“You are but a tiny cluster upon the vines of heaven, where the grapes are worlds; yet you hold the power to ripen your bitter berries and add to the eternal vintage of cosmic sweetness if so you will.”
— Eden Phillpotts, Saurus
Our Story
Featuring a lush oak riparian area along the creek that runs through the property, Old Oak Vineyard is part of the Willow Creek AVA in Paso Robles, California and encompasses over 31 acres of organically farmed grapevines. Owned by Dave and Cathy Colmar, the vineyard produces 11 different varieties of grapes including Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon for local wineries.
Cathy and Dave Colmar
The original Zinfandel vineyard was planted in the early 1970s by owners Pasquale and Leona Mastantuono (later shortened to Mastan) from cuttings from Paul Mason Vineyard in Soledad and Geno’s Nursery in Madera. This early vineyard consisted of 12.9 acres of dry farmed, head pruned Zinfandel with plots of 12’ x 12’ spacing. Their Mastantuono Winery was the 5th in the Paso Robles AVA. Over 45 years later, the vineyard which would become Old Oak is still producing delicious and highly sought-after fruit.
The Colmars named the vineyard after their first Willow Creek property down the road, a 40-acre ranch with 15-acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and an enormous 500-year-old oak tree at the top of the hill. When they bought the current 65-acre property in 2007, the name Old Oak Vineyard, with its beautiful oak-lined creek, fit it just as well. Developing the vineyard quickly became a passion project and they teamed with Lone Madrone winemaker Neil Collins to expand their Zinfandels, while branching out to other varietals.
500-year-old Oak on Colmar’s First Willow Creek Vineyard
They began by planting an additional 18 acres of Zinfandel to meet growing demands in 2008. Now a part of the coveted Willow Creek AVA, the vineyard’s overall Soil Profile is high Calcareous and the various blocks range in elevation from 1325’ to about 1500’. While not certified, the vineyard is Organically farmed.
In 2013, the Colmars began further improvements for the Zinfandel by starting a replant program in order to replace older or diseased vines. To the growers’ and wineries’ delight, a number of Alicante Bouschet Noir plants were discovered interspersed with the Zinfandel. Alicante, the only red grape with red juice and thick skins, provided added benefits to the harvest.
Old Oak Vineyard First Produced Syrah in 2013
Around the same time, Old Oak Vineyard added five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhones including Syrah, Grenache Noir, Picpoul Blanc, Mourvedre, Grenache Blanc, Cinsault and Counoise, which produced their first harvest in 2013. All of the Rhones, except the Syrah, are planted on an 11’ x 11’ diamond, dry farmed and head pruned. With a few other vineyard changes in 2019 and 2020, there are now 11 different varietals.
A large portion of the grapes goes to Lone Madrone, which makes 11 different wines, a few of which are inspired by Old Oak Vineyard’s topography. Collins named his winery’s blend of Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc “Oveja,” the Spanish word for sheep, after Sheep Camp Creek, which runs through the property and is lined with beautiful oaks. The red blend, “Oveja Negra” or the Black Sheep, was also named in honor of the creek, of course.
The vineyard currently produces grapes for eight different wineries in the Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo areas.
