Brochelle Vineyards

Brochelle Vineyards is a small, family-owned boutique winery located on a steep hillside on the westside of Paso Robles, California. It was established in 1998 by Brock and Michelle Waterman, who had met in Sacramento in 1995 while enjoying wine-tasting dates in Napa Valley and soon developed the shared dream of owning a vineyard. After Brock returned to the Central Coast in 1997, the couple searched the west side of Paso Robles for two years before finding a 20-acre property tucked away on a steep hill. The winery's name combines the founders' names, Brock and Michelle. From the beginning, Brochelle has pursued a deliberately small-scale, hands-on approach. The estate is farmed using old-world techniques and is purposely geared to produce tiny yields of highly flavoured fruit. In the cellar, the winery follows a minimal-intervention philosophy: grapes are encouraged to speak for themselves, and the team aims to keep the process simple and pure so that each bottle reveals the character of its vineyard site. The result is described by the winery as a marriage of power and elegance. Brochelle produces limited quantities of estate-driven wines, with a focus on red varieties suited to Paso Robles' warm climate. The portfolio has historically included Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and blends, along with a small number of white wines. Because production is intentionally tiny, much of the wine is sold directly to consumers through a wine club, a tasting room, and winery events rather than through broad retail distribution. The winery operates a tasting lounge in Paso Robles and participates in regional wine events, including the Paso Robles Grand Wine Tasting and the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival. Ownership remains with the Waterman family. Over the past two decades the winery has weathered economic cycles and the rapid growth of the Paso Robles wine region, which now contains hundreds of wineries. The founders have said they have never deviated from their passion and pursuit of excellence, and they now work alongside their two sons. Brochelle remains a private, independent producer with no corporate parent, positioned as a boutique, direct-to-consumer estate winery.

Brochelle Vineyards traces its origins to a shared dream formed in the mid-1990s. In 1994, Brock graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Agricultural Business. In 1995, Brock and Michelle met while living in Sacramento and spent many dates wine tasting in nearby Napa Valley. Surrounded by vines and wines, the idea of owning their own vineyard took root in both of them. In 1997, missing the San Luis Obispo area, Brock was eager to return to the Central Coast. With the dream firmly in their hearts, the couple searched the west side of Paso Robles for two years before finding 20 acres tucked away on a steep hillside. Brochelle Vineyards was established in 1998 on that steep hillside on Paso's westside. From the outset, the founders committed to old-world farming and winemaking techniques and to a boutique scale. The vineyard was purposely geared to produce tiny yields of highly flavoured fruit, with minimal intervention during winemaking so that the fruit could expose its story in the glass. The winery describes its wines as a fascinating marriage of power and elegance. Over the following two decades, Brochelle weathered the ups and downs of the economy, the influx of hundreds of wineries into Paso Robles, and the challenges of being a small family winery. The founders state that they never deviated from their passion and pursuit of excellence, caring deeply about every step from pruning and harvesting to bottling. As the journey continued, two sons joined the operation, and the family worked harder than ever to give each vintage the time and attention it deserved. By the late 2010s and into the 2020s, Brochelle operated a tasting lounge in Paso Robles and maintained a wine club with seasonal allocations. The winery participated in regional and national tasting events, including the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival and a Paso Robles Grand Wine Tasting in Chicago organized with the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. The estate remains family-owned and independent, with no corporate parent, and continues to focus on small-lot, estate-driven wines sold largely direct to consumers.

• 2026

  Winery participates in Del Mar Wine & Food Festival and Chicago Grand Paso Robles Wine Tasting; tasting lounge hosts summer series.

• 2018

  About page post dated December 30, 2018, reflecting on twenty years of operation.

• 2016

  Official website homepage post dated August 10, 2016.

• 1998

  Brochelle Vineyards is established on a steep hillside on Paso's westside.

• 1997

  Brock returns to the Central Coast; the couple searches Paso Robles' westside for two years.

• 1995

  Brock and Michelle meet in Sacramento and begin wine-tasting dates in Napa Valley.

• 1994

  Brock graduates from Cal Poly with a degree in Agricultural Business.

Boutique, family-owned, old-world-style estate winery producing tiny yields and selling largely direct-to-consumer.

• Estate Zinfandel

  Small-lot Zinfandel from the estate vineyard.

• Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

  Estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Estate Syrah

  Estate-grown Syrah.

• Petite Sirah

  Small-lot Petite Sirah.

• Red blends

  Proprietary red blends.

• White wines

  Limited white wine production.

1. 1Home - Brochelle Vineyardsbrochelle.com
2. 2- Brochelle Vineyardsbrochelle.com
3. 3Brochelle Vineyardswikidata.org