Connor McMahon grew up in Iowa, a long way from limestone and Syrah, but he spent roughly six years working at Booker on the Paso Robles west side and learned the place in his hands. When he finally drew his own bow, he and his wife Rebecca, a Paso native and UC Davis graduate, built Fulldraw on about 100 acres of west-side ground and made their first vintage in 2016. The name comes from archery, the instant the string reaches full draw, all tension and balance and aim, which is exactly the kind of precision Connor chases in the glass.

From Iowa to a full draw

Connor McMahon did not inherit a vineyard. He came from Iowa and earned his understanding of the Paso west side the hard way, putting in about six years of farming and winemaking at Booker, one of the district’s standard-bearers. That apprenticeship taught him what the limestone soils and cool maritime air could do for the Rhone varieties he loved, and it gave him the confidence to start his own label.

Rebecca McMahon brought her own edge. A Paso Robles native and a UC Davis graduate in viticulture and enology, she paired technical training with a deep commitment to family and sustainable farming. Together they launched Fulldraw, naming it for the full draw of a bow in archery, a sport Connor took up and a metaphor he liked, the held tension and precision of a shot waiting to be released. The first Fulldraw vintage landed in 2016, with three wines including the now signature Chopping Block.

Fulldraw is the archery term for the moment a bow is pulled all the way back, every part of the shot held in tension and balance before release.

About 100 acres of west-side limestone

Fulldraw farms roughly 100 acres on the Paso Robles west side, the limestone-driven country where Rhone grapes find their footing. This is the world Connor learned at Booker, calcareous soils over marine sedimentary bedrock, the same Monterey Formation geology that defines the broader Willow Creek and west-side terroir, where lean, rocky ground naturally limits vigor and concentrates flavor in the fruit.

The climate is the other half of the equation. Cool maritime influence funneling in through the coastal hills, the same Templeton Gap effect that cools the western AVAs, gives the site a dramatic day-to-night temperature swing. Warm afternoons ripen the fruit while cold nights lock in acidity and aromatics, which is precisely why Fulldraw can make Syrah that is opulent and dark without going flat or hot. The result is a house style built on tension and balance, ripe fruit held in check by structure and freshness.

Syrah with tension and aim

Syrah is the soul of Fulldraw, and it shows the west side at full voice, smoked black fruit, black licorice, peppered meat and a savory, almost pot-roast depth, all carried on finessed rather than aggressive tannins. The winery works across the Rhone family, with Grenache, Mourvedre and Grenache Blanc in the lineup alongside a rose and other bottlings, but everything carries the same fingerprint, intense aromatics, a long bright finish, and tannins that grip then let go.

The Chopping Block is the wine that ties it all together, a Syrah-led blend rounded out with Grenache and Mourvedre that aims to put the whole site in one bottle. Its name comes from Connor and Rebecca’s love of cooking, the cleaver on the label custom-made by an artisan cutler in Georgia and still living in the family knife block. It is a wine of opulent fruit and real precision, the full-draw idea made liquid.

What to pour Fulldraw with

Syrah and the Chopping Block were born for fire and fat. Pour them with red-oak-grilled tri-tip, lamb chops, or a peppercorn-crusted ribeye, where the wine’s tannin binds to the protein and rendered fat in the meat, easing on the palate while the richness softens the grip. The Syrah’s own smoked-meat and black-pepper notes practically mirror a wood-fired char, so the grill is your best friend here.

Lean into the savory side rather than the sweet, since the wines run dry and structured. Grenache-driven reds and the rose handle lighter fare, herb-roasted chicken, charcuterie, grilled salmon, where bright acidity cuts through fat, while Grenache Blanc loves shellfish and herby vegetable dishes. Keep chili heat moderate, because capsaicin amplifies the perception of alcohol in a ripe wine. To dial in a specific dish before you pull a cork, try our wine pairing generator.

Visiting Fulldraw Vineyard

Fulldraw is a small, family-run, estate-focused operation, and visits reflect that, intimate and centered on the wines and the people who make them rather than a sprawling tasting-room scene. Connor and Rebecca live on the vineyard with their children and their German shorthaired pointer, and the experience tends toward the personal and the unhurried. Because boutique west-side producers set their tasting access by appointment and adjust it through the year, plan ahead and confirm current hours and reservation requirements before you visit. If you are building a west-side day around Rhone specialists, our Paso Robles guide can help you connect the dots across the region.

Fulldraw Vineyard: common questions