Paso Robles has the soils of Bordeaux and the climate of Napa, but one place in particular always struck famed winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff: Hoffman Ranch. Tchelistcheff was known as the "Dean of American Winemaking" for his revolutionary work at Beaulieu Vienyards in the 1950s & 60s, and later trained America's first generation of star winemakers (Robert Mondavi, Mike Grgich, Stag's Leap's Warren Winiarski and Quilceda Creek's Alex Golitzen). He was also the consultant of note in America for the latter half of the 20th century, and helped identify exceptional wine-growing regions in Carneros, Oregon, Washington and Paso Robles. In Paso Robles, one site in particular, set high up on a ridge off Adelaida Road, Tchelistcheff called a "jewel of ecological elements".  The Hoffman Ranch's 2,200-foot elevation brought in cool nightly breezes from the ocean through gaps in the Coastal Mountain Range, accelerating grapevine acidity which balanced the calcareous clay vineyard soils' dramatic year-round sun.  Dr. Stanley Hoffman started the project but didn't have the means nor the acumen to deliver on the promise.  The Daou brothers did.