Paso Robles didn’t become Paso Robles by accident. It happened because growers and winemakers teamed up, took risks, and stuck around. This is the story of one of those partnerships—Howie Steinbeck and Gary Eberle—and how it still echoes in your glass.
The Handshake that Planted a Future (1982)
In the early 1980s, winemaker Gary Eberle asked viticulturalist Howie Steinbeck to plant and manage an estate vineyard that would deliver the caliber of fruit Paso was dreaming about. The result was a formal partnership in 1982—and a long-running grower–winery relationship that continues to this day. Steinbeck Wines
Why it mattered: it tethered vineyard decisions (row orientation, clones, canopy strategy) directly to cellar goals. That loop—grow to the wine you want to make—became a local playbook.
A Rhône Spark: Eberle & Syrah in Paso
Years before the partnership, Eberle fell hard for Rhône varieties and sourced Syrah budwood via UC Davis (originally from Chapoutier in the Rhône). He planted Syrah in Paso in 1975 and produced one of the first 100% Syrah bottlings in the U.S. by 1978, a milestone widely cited in regional histories. Eberle Winery+2Paso Robles Wine Guide+2
That Rhône momentum met Howie’s practical know-how in the vineyard—exactly the kind of grower/winemaker chemistry that helped define Paso’s style through the ’80s and ’90s. (Food & Wine still calls out Eberle as a Paso pioneer.) Food & Wine
Where It Happened: Geneseo, with Deep Roots
The collaboration unfolded on the Steinbeck/Ernst ranch in the Geneseo District AVA, an area named after settlers from Geneseo, Illinois who came west in the 1880s. That history—German-speaking families, blacksmith shops, and hard farming—still frames our ranch culture today. Wikipedia+2Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance+2
What the Partnership Built—In the Vineyard
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Block-by-block intent. Canopy work and yields were tuned to the wine style, not just the season.
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Early adoption without hype. Rhône-minded choices took hold because they worked here.
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A standard for fruit quality. The estate supplied Eberle and other respected labels then and now. Steinbeck Wines
Pull-quote: “Grow to the wine you want to make.”
That’s the ethos tying our rows to our bottles.
See the Legacy from the Back of a Jeep
Hop in the 1958 Jeep “Willy” and you’ll ride past the very blocks that partnership shaped. Our Crash Course tours are family-led, run ~1.5–2 hours, and trace the ranch across the Geneseo terraces—soil cuts, wind, and all. Starts are typically 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (driver availability). Steinbeck Wines+1