This is a unique wine experience. Loved that fact that I was tasting with the owners. The taste of the wine is something different. The wines just literally taste clean and refreshing. Ended up joining the wine club. Very excited to see what we get from them in the future. The estate is beautiful and has an amazing view the of the valley. Ended up coming home with 6 bottles. Definitely worth checking out especially since they are the only organic dry farmed winery in the area. read more

Tucked away high in the hills of Templeton, California is AmByth Estate, the first and only certified biodynamic vineyard within the Paso Robles Appellation--an area well known for its Zinfandel and Rhône varietals. And AmByth does not disappoint. The boutique winery is family-owned and operated by Phillip Hart and Mary Morwood-Hart, and produces over a thousand cases of certified biodynamic wine every year (and certifiably yummy!). Oddly enough, being biodynamic is something they never intended to be. It was a lucky accident. Originally from Orange County, the Hart's purchased the first portion of the AmByth Estate back in 2001 and the remainder by 2002. They settled on living in Paso Robles--simply called Paso by the locals--because they found themselves visiting a lot after a family friend relocated here. The vineyard's first planting happened in January of 2004, and while they'd planned to be pesticide free, they had no intention of being green. "We were just going to be weekend farmers. We were going to plant with irrigation," notes Phillip. Luckily, it didn't quite work out that way. "This all happened by accident. We spent the day in Paso Robles wine tasting before planting, where we stopped at our friends place, Bella Luna...we were poured a very large glass of wine by a very tipsy lady and [after one sip] we both looked at each other and said 'What is this?' It was different from anything we had had that day," says Phillip. It was a dry-farmed Sangiovese and it was "amazing." The very next day Phillip met up with their farmer. "I was now curious about dry farming," he admits. But it was one of the country's leading biodynamic agriculture consultants, Phillippe Armenier, who transformed the Harts from eco-curious to Demeter certified biodynamic. Hart recalls of his visit, "We walked the entire property. We walked the woods. We spoke about the birds. We spoke about the grass and the weeds. We talked about everything...except wine." A big part of AmByth's charm is not just that they are small, but that they intend to stay that way. Many wineries produce yields around 5 tons or more; Phillip has a goal of two, which is a production level that keeps AmByth wines at a higher price point than most -- around $45 a bottle. The property is a modest 42 acres with less than half of the land dedicated to agriculture: grape vines, olive trees, vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Apple trees line the property's west side, as they put off a gas that's beneficial for the vineyard. The gas is carried throughout the property by the Templeton Gap's east-blowing breeze. Some olive trees are mixed in with the rows of grapes to act as both insectaries and rest areas for hawks. Hawks help keep the rodent population under control. "Vineyards are monocultures and that's not the best way to farm, as we know. So you want as much activity going on as possible," Phillip says about AmByth's diversity in agriculture. The couple doesn't even weed the property. They leave it for their cows, bees and sheep. With eight beehives, the little buzzers appreciate the change in scenery. I'm sure the cows appreciate the free meal! But with cows comes, well...cow poop. It's collected along with the family's food waste and then aged for a year along with their biodynamic preparations. The end result is then used for fertilizer. If you're vegetarian, cover your eyes! They do slaughter their cows for meat. Free-range chickens also roam the property. The vineyard is also the winemakers' backyard, so if you wish to visit the vineyard yourself or the tasting room, it's by appointment only. AmByth's wines revolve mostly around the following Rhône varietals--Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Counoise--with a few other Tempranillo/Sangiovese-based blends. One of my favorites is the 2008 Grenache. The fruit on this wine is exceptional without being jammy. It also holds the honor of having no additional sulfites for those of you affected by them. But you really get a sense of Phillip's nuance for winemaking when tasting AmByth's Maiestas, Adamo and their ReVera. Each are made using the same four grapes. The wines are available through AmByth's wine club and online. read more

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This is an organic biodynamic winery. The tasting room is by appointment only. I had the pleasure of meeting the vintners wife. This winery primarily focuses on Rhone varietals and are also members of the Rhone Rangers. What was unique was the fact that they ferment their wines in Italian Amphora clay pots which gives a pleasant minerality to the wines. They had a Roussane, a Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Granache, Mourvedre, Sangiovese, a white Rhone blend and a GSM Rhone blend. Everything tasted great.. Check it out! read more

AmByth Estate - Fermentation is done in clay pots - Wineries Near Me - Templeton, California

Great wine and olive oil. The owners were super nice (it's family owned) and put only the best into their wine and food. Highly recommend it. read more

Visiting AmByth Estate was the unexpected treat of my whole weekend in the Paso Robles area. A friend who is a big supporter of local source and seasonality put it at the top of his recommendations, saying "AmByth ROCKS!!!!" At four exclamation marks, we couldn't ignore his advice. AmByth is fully biodynamic in its growing methods and wine production. A super short definition of biodynamic is the process of growing soil, and what is harvested of the soil (like fruits and vegetables, or the animals that feed off it) is a biproduct of the soil. It is the true expression of terroir. Traditional modern farming is about maximizing harvest of the soil with minimal inputs that keeps the soil barely alive and far from thriving. It does mean that the wine produced here is an expression of the soil it comes from. The owners here value that expression over manipulating it and altering it to suit personal tastes. If you're the type that thinks first, "but what is this going to do for ME?" and admit it, most of us are, you might not see why AmByth's wines are interesting, or cost what they do. Think of it as an artist painting their experience on a canvas and someone says, "but can you re-do it in purple? It doesn't match my living room. And maybe add some cats." Does that make the wine less profitable? For sure. The estate produces what the soil can sustain, and they dry farm, so this drought is taking its toll on the grapes, as one example. AmByth is Welsh for "forever," and it seems appropriate for its truly sustainable land-production methods. We samples the wines within the production room, amongst the fermenting amphoras and the recently harvested grapes in large vats. This was the only winery of several we visited where one of us ended up joining the wine club and everyone in our group bought wine to take home. Pick-up events can span the whole weekend and members can even come camp for it. Visiting is by appointment only. We phoned for ours, left a message and got a reply within an hour or two, setting an appointment the following day. The owners were very friendly and responsive, and a pleasure to spend time with during the visit. There are some super friendly dogs on the property! read more

What a great winery! Exceeded our expectations. All of the wine is biodynamic and just beautiful and unique. Think beautiful bouquets! We've been visiting Paso for years and this is some of the best wine we've had. The owners are lovely hospitable people and they went out of their way to help us up the drive! It is was also fun to see the animals on the vineyard.Thank you for a lovely trip! read more

The Traveling Winers on California Wine Trail Ambythe was a treat to visit. The owners, Phillip & Mary Hart, have a passion. A passion for nature. "A love of the land and a joy for life." Frederic Ballario joined the team about a year or so ago - a Frenchman with a true relationship with the vines. Phillip and Frederic work together to create the wine from their natural grapes. The Harts first started planting in 2004 and farm their grapes bio-dynamically. As described in Ambythe's literature, bio-dynamic is an approach to growing that takes into account the entire creation - air, water, soil, sun and moon. It is 100% organic using no chemicals for fertilization, dry farmed and head trained. Providing nature for the vines in the best way possible and letting mother nature provide the bounty. In addition, their wines are all 100% estate grown, unfiltered, unfined and utilizing native yeast from the grapes. Our "Hippy Winer" Elizabeth was in heaven at this winery, getting all into nature with Frederic and the land. And we're telling you, the view was probably the most gorgeous view of the entire trip. There is so much more to tell about this visit, so we would encourage you to read our blogs. There is a lot we want to share! Let's just sum it up by saying that Ambythe Estate has it all....matched perfectly...fine wines, true burning passion, strong philosophies...all they are missing is YOU! Go for a visit....but remember to call first. It is by appointment only and you need the gate code! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail read more

At first we weren't sure that we would visit Ambyth Estate, despite recommendations from several other winery owners, because tasting was by appointment only and we were worried that would be too much pressure in case we didn't like it. But we made an appointment anyway, and the worry was for nothing--EVERYTHING we tasted was excellent. The wines were unique and interesting (the white blend was especially surprising, and Adamo--primarily a Grenache blend--was to die for), and because they are certified biodynamic, we could also tell ourselves that buying four bottles was an investment in our health. read more

Excellent! They know their wine, and their earth! They really know and care for everything that goes even into the soil, which produces the wine, and olive oil, and all the other wonderful home-made products that they sell. They truly care for each aspect of production in the most whole and organic way possible. We were very inspired and thrilled to be somewhere where the owners not only lived ON the land where they were working, but lived OFF OF the land itself too, 100%. That takes true passion and experience. We enjoyed visiting this winery very much. read more

We loved the tasting room but not the wine. We know the difference between bad wine and wine we don't like. So as we left without buying anything the owner said "I hope we're still open the next time you come", and when he didn't guilt us into buying he said "At least the last group made up for you." Now he guaranteed we won't be back and we will tell other locals like ourselves not to bother either. read more

Philip and Mary Hart get it! I've been buying their biodynamic wine and olive oil for years now and haven't found anyone in San Luis Obispo County who compares to their quality. Love these guys. read more

We received a voucher for a wine country run allowing us access to wine tasting passes, after contacting this winery they would not acknowledge or accept our tasting pass that was offered and advertised for their business. read more