Alta Colina

Amazing wine in an intimate location. Thank you to Lynn for her hospitality and knowledge. We really enjoyed all of the wine and explanations of how the winery started and it’s progress over the years! The tasting area in the barrel room is very special and memorable.

Awesome wines. Hopefully Melissa and Malia are your hosts. Viognier is amazing as well as the Sun Worshipper and the Old 900 Syrah. It’s all good. A must stop on any paso trip.

I love going to small wineries where the owners and staff are passionate about their wines and the wines are great. The Top-​to-​Bottom Vineyard Tasting is fun. We joined Bob in the Vineyard truck after chatting with both he and Maggie (owners and a father/​daughter team). The views are great. Learning about the Tillman family’s philosophy and organic farming approach…

My wife and I had the pleasure of tasting here on a slow Thursday afternoon. It may have been our off day, but not for this winery. We were actually served by a gentleman out of the barrel room!
The white blends were above average, however, the day belonged to the Syrahs. Both vintages were robust and complex, yet mellow enough for us to enjoy. The brix levels on these wines must have been high because the alcohol content was pretty substantial. But I guess that was the beauty of these wines, one couldn’t tell that these were quote, unquote «hot.»
We took home both the ’12 and ’13 vintages. We highly recommend others sharing in the enjoyment!

Love their wines and Andrew is very knowledgeable! Definitely stop by to try their wines! Tasting is $ 10 and tasting room is dog friendly!!!

The wines were spectacular and Paul Lopez (cellar manager and asst. winemaker) is just wonderful — thus we enjoyed our visit immensely. On recommendations from 3 different locals, all in the industry, we had to go! They are usually closed on a Tuesday however Tom, the owner, responded immediately to my email to say they were open! Thank you Tom. That underlies one of the reasons why we loved coming here. This is a family owned, independently run operation. Tom, the owner was right there hands on in the tasting room that day. It’s usually a day off for the winery but when we arrived 2 other couples were there, and one came when we left — so it was clearly busy for them. You understand why once you taste the wines. This is an estate winery which is special — every grape is grown on their grounds. They’re all Rhone varietals as that was Tom’s passion as a collector prior to this venture. Almost all we tried received ratings in the 90’s from Robert Parker. Yet they are still this humble winery. Amazing. Paul was so informative, he took us back in the barrel «holding room» and into the fermentation room explaining their process. He showed us each hill from where their grapes are grown. They are going to be doing a few dinners in 2016… we’d love to come if we can get up there! Well worth the time!

Great wines! Andrew was very helpful and well informed about wines! We recommend the wine called block 2 bio!

Nice place and nice owners! So many wineries and not enough time to discover them all. If you have time stop by and taste but if you don’t I don’t think you will be missing out.

This winery is the embodiment of what makes Paso Robles special. Family owned and operated, great wine, unstuffy, and a beautiful location all rolled into one. This winery works wonders with Rhôné varietals on a beautiful piece of property. They are defined by a passion for making nice wine from the grapes they harvest while providing a significant quantity of their grapes to other Central Coast producers. Their newly built tasting room and production facility is on a unique piece of land just down the hill from the fertile hillside that bears the fruit of their vines.
My wife and I visited during a slower weekday and Andrew provided an informative tasting and tour of their new facility (it is bright, clean, and spacious). Here they make wine tasting relatable and avoid the «hoity toity». Maggie, the owner’s daughter and integral employee of their winery, exuded a knowledge and passion for the business. You don’t find a wonderful variety of wines like the ones at Alta Colina every day. These folks create a series of wonderful products that speak for themselves –wine that is delicious and inherently tied to the hilltop vines from which they are created. Do not miss their GSM. This place is a recommended stop on anyone’s Paso Robles wine tour. Cheers!

We dropped in this last Saturday on our way back into town from the West side, as we noticed the new tasting room on the hill next to Villicana. We’ve had their wines at numerous tasting events over the years and met the team, but this time we had them (and their new tasting room) all to ourselves in the new building open just three weeks.
Bottom line — the Rhone varietals are exceptional, and their Toasted Slope Syrah rivals the Cote Rotie in the Northern Rhone. Masculine, bold, a touch of Viogner. I’ve seen their grapes in other winemakers efforts in previous years, but if you want to taste perhaps the ultimate Syrah of Paso Robles that rivals Guigal, this is the place. We’re going to take a tour of this fabulous vineyard the next time we come back (France is too far to drive). Bravo!

Dropped by on a whim based on the Unilocal reviews and thought the wines were good but a bit on the pricey side. They are very difficult to find since they share the property with another winery (called Villa something) so if you’re looking for a Alta Colina sign, you won’t find one! The owners said it fell down and since they’ll be moving to their own property soon, they didn’t put up a new one. Make sure you have your GPS on when trying to find it!
So my review is based on the current setup, which may not be as accurate once they move to their new location. Currently, Alta Colina is renting a small «back office» area behind Villicana so it sort of feels like a makeshift wine tasting room where you walk past Villicana, up a small ramp, and then enter a small one-​windowed tasting room. The woman who works there was extremely knowledgable and friendly and really made the experience better than it might have been. Their wine tastings are $ 10 (but you can get 2 free if you check in on Unilocal!), and most of their bottles ranged from $ 30 – 50 each. If you’re looking for lower-​priced wines, unfortuantely you won’t find it here.
The rest of the property is actually very nice, but again, it’s really owned by Villicana. There’s a small green lawn with several tables and chairs that you can relax during your tastings, or you can sit on one of two cushioned patio chairs by Alta Colina.
In terms of the wines that I tasted, I didn’t find them to my liking as they were heavier and had more tannins than I’m used to. However, my companions who are bigger wine drinkers really enjoyed the wines and bought one of the $ 45 bottles because it was so good. If you like Cabernets and Grenaches, then this place may suit you well.
I’m sure that once they relocate to their own property, Alta Colina will become a more frequented and popular winery. However, as it is now, it will remain one of those hidden «diamind in the rough» type of establishments.

Very friendly service and varied tastes of Syrah. They don’t make any whites, but the variety within Syrah was interesting. The tasting room is small, but cozy and just right for the intimate family-​made wines. I liked the Block 2 bio best, but the Toasted and Petit Syrah were also great.

Bob and Lynn were serving their wines the day we hit the tasting room. We were a group of six, so we didn’t fit well in the small tasting room. Lynn suggested that we sit at the picnic tables and she would bring the wines to us! What a treat! The weather was perfect and they had an acoustic guitar player performing. Lynn brought down each of the four wines they were pouring and spent time answering our questions about each of them. I enjoyed all of their wines and left with a bottle of their Old 900 Syrah and their GSM. This was one of our favorite wineries of the day, and Bob and Lynn were gracious hosts.

Family run, estate bottled wines. Apparently, Unilocalers give high ratings to this location because they offer TWO FREE TASTINGS for a check-​in. I couldn’t get to the over-​dramatic, rave review level after sampling their wines.
This winery is deserving of a try by anyone who is in the Paso area. You might find something you like here. Wines are made in the Rhone style which may please your palate. They are on the same road as three of the best wineries in the appellation — Le Cuvier, Adelaida and Tolo.
We would encourage Unilocalers to visit and make sure they check-​in through their smart phones. Reception can be a bit sketchy in the area.
Mrs. Tillman and her daughter were pouring the day we went. Very nice folks.

Unilocal once again leads us to the best of wineries. Alta Colina is a very small winery with their tasting room above the Villicana tasting room. Two free tastings if you check in on Unilocal.Maggie (vineyard owners daughter) poured 5 of their 10 wines. The Grenache Blanc/​Marsanne blend was smooth, refreshing & light. The Viognier was exceptional with a great unique flavor and finish. The GSM Blend & Toasted Slope Syrah were both excellent. Purchased a half case mix of last three which speaks more than just words. 10% off if u purchase a case.
Enjoyed lunch at the tables with umbrellas outside. Delightful day.

Upon further reflection, I must update Alta Colina to 4 stars. I received a very nice personal note from the owners regarding my posting. How can you not admire a small business who actively listens to customers and responds both professionally and from the heart. I truly appreciate the passion small business owners bring forward. Maggie and Bob Tillman are growing their winery in baby steps with a patient, long term plan. You can visit now and then again several years hence — and reflect, «I remember when you were in just a small space…».

My wine vlub came here Saturday for a tasting and we had the chance to meet the winemaker. She’s really funny with a great personality that doesn’t take everything too seriously. We really enjoyed hearing about her family’s wine operating business and the funny stories that come with it. The wines were really good and reasonably priced. I really liked the GSM wine blend. If you’re on a wine tour, ask your driver to take you here!

Walked in to this tiny tasting room about 3 years ago, and my husband immediately signed up for their wine club. The Tillmans are an awesome family and they put their hearts into the wines. My favorite is Ann’s block and the toasted slope is great too. One of these days we will take a trip up to the vineyard, as they say the view is the best on Adelaida!

A small production family winery whose tasting room is collocated with Villicana. The tasting room is small, really small. The lady that poured for us appeared to be a family member, and was well versed in all their wines.
We tasted the following here:
2010 Claudia Cuvée — a white, ok; but I was looking for reds!
2009 Mourvèdre — not bad, but I am not a Mourvèdre fan
2010 Toasted Slope Syrah — good; my favorite, and we took a bottle
2010 Ann’s Block Petite Sirah — good; but not my favorite Petite Sirah
2010 Late Harvest Vigonier — my wife really liked this, so we took a bottle
I was hoping to taste their Old 900 Syrah, but they either weren’t pouring it that day or they were sold out. Maybe next time!
Our tasting was comp’d due to a Unilocal check in offer. They honored even though i was having trouble checking in in the tasting room.
All in all, I liked Alta Colina and would recommend stopping and tasting their wines.
I’m leaning towards 3.5 stars for them.

This family owned vineyard has been around for a long time as a producer of selling rhone varietal grapes to local wineries. Only until a few years ago, they decided to make wines under their own label Alta Colina. It’s a good thing they did, because the grapes that grow from their vineyard locations are used by many popular wineries in the the Paso Robles area. In just those few short years, their wines became just as reputable as their reputation in producing grapes. I discovered Alta Colina a few months ago at the Rhone Rangers event in Los Angeles and again at another wine event. An instant love for their wines finally brought be their tasting room thanks to the Paso Robles Wine Harvest Weekend a few days ago. The wines tasted even better close to the source. I especially like meeting the winemaker Bill Tillman and his daughter Maggie Tillman, the sales and marketing manager. So, plan for a wine tasting stop at Alta Colina, you’ll be glad that you did. Oh, and if you use your Unilocal app, you get a free tasting (normally a $ 10 fee) and a high-​five like I did. Cool, eh!