I was excited to get samples of two new wines from Robert Hall Winery in the Paso Robles AVA. The 2024 ROC Cabernet Sauvignon and 2025 ROC Sauvignon Blanc are the winery’s first under their new Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC.)

Why am I excited about this? Because regenerative farming is HUGE! As in hugely important. Robert Hall Winery is in the first wave of California wineries to achieve the ROC status, and I was eager to taste.

Regenerative farming is all about treating soil in ways that can help fight climate change, preserve water (super important in places like California that have limited ground-water) and promote biodiversity. It means:

• Minimal or No Tilling: Protecting the delicate microbiomes of the soil prevents carbon release into the atmosphere. CO2 in the atmosphere contributes to global warming (the “greenhouse effect.”)
• Cover Cropping and Crop Rotation: Using diverse plant life in between rows to naturally correct nitrogen levels in the soil and prevent erosion.
• Animal Integration: Let sheep be your lawn-mowers, for natural weed control and fertilization.
• Composting: Recycling waste from the winemaking process to return nutrients to the earth.

The health of topsoil (which is literally the dirt on the surface of every vineyard and farm field going down maybe 6-8 inches) is crazy important. Healthy top soil retains water, feeds plant roots and helps maintain balance. In short, it’s the key to growing healthy plants. There is a documentary called “Kiss the Ground” that streams now on Amazon that is not only fascinating but also entertaining.

Robert Hall Winery did four years of block trials in their vineyards. The results include a 13% increase in water retention and a 192% — !! — increase in CO2 absorption within the soil.

And then there is the wine. These wines – which are available exclusively at Whole Foods (suggested retail is $29.99) – are GREAT. The winemaking team at Robert Hall observed that wines from the regenerative organic block in the vineyard shows greater complexity and freshness and really expressed the Paso

The Robert Hall ROC Sauvignon Blanc ($29.99) is grassy, with bright green and yellow notes in all the right ways. It’s got a sexy little punch of acidity shooting through waves of lemon curd, cantaloupe and green apple. Really refreshing. Great on its own, or with food.

The Robert Hall ROC Cabernet Sauvignon ($29.99) is a deep, dark compote of blackberries, raspberries, dried plums and some baking spice. A little kiss of coffee nib sneaks in at the end. It’s rich (but not jammy), it’s bold and has nicely integrated tannins. It wants food – like aged gouda cheese or a big juicy burger or ribs. This is a crowd-pleaser of a Cab. I liked it with a slight chill on it (15-30 minutes in a fridge.)

So go – find these wines at Whole Foods (Robert Hall has a partnership with Whole Foods on these two wines) and support a winery that is supporting the environment in the most important ways.

Here’s to these wines and here’s to the planet! Cheers.