
Onboard Experience
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Winemaker Happy Hour
Meet & mingle with Don Burns, Kit Kuyper, and Cris Cherry as we kick off the week of a lifetime by sharing stories, laughs and some of your favorite wines!
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Wine Pairing Dinner
Enjoy a personally curated culinary experience, perfectly matched with the best of Turtle Rock, Hawks Hill, and Maha wines.
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Rare & Library Wine Experience
We’re raiding the cellar to ship some coveted bottles that you probably don’t have in your wine collection!
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Dessert Wines of Portugal Tasting
Experience the rich and diverse flavors of Portugal’s finest dessert wines, from luscious Ports to rare Moscatels, in this tasting guided by our wine hosts.
YOUR HOST WINEMAKERS
Don Burns - Turtle Rock Vineyards
A Paso Robles native, Don Burns grew up surrounded by the region’s evolving wine scene, with early inspiration from his uncle’s winery, Westberg Cellars. After studying ag-business at Cal Poly, Don’s passion for winemaking deepened during his time in fine dining, where he developed a love for Rhône varietals. Returning to Paso in 2007, he worked alongside Justin Smith of Saxum Winery, gaining invaluable experience in sustainable, high-quality winemaking. Don launched Turtle Rock Winery with his wife, Claudia, crafting exceptional Rhône-style blends that have earned critical acclaim, including multiple 99-point ratings and a perfect 100-point score for their 2019 G2 Syrah. Committed to family-run, terroir-driven winemaking, Don continues to elevate Paso Robles’ reputation on the global wine stage.
Kit Kuyper - Hawks Hill Ranch Winery
Nestled within the western hills of the Paso Robles Adelaida District AVA, you'll discover the delightful haven of Hawks Hill Ranch Winery. Spread over 32 acres of Kit Kuyper's sprawling 240-acre ranch, this vineyard boasts a remarkable mosaic of soil variations, slope orientations, and microclimates - a rare combo that's a treasure trove for any vinophile. But hold on, it's not just a vineyard – it’s where Kit’s family, furry friends, and livestock call home amid the vineyard, orchard, and farm. Hawks Hill Ranch has earned a reputation within winemaker circles as a premier vineyard for growers. Beginning with the 2015 harvest, Kit decided to keep some fruit for a special endeavor and began crafting his very own signature wine. Cheers to a story that's as flavorful as the grapes themselves!
Cris Cherry - Villa Creek Cellars / MAHA Estate
Cris and JoAnn Cherry founded Villa Creek Cellars in 2001 with the goal to harness the extreme terroirs of the west side of Paso Robles and make fruit forward yet elegant wines from thoughtfully farmed grapes. In 2003 the Cherry’s purchased 60 acres of land that bears remarkable resemblance to some of the great estates of the Rhône Valley in France and the stunning hills of Priorat in Spain. They moved on to the property, built a small winery and spent the next 9 years preparing the land for planting. Over 2012 and 2013, 13 acres of vines were planted, bringing the MAHA Estate to life. Located 14 miles from the Pacific ocean with elevations from 1500 to 1800 feet, south facing slopes of Calcareous and Siliceous soils provide the perfect environment for growing grapes of character and complexity. The MAHA estate brand came to fruition in 2019. 2024 marks the sixth release of the wines which continues to receive high praise from wine writers around the globe. In 2022 they became the 6th winery globally to receive Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) which focuses on building soil health through no till agriculture, carbon sequestration, respecting animal welfare, and improving the lives of everyone who works on the farm.
