Ron Denner searched the state for the right location to build a winery; he says he found just the right spot west of Paso

By Janis Switzer
Special to The Tribune

Ron Denner is in pursuit of perfection. Several years ago, in planning a new vineyard and winery on the west side of Paso Robles, Denner consulted grape growers, winemakers and chefs to learn what they would include in a dream winery "if they had an unlimited budget."

Photo by David Middlecamp Photo by David Middlecamp Marilyn and Ron Denner with son Brian conduct a barrel tasting at their winery/tasting room on Vineyard Drive on Thursday.

The result is a 28,000-square-foot winery boasting temperature and humidity control, reverse osmosis water, state-of-the-art gravity flow equipment and even showers in the laboratory.

Denner’s goal is simple.

"We want to make 100-point wine," he said, adding, more realistically, "we’ll be happy if we can continually produce 91-point wines that people will really like."

He’s off to a good start: His second vintage, a 2004 syrah, earned 92 points by famed wine reviewer Robert Parker.

Denner Vineyards is on the verge of formally opening its winery and tasting room. Denner and his wife, Marilyn, bought 156 acres in 1998 so they could follow their dream.

Self-described as "a crazy guy who loves wine," Denner traveled to every winemaking region in California before landing in Paso Robles and finding the site he knew would be right.

Denner, 64, had spent the previous 30 years as a dealer for Ditch Witch — a line of trenching machines. He still owns and manages the business and has dealerships in Denver, Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho. He has a trusted staff managing those locations, and he credits Ditch Witch for helping him fund his winemaking passion.

Denner Vineyards is a family affair. Marilyn is the tasting room manager, and oversees the small but growing wine club. And son Brian is winemaker.

Brian, 32, caught the wine bug during a year off after receiving a degree in anthropology. In his early 20s at the time, he washed dishes at a Colorado restaurant to support his ski habit.

He first started tasting wines there, and afterward came to Paso Robles to learn more about wine and spend a harvest in the fields. After that fall at Peachy Canyon Winery, he enrolled at Fresno State University to get an enology degree.

"Experience is the best way to learn," Brian says, and for that reason he didn’t immediately return to the family’s growing vineyard. After three years working at wineries in Sonoma and two years in Chile, he returned to Paso Robles in June; he’s now head winemaker and plant manager at Denner Vineyards.

Brian’s first harvest was the recently completed 2005 vintage.

Photo by David Middlecamp Wine is a family affair for Ron Denner, center. Son Brian is winemaker while Marilyn manages the tasting room with its curved bar.

His winemaking philosophy is based on "what the terroir says ... get the best fruit and try not to mess it up."

"You try not to be heavy handed with your winemaking," he says. "We’re trying to make Paso Robles wines here, we’re not trying to be Rhône Valley. We’re Paso."

Among the advisers Ron Denner worked with to develop his dream were Justin Smith of Saxum Vineyards and Scott Hawley of Summerwood Winery — both in Paso Robles. Based on their input, Denner planted syrah, grenache blanc, mourvedre, viognier, roussanne, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and zinfandel grapes on about 126 acres. The vineyard produces two reds and two whites, with an output of 3,000 cases a year and plans to increase output to 4,000.

San Luis Obispo architect John Robert Mitchell designed the facility.

"We wanted something that was very reflective of Paso Robles and the rolling hills here," Marilyn says of the dramatically arched, contemporary building.

The tasting room with its large, curved bar and comfortable seating area is open by appointment but will open weekends this summer.

Denner listened closely to his advisers on every detail of the design, including the suggestion that he include showers in the lab for workers after long days of testing and blending wines. The showers, he now admits, were his one mistake.

"We’ve been open for nine months and no one has yet to take a shower — so that’s our one goof-up."

It’s tough being a perfectionist.

Denner Vineyards: Facts and figures

Denner Vineyards, at 5414 Vineyard Drive, has it all, according to the family. The 126-acre vineyard has good soil, proximity to the Pacific Ocean, access to the cooling ocean breezes of the Templeton Gap, and excellent exposures. The vineyard, designed and developed by John Crossland of Vineyard Professional Services, was planted in 1999 with 25 blocks. Its layout and design are based on the specific terroir and microclimate of each hillside exposure. The vineyard is planted in syrah, grenache, mourvedre, viognier, roussanne, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and zinfandel. An additional 30 acres accommodates the winery and tasting room. The winery produces 3,000 cases annually.

For more information, call the winery at 239-4287.More Online Denner Vineyards: www.dennervineyards.com