Page 95 - SLO Visitors Guide - Spring 2025

slovisitorsguide.com SPRING 2025 95
Wine Tasting
Dracaena Wines, where the king of
cabernet franc holds court
Enter the Dracaena Wines tasting
room in downtown Paso Robles
and become part of the family.
Owners Lori and Michael Budd,
along with their weimaraner, Vegas,
are proud to call themselves a
“two-person, one dog show” as they
welcome visitors and locals alike.
The Budds started making wine
in Paso Robles in 2013. Michael, a
food chemist, and Lori, a micro-
biologist, have visited many wine
regions over the years and knew the
wine world was where they were
meant to be. They are celebrating
over 19 years of 90+ point rated
wines with their motto, “Our Wines
+ Your Moments = Great Memo-
ries.”
“We truly believe in this senti-
ment,” Lori said. “Although we take
winemaking seriously, we don’t take
ourselves seriously. Wine is meant
to be enjoyed and experienced with
others.”
Cabernet franc specialists
Dracaena Wines specializes
in cabernet franc, and the Budds
currently produce their Classic, Re-
serve, and Blanc de Franc, a white
cab franc. The winery is also known
for its chenin blanc, which the
Budds decided to produce because
of its Loire Valley relationship.
“Cab franc is king and she is
his queen,” Lori said. “Additionally,
our customers love our Phoenix,
which rises from the vineyard as a
different wine every vintage. It can
be a red, a white, a single variety, or
a blend.”
Each year, the Budds make a
limited amount of their Phoenix
and when it sells out, it is gone
forever. They also produce a tasty,
direct-press grenache rosé.
Award-winning wines
As the founders of the inter-
nationally recognized Cab Franc
Day, their passion is to promote
the variety as more than a blending
grape. Since their first 2013 vintage,
Dracaena Wines has never received
anything less than 90 points and
has won multiple best-of-shows
and double golds.
“We craft the wine that we
would like to drink, but we under-
stand there needs to be validation,”
Michael said. “So, we do submit to
some of the largest competitions.”
Two of their exceptional wines
recently garnered gold medals at
the San Francisco Chronicle Wine
Also, the most
dog-friendly
tasting room in
downtown Paso
Robles
Competition, the largest wine
competition in North America.
Their 2022 Cinnabari is a master-
fully blended cabernet sauvignon
with cabernet franc and merlot,
affectionately known as the “family
tree wine.” The 2022 Classic Caber-
net Franc is an elegant expression
of cabernet franc with a touch of
petit verdot, showcasing complexity
and balance.
“We are incredibly honored to
receive these gold medals," Lori
said. “Our mission has always been
to produce wines that reflect our
passion and dedication to excel-
lence, and these awards affirm our
journey.”
In addition, the Budds offer a
limited edition of their first-ever
vertical of Classic Cabernet Franc
featuring three acclaimed vintages.
The 2013 and 2014 Classic Caber-
net Franc earned 91 and 90 points
respectively from Wine Enthusiast,
while their 2015 is a double gold
medal winner.
Welcoming tasting room
The Dracaena tasting room is
cozy and welcoming with a lounge
area, bar seats, high tops, and tables.
With its many windows, the space is
open and inviting. Guests enjoy tak-
ing in the sounds of classic rock on
the radio and sports on the TV.
“In addition to being the
most cab franc dedicated winery,
we like to think we are the most
dog-friendly,” Lori said. All dogs
are greeted at Dracaena with a
welcome treat, gift, and access to a
toy chest and water bowl. “Vegas is
our Chief Greeting Officer (CGO)
and he takes his job very seriously
and loves greeting customers at the
door.”
The Budds ensure the tasting
room is equally friendly to children,
with toys to keep them busy while
the adults enjoy their tastings
and entertainment. And, when it
comes to the tasting experience,
Lori and Michael pour each wine,
ensuring every visit is memorable
with winemaker conversations and
interactions.
“We want our customers to
feel welcome, and we are proud to
adapt our conversation to what the
customer needs,” Lori said. “We
do love geeking out, but know not
everyone does, so we like people
to feel comfortable and enjoy their
time with us.”
In addition to wine tasting, the
Budds offer specialty craft cocktails
and mocktails at their Dracaena
tasting room including a refresh-
ing Vegas Spritz and the popular
Franc-arita. Michael’s background
as a food chemist extends to his
offerings of delicious homemade
jams and preserves available for
purchase. Guests may also enjoy his
homemade wine-infused chocolates
along with other small bites.
Owners Lori and Michael Budd with Vegas.