Shale Oak Winery — Attraction in Templeton

Discovered this wine brand at the 2025 BlendFest event. We went to their stargazing wine tasting event, and it was incredible. Following a three-day storm, clear skies and fresh air returned. The wine-tasting room, a half-mile off Highway 46, is easy to miss; use your GPS to ensure a safe and quick arrival. Parking is ample, with space for about 40 vehicles. This elegant rustic property offers a wonderful ambiance, including a water fountain and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Sampling their wines at BlendFest led me to try their 2015 Reserve Mercurey Cabernet Sauvignon, a library wine that exceeded expectations. The lounge music, cheese board, stars, and new friends complemented each other perfectly. I especially want to thank the vendor for the amazing charcuterie boards at the wine and stargazing event; the meats, cheeses, fruits, and chocolates were a perfect complement to...

We loved the wines and ambiance here so much that we joined their wine club. Wide variety of award winning wines...Albarino, Rose, Zin, Syrah, Cab, blends and more. I like my wines with full body that feature the fruit notes of the grapes, are not over oaked, and have soft tannins... and I find the winemaker here has similar priorities. We especially enjoy their Ka blend... petit verdot , Petite sirah, Zin and Syrah. Big and complex with luscious dark fruit and silky smooth tannins. Nice boutique winery with a small but inviting tasting room. Contemporary styling with lovely, big stained glass windows. Bar seating, lounge seating, or patio seating. Pet-friendly. Variety of charcuterie boxes to pair with your wine. Steve, the tasting room manager, is always friendly & hospitable. Our first wine club wine pickup event was a blast... Seafood Boil, DJ dancing, and copious pours of their...

If it weren’t for the horrible service we received I would give this place 5 stars. We walk in and the whole place REEKED of bleach. We asked to sit outside for our tasting due to the smell and the older man with glasses behind the desk said (jokingly but not in a haha way) “I’m tired so you can sit inside” I persisted that we could not sit inside and so he said fine and we sat outside. Then during the tasting he skipped one of the wines and argued with us saying he didn’t until we asked enough questions and then he goes “oh…you’re right I did.” On top of all of this, the tasting pours were a third of what is normally poured during a wine tasking. Like hardly 2 sips per glass.

I wanted to buy a couple bottles because the wine was so good, but after his service, and his attitude I didn’t want to give them any more of my money!

So...