Biddle Ranch Vineyard infuses the essence of Edna Valley into its old-world style Chardonnay & Pinot Noir.
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Our winery reviews are designed to give you the information you need to learn about the winery, how to get there, and what to do once you make it down.
- What to Know
- How to Go
- What to Do
- What to Try
What to Know
Created by friends in 2012, Biddle Ranch Vineyard is one of the newer wineries in the Edna Valley AVA in southern San Luis Obispo County. The Fortinis, the Rawlings, the Roncas, and the Woolperts, all good friends, founded the winery, which is surrounded by 17 acres of estate Chardonnay.
Winemaker Ryan Deovlet also sources fruit from Edna Valley vineyards as well as Santa Ynez to Paso Robles to create Biddle Ranch’s Pinot Noir, Syrah, and other varieties. His style is balanced with an eye toward old-world winemaking.
Biddle Ranch has always been about the simple indulgence of drinking a great wine in a beautiful place with the people we love.
How to Go
While the Biddle Ranch winery is easy to get to – in the Edna Valley AVA just off Highway 227 and Biddle Ranch Road – you feel like you’ve stepped into quieter time.
For a beautiful drive, we suggest taking the back way. From Broad Street in San Luis Obispo, take Orcutt Road and wind through the hills of vineyards and under Islay Peak, one of the volcanic Seven Sisters, before turning onto Biddle Ranch Road for the last short stretch to the winery.
Located just a few miles south of downtown San Luis Obispo, the winery has easy access and plenty of parking. In the springtime, the Santa Lucia hills to the east are covered in a carpet of mixed green hues, and you may see herds of cattle and sheep grazing in neighboring fields.
Edna Valley AVA is home to many vineyards, which you’ll see from both sides of the road on the pretty drive.
What to Do
Wine Tasting
As you walk toward the tasting room along the path dotted with tufts of decorative grass and curly trunked trees, you feel like you’re walking out of present time and back to the days when ranching ruled this land. Built to look and feel like ranch buildings, the clean white exteriors with tidy black trim give a hint of what lies inside.
The tasting room was built to echo the feel of a ranch house, and from the large windows behind the tasting bar you can see both the historic barn that graces the wine labels and the estate Chardonnay vineyards.
Three fountains that look like old well spigots create a nice entry point to the tasting room. Inside, smooth surfaces and clean lines make for serene space. There’s room for several small groups at the main tasting area, and a connected nook holds seating for another group.
On a recent visit, Rebecca welcomed us and asked if we’d been in before. We’ve tasted at Biddle Ranch a few times, but it’s been a while. We’re looking forward to today’s tasting and seeing what’s new.
🍷 Tasting Fees
Events
Outside, the well-designed seating area arranges chairs and couches into inviting groupings. Guests are welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy the patio. During the summer, Biddle Ranch often brings in food trucks, and their Thursday night concert series is popular.
What to Try
We start with their 2015 Chardonnay, which is aged in equal parts oak, stainless steel, and concrete. It’s all estate grown, and is crisp with a lot of lemon and citrus.
Next we try the 2016 Odyssey Thurlestone Pinot Noir. The Odyssey vineyard is on volcanic soil at the foot of Islay Hill just up the road, and the wine is smoky and earthy, and just a bit fruity.
The next Pinot Noir is our pick of the tasting: 2016 SLO County Pinot Noir. It’s a blend of Spanish Springs and Odyssey vineyards, and the result is brighter fruit balanced with earth.
A Sangiovese-dominant red blend called Evviva and a Syrah rounded out the tasting.
The tastings may change over time, and the concise tasting menu gives you a good feel for the overall taste and feel of the Biddle Ranch wine lineup.
The overall feel of Biddle Ranch is quiet and calm, with pretty space inside the tasting room and outside. It’s a nice experience, and the feel of the tasting matches the room: spare and a little cool. The staff is friendly, and while we enjoy being able to simply enjoy wine tasting without being peppered with questions, we would have liked to hear more about the place and the people that make Biddle Ranch Vineyard special.
If you’re looking for a wine-tasting experience where you can enjoy several wines in a relaxed atmosphere, and a setting that will soothe your soul, head out to Biddle Ranch Vineyards.
