Asked why he didn't retire, Robert said that once his children were grown up and he didn't have to worry about them, he set out to follow his dream of and passion for wine. Venturing west, he began to develop his idea for a premium producing vineyard and winery. In the mid-90's, Robert and Margaret discovered the perfect terroir in the Paso Robles appellation, featuring soil rich in nutrients, coupled with warm days and cool nights, they felt the viticultural conditions were ideal to the development of the enological characteristics Robert was seeking to produce.
"Home Ranch" was acquired in 1995 - soon after, the "Terrace" and "Bench" vineyards joined the Hall Ranch enclave. Robert loves to see the vines grow, and took great care in the selection of the varieties that grow on the Hall Ranch. Margaret planted her own vineyard of Orange Muscat, which has proved to be an award-winning, lighter style wine. An artist in her own right, Margaret worked with artist Steve Kalar to design the label for the bottle. Almost all of the wine is estate grown. Robert plants natural wild flowers to encourage beneficial insects, and is an advocate of sustainable agricultural practices.
Robert's vision grew to include a state-of-the-art facility featuring 19,000 square feet of underground caverns. The naturally cool environment allows the wine to age gracefully in oak barrels at an even temperature of 55 degrees. Robert's planning, set up and design of the winery can be seen everywhere. The next phase will be completed Summer 2005 and will feature a 10,000 square foot tasting room with elevator to the underground caverns, a wine library, full-kitchen, dining room for events, fountains, bocce ball courts, garden terrace and amphitheater with fantastic 360 degree views of the greater Paso Robles area.
Although Robert is very private about his family, you can see the gleam in his eye when he talks about his grandchildren. He expects them to move into the family wine business and carry on his tradition of producing some of the most delicious and reasonably priced wines in California.
