As a boy on a family trip, Douglas Ayres never forgot the light and the warmth of Paso Robles. He carried that memory through years of traveling the great wine regions of the world, and it pulled him back. After more than a decade searching for the right land, he opened the Allegretto Vineyard Resort in 2014, a Mediterranean inspired retreat wrapped around vineyards, art, and a courtyard of old olive trees on the east side of town.

From a memory to a resort

The dream of Douglas Ayres began with seventeen acres of premium cabernet sauvignon in the famed Willow Creek area of Paso Robles, followed by a twenty acre parcel where he planted viognier, vermentino, malbec, tannat, and more cabernet. The wine came first and the resort followed, opening in 2014 after thirteen years spent searching for the right ground.

In 2023 Ayres joined forces with winemaker Don Burns of Turtle Rock Vineyard, a partnership rooted in shared values and a love of expressive, place driven wine. The result feels less like a tasting stop and more like a long Mediterranean afternoon you do not want to end, with sustainable and organic farming at its heart.

A childhood memory of Paso light became a Mediterranean resort wrapped around the vines.

Two faces of Paso in one cellar

The Allegretto resort and tasting courtyard sit on the warm east side of Paso Robles, in the broad Estrella District where deep alluvial terraces and big day to night temperature swings define the growing season. Estate fruit also comes from the cooler, limestone rich Willow Creek area on the west side, giving the wines two faces of Paso at once.

Warm Estrella afternoons build ripe, generous flavor, while the cold nights keep the acid bright. Add organic farming and a Mediterranean mix of grapes, and you get wines made for the table and for the slow, sun warmed setting they are poured in.

The wines

The range runs Mediterranean and Rhone leaning, with cabernet sauvignon anchoring the reds and viognier, vermentino, malbec, and tannat filling out a portfolio built for warm climate character. The whites are aromatic and fresh, the reds dark and structured.

Under the partnership with Don Burns the wines have a clear point of view: ripe but balanced, made to drink with food in the open air. Tastings happen al fresco, table side, which suits these bottles perfectly.

What to pour it with

Vermentino and viognier are made for a Mediterranean spread: grilled branzino, lemony grain salads, olives and soft cheese. Their acidity and aromatics lift bright, herby food the way a squeeze of lemon does. Pour the cabernet or tannat with lamb, grilled steak, or a hard aged cheese, where the tannin finds the fat and protein and turns plush.

Malbec splits the difference, happy with a wood fired pizza or a herb crusted pork loin. The throughline is the Mediterranean table, sun, olive oil, char, and herbs, which is exactly what these grapes were born beside.

Allegretto Wines: common questions