Exploring the 2019 Barton Family Wines Soul Mate: A Serious Wine with a Fun Name

Barton Family Wines & Grey Wolf Cellars is one of the first-ever wineries in Paso Robles. Husband and wife Joe Barton, Sr., and Shirlene Barton moved to Paso Robles from Colorado in 1994 purchased a hobby farm, and started their winemaking journey just two years later. At the time, Barton Family Wines was just the

25th winery in what is now one of California’s most popular wine destinations.

Sadly, Joe, Sr. died suddenly in 1998, and his son, Joe, Jr., took the helm of the company. This Paso Robles winery is a true family-owned company, with Jenny Barton, Joe’s wife, managing the marketing, sales, and events, while his mother, Shirlene handles the bookkeeping. Meanwhile, Ella and Eva Barton, Jenny and Joe’s daughters are hostesses in the tasting room.

Under this stellar team, the winery produces around 7,000 cases of wine a year. Grapes for Barton Wines are sourced from both the family’s 15 acre estate vineyard (planted to seven different varieties), and neighboring vineyards throughout Paso Robles. All of the vineyards that Joe and Brad work with are dry-farmed, including the home vineyard.

Great Wines with Quirky Label Names

This family-owned wine brand has three unique lineups of wines offered via their Barton Family Wines label, Grey label, and Grey Wolf label. They also produce another limited selection of wines for MUST! Charities.

The wines that winemakers Joe Barton, Jr. and Brad Ely craft may be serious quality wines, but the names on the bottles in their eponymous brand lineup are fun and whimsical. Each bottle is named after a famous pop, country, or rock and roll song. Think: Uptown Funk, Danger Zone, Purple Rain, California Love, The Dance, Paradise City, Don’t Stop Believing, Mr. Jones, and Watchtower.

Soul Mate is actually named after a Justin Timberlake song. This bottling comes in the red blend, which we review in this post and a rose of Grenache.

When it comes to experimenting with different styles of wines and grape varieties, Barton isn’t afraid to try new things. In addition to more tried and true California wine like a Grenache & Counoise blend, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, they also make a Fume Blanc, Clairette Blanche, Vermentino, a skin-contact Viognier, and a pet nat.

Creating Innovative Wine Experiences in Paso Robles

If you think this Paso Robles winery only offers straightforward

wine tastings, think again. The Barton’s have always been eager to find new and interesting ways to showcase their wines, and provide guests with more avenues to experience how the wines can be enjoyed.

In fact, Barton was the very first to curate an experience that included wine and food pairings (via their winery restaurant, Barton’s Kitchen), and estate-produced spirits made with grains on the property in the 46 West district.

There are also plans to provide wine lovers with overnight vineyard stays.

Come for the Wine, Stay for the Spirits

One of the most unique things about the Barton’s is that they don’t just produce wine and offer wine tastings, they also offer estate-made spirits, as we touched on above. Not only can you sample wines, but they also have a cocktail tasting through their Vine + Grain Distillery experience. 

The concept is pretty cute. You see, Jenny’s dad was a grain farmer, and Joe’s parents grew grapes, so they combined both to create local Paso Robles run, gin, vodka, and whiskey.