About Hartle Family Wines
Our family is from Las Vegas, Nevada. My background is as a CPA managing accounting and finance teams for private and public companies for over 30 years. It’s amazing where life’s journey takes us. When I started visiting Paso Robles 20 years ago, I never imagined our family would be making wine in this incredible wine country.
I had been to Napa a few times beginning in 1992 and fell in love with the wine experience. The beauty of wine country, the people, the food, and learning about the nuances of wine and winemaking. I became very interested in what went into winemaking and the stories of those in the business.
My first experience with Paso Robles was in 2004. A relative owned a home in San Luis Obispo and we were invited for 4th of July, and on that trip we got to spend a day wine tasting in Paso. I was hooked immediately. Such a chill vibe, small production wines, really down to earth people willing to go as deep as you want into learning about their passion.
I began visiting Paso at least once or more per year and simply fell in love with the area and started to become friends with a few winery owners and winemakers, continuing to check out new places and expand my knowledge. I love the passion that Paso winemakers have for what they do and the desire to create something special.
It was just a few years later, in 2008, that I heard about this winemaking place in Las Vegas called Grape Expectations. Some good friends invited us to the annual wine dinner where awards were given out for the best wines, everyone made their own labels, and the winemakers would trade their wines with others to check out what the other guys were doing. This winemaking process from harvest to bottling was about 9 months and very educational as we gathered with our friends at the school for crush, press, racking and bottling.
I made wine at this school for several years up until the 2020 vintage but wanted to make better wine, and in particular, great Paso wine. So, in mid-2020 I asked a Paso winemaker friend of mine if he would help me make great Paso wine. He said “hell yes, let’s do it. It will be fun.” And the Paso Project began.
Our first vintage was 2021. We started small with just under 50 cases, making 2 Syrah/Grenache blends from the Willow Creek district: Kirk’s Blend and Audrina. My passion for wine inspired the name for Kirk’s Blend as I had experienced some wines from Napa where the winemaker named their wines similarly: Ted’s Blend and Jimmy D’s Blend. My intention with Kirk’s Blend is to create a powerful, yet silky smooth Syrah blend. Audrina is a tribute to my first grandchild; she is also a 2021 vintage. Grenache dominant, playful and bright, and a good amount of spice.
We expanded the lineup in 2022 to just under 100 cases and added 2 new blends; one is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant and the other Petite Sirah dominant; the Khameleon and the Lipstretcher. Our 2023’s are resting comfortably in barrel and should make for what some winemakers in Paso believe could be one of the best harvests yet.
We’re truly grateful for the support received to get to this point, and also the feedback received on both the 21’s and 22’s. It inspires us to continue to grow our production and bring new experiences I invite you to explore our site to learn more about each wine and the stories behind them. Once you experience our wines, we would love any and all feedback. Our goal is to make great Paso wine that elevates your wine experience. Cheers!
Kirk Hartle
Chief Winemaker
