Aram Deirmenjian and Greg Johnson met over wine in New York City, where Aram ran a life-safety systems firm and Greg, an heir to the Kiamie real estate family, spent more than a decade selling bottles at one of the city’s top wine shops. After September 11th, Aram wanted out of the city, and was eyeing an apple farm in Vermont when Greg made a better offer, move to California and make wine instead. Driving from Aram’s family vineyard toward Napa, they happened on a thriving Paso Robles and never left.

Two New Yorkers, one west-side bet

Aram and Greg describe Kiamie as a collaboration between two guys with diverse but complementary backgrounds, and the description fits. Aram grew up working summers in his family’s California vineyards before leaving for a corporate and then entrepreneurial career in New York. Greg came at wine from the retail side, more than a decade behind the counter of a top-selling Manhattan shop, learning what people actually want to drink.

The winery, named for the maiden name of Greg’s mother, got its start around 2005. The two settled on Paso’s west side because it gave them mountain fruit they admired at a moment when the region was still proving itself. The house has long been known for its winemaking philosophy of letting the wines make themselves, with the winemaker acting as a steward and conduit rather than an author, blending old-world patience with modern technique.

Every grape comes from distinctive mountain vineyards within roughly two miles of the tasting room door.

Mountain fruit from two miles out

Kiamie’s defining choice is hyperlocal sourcing. All the fruit comes from distinctive mountain vineyards within roughly a two-mile radius of the tasting room, on the westside of Paso Robles, spanning the Adelaida District and the cooler Templeton Gap. The founders favor these sites because, in their view, they grow the best and most award-winning fruit in the area.

That ground is the Adelaida story in miniature, calcareous limestone soils on high slopes, with Pacific air pouring through the Templeton Gap to drive the big day-to-night temperature swing. Warm afternoons ripen the fruit, cold nights preserve its acidity and perfume, and the limestone lends a savory backbone. Drawing from several nearby vineyards rather than a single block gives the blends a wider palette to work from, which is the whole idea behind the house style.

The art of the blend

The flagship is the Kiamie Kuvee, a red assembled from the best lots of each vintage, which is why it bridges Bordeaux and Rhone in a single bottle, drawing on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel and more depending on the year. The profile runs to ripe cherry and raspberry with cocoa, spice and a frame of oak, a generous, food-friendly red.

Around it sits a thoughtful range. The White Kuvee is a Rhone-style blend built on Roussanne with Grenache Blanc and Viognier, all tangerine, apricot and honey with crisp acidity, pitched as a smarter alternative to heavy Chardonnay. The R’Own is a velvety Rhone-style red, the Meritage a structured Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, and there is a Rose of Grenache for warm afternoons. The wines have earned competition gold over the years, including for the Kuvee reds and the White Kuvee.

What to pour Kiamie with

The Kiamie Kuvee, a ripe, structured blend of Bordeaux and Rhone grapes, is a tri-tip wine through and through. Tannin binds to the protein and fat in red meat, so the Kuvee and the Meritage taste rounder and softer the moment they hit red-oak-grilled tri-tip, the Paso classic, or a charred burger and barbecue. Their cocoa-and-spice note loves a smoky grill.

The White Kuvee changes the assignment. Its crisp acidity cuts through richness, making it a natural with roast chicken, creamy pastas, crab and other shellfish. The Rose of Grenache, light and lower in alcohol, is the smart pour for spicy food, since heat amplifies the perception of alcohol and a gentler wine keeps the burn in check. To dial in a specific dish, use our wine pairing generator.

Visiting Kiamie Wine Cellars

Kiamie is one of the more relaxed and unpretentious stops on Adelaida Road, a rustic, dog-friendly tasting room run by people who genuinely love the work and pour their blends with an easy, down-to-earth knowledge. It is the kind of place to slow down and taste through the lineup, from the White Kuvee to the flagship red, with tours and barrel samplings available for groups by arrangement. Reservations are required for larger parties, so it is wise to book ahead and confirm current hours before you arrive. To build a westside day around it, see our Paso Robles guide.

Kiamie Wine Cellars: common questions