles tasting room on your list.
The opening of the Bianchi Vineyards Laguna Beach tasting room in 2022 was especially exciting for the family, who moved to the beachside town when Beau was six years old. Bringing the winery back home to the local community was always on Beau’s radar and he was thrilled when he found a vacant space on North Coast Highway.
The setting and the decor couldn’t be better. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a breathtaking ocean view await guests of the Laguna Beach outpost.
USA, California
Central Coast > Paso Robles
Cabernet Franc
14.8%
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
30 to 60 Minutes
Now to 2027
The 2018 Bianchi Vineyards Cabernet Franc is deep garnet in the glass. The nose is ripe with dark pitted and berry fruit like plums and raspberries. An interesting bouquet of white pepper, chalk, and verdant grass follows the dominant fruit aromas.
The palate of this wine really asserts itself. A good Cab Franc is an austere mix of spices, like the white pepper we picked up, ripe berries, and notes of bell pepper. We also found green olives, old leather, minerality, chalk, and the slightest touch of dark chocolate.
The grapes for Bianchi’s Cabernet Franc are sourced throughout Paso Robles, a warmer wine-growing region in California’s Central Coast, so this interpretation is pretty full-bodied and ripe.
All in all, a very good wine.
