Tank Garage Winery was originally formed as a partnership between Napa Valley wine industry veterans James Harder and Jim Regusci. This was not their first venture together in the valley; they both worked together at James Cole Winery and the former nearby T-Vine Cellars Tasting room and winery. Today Harder owns Tank Garage and Regusci owns T-Vine Cellars. The Tank Garage tasting room opened in Spring of 2014 in Calistoga.
James Harder was born outside of Edmonton Alberta and has enjoyed a long career centered around wine; as soon as he graduated from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, he took a job at Vincor International (now part of Constellation brands); by the time he left Vincor he was their Vice President of Marketing. James worked for Inniskillin Winery for some time – famous for their ice wines. He also worked for Napa based Wilson Daniels (a prominent wine marketing company) and then later, together with Jim Regusci began and eventually sold Nine North Wine Company (responsible for creating and marketing a number of negociant type brands). He and his wife Colleen own James Cole Winery, located on the south part of the Silverado Trail just north of the city of Napa. And James’s brother Jeff and his wife Decoa own Ex Nihilo Vineyards in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
James (Jimmy) Regusci is fourth generation Napa Valley resident, and co-owner of Regusci Winery, located on the ranch that his grandfather purchased in 1932. Jim began a vineyard management company in 1985 overseeing merely 8 acres of vines. In some 30+ years his company remarkably now farms over 2,300 vineyard acres. Jim also began Regusci Winery in 1996. See our extensive notes on both James Cole and Regusci wineries on this website.
Tank Garage is one of the more unique tasting rooms in the valley in that it is located in a former mechanic’s garage and gas station. Every time we go in here, it feels like our creative juices start flowing at a higher level. Historic gas tanks sit in front, a visual nod to this properties’ history; they are not functional. Yes, people have pulled in asking if they can pump gas from these. While this was an old mechanic’s garage, surprisingly they are not the first winery to have a tasting room here; a previous tenant was Wine Garage.
This locally historic garage originally dates from the 1930s. A functional garage door sits in front of the tasting room and is fully opened during good weather. An inviting side room / lounge is well decorated in era furnishing and is setup for private tastings. An old “Indian” motorcycle is displayed, formerly owned by racer Eddie Bratton who at one point owned the old garage. And a spin the Calistoga restaurant wheel is available for guests, especially popular around lunchtime for those who have not yet made lunch plans. The names on the wheel are all nearby Calistoga restaurants.
What is truly unique in the valley are the “guitars” made from old gasoline cans hanging on the wall in their small store. Every once in a while, someone stops by to play some hard-core metal on these “old” gas can guitars. Tank Garage also sells harmonicas for some additional immediate sound.
I rode into Napa,
came in from the north
this was my vacation
I soon spied a gas stationThe music came a callin’
I grabbed a gas can guitar
I ripped her off the wallMy sound called them in
they stayed for the zinthat night we made it rain
we played so effortlessly
we played so soulfully
that night
at the old Tank towne Garage.
~ Written in tribute to Napa Valley winemaker and casual musician Jon Jones.
The wines are a very good value for the quality. They produced their first vintage in 2011. Their wine making is about blends rather than 100% varietal wines. They set the tone of their production right from the beginning: hand-crafted small production one-time produced bottlings. Total production on many of their bottlings are under 300 cases. Called The Vault, these one-off wines vary in variety and vineyard location every year. And all feature extremely unique and intriguing looking labels. And while the original tasting room is in Napa Valley nearly all of their wines are sourced from vineyards outside of Napa Valley (but within California). As a result, grape varieties that are seldom or not growing in Napa Valley comprise many of their bottlings.
The names of the wines are some of the most creative we have come across in Napa Valley – sometimes borrowing from song lyrics; regardless of source, all are catchy. Names like And She Was, Dive Motel, Girls Girls Girls or even a name in tribute of a local bootlegger, St. Jimmy. And the labels are equally as eye-catching, often bright and featuring works of art by various artists. They always tell a story. One of the common channels they use for discovering artists and their related works is through social media. Tank Garage should utilize the services of city of Napa based tattoo artist, Rob Struven, the owner of Garage Ink Studios for one of their labels. And any wines with an image of a peace symbol on the back label are produced as part of Tank Cares. A portion of the proceeds from their sales are donated to various charities; since 2019 they have raised tens of thousands of dollars from Tank Cares.
Tank Garage has always nurtured a spirit of innovation, but over the years they have become even bolder in what they do. They continue to embrace significant creativity both with winemaking but also with their visual presentation. Their name is Tank Garage, but it could easily be Creative Garage. This is something so different from contemporary Napa Valley. And its causing people to take notice.
Select Wines
Whites/Rose
The 2021 Tank Garage Love Saves The Day, Skin-Fermented White Wine, San Benito County is a blend of 71% Chardonnay, 27% Grenache Blanc, 1% Orange Muscat and 1% Barbera. This wine is golden in the glass; the bouquet offers aromas of orange marmalade, dried pine tree sap, ripe apricot, peaches in syrup and a variety of stone fruits on the edge of rotting, which have been sitting in a bowl in your kitchen for slightly too long of a time – or maybe its kimchi instead. A thread of acidity is immediately noticeable on the entry and runs the length of the palate but is balanced by its rounded texture. This wine shows flavors of mango, a honeyed note but without any sweetness and some kind of herbal tea. Weird and wonderful. 11.1% alcohol. Have we ever written an alcohol percentage so low from a Napa Valley based producer? Maybe. A Frog’s Leap Valdiguié. The commercial wine made at Napa Valley College is one of the only producers that comes to mind. This wine was foot-stomped, went through full malolactic fermentation and was aged for 8 months in neutral French oak barrels, the duration of which was with the skins.
The 2021 Tank Garage Flowershop, White Wine, El Dorado County is a blend of 44% Roussane, 24% Marsanne, 14% Viognier, 11% Chardonnay and 7% Grenache Blanc. This wine is a deep golden color; the bouquet smells bright, fresh and like springtime flowers including citrus blossom. There are also notes of lemon and lime and green apple. If this had some bubbles in it, it’s aromatics would be a dead ringer for some of the sparkling wines we have enjoyed lately. Rounded, and balanced, the palate features flavors of Golden Delicious apple, tangerine, honeycomb and kiwi – not the New Zealand golden kiwis, but the traditional green kiwis, the same variety growing in front of the entrance to Round Pond Winery. The zippy acidity keeps this wine fresh and one returning for additional sips. Speaking of sips, this energetic wine would be a great candidate to enjoy at one of the intimate performances at the annual SIP, Songwriters In Paradise held every April in Napa Valley. This wine is 11.5% alcohol.
The Tank Garage Hella Fiz Petillant Naturel is a non vintage including grapes from both 2022 and 2023. This wine is a blend of 37% Gewürztraminer, 36%% Riesling, 8% Albarino, 7% Gruner Veltliner and 5% Greco Bianco. This wine is medium golden; the bouquet is highly aromatic with scents of pine pitch, Russian brined apples (a favorite that dates back hundreds of years) and pepino melon which also shows up subtly on the palate. This latter aromatic brings back memories of walking down Higuera Street over the years in San Luis Obispo for the Thursday night farmers’ market. It was at this market where we were first introduced to the pepino fruit. The palate offers some cider-like characteristics and also flavors of lemongrass, juniper berry and a lemon twist. It is citrusy but not overtly green or grassy. A fun wine. Crisp finish. Bright acidity. It was produced using the Methode Ancestrale.
The 2022 Tank Garage Floral Pleasure, White Wine California is a blend of 50% Riesling, 30% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Gewürztraminer. This wine is medium gold in color; the bouquet is a bit shy initially and needs some time to open. It offers some sweet stone fruits including nectarine, accompanied by honeycomb, honeysuckle and a hint of papaya. The palate is brightly lit, balanced and is packed with all the stuffing in terms of flavor, acidity and texture to lay down for a couple of years. The palate reveals flavors of green apple, pomelo, grapefruit, lime and gooseberry. Framed by a rounded and almost creamy texture. Highly energetic finish. The grapes for this wine were sourced from west of Los Alamos and Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County) and from Rio Vista. While tasting this wine we wanted to pair it with one of our favorite spicy Thai dishes, perhaps Thai basil chicken.
The 2023 Tank Garage Adult Toys, Rosé, Sierra Foothills is a blend of 58% Grenache, 41% Mourvèdre and 1% Counoise. The grapes were harvested specifically to make this wine (no saignee here) and were 100% whole cluster fermented. The alcohol is a refreshing 11.5%. One of their employees calls this the Mai Tai of Rosé wines. The gorgeous woman depicted on the front label is supposedly a visual union of Marilyn Monroe, Dolly Parton and Bettie Page. This wine is pale salmon in color; the vivacious bouquet offers scents of citrus blossom, kaffir lime zest, strawberries and guava. The palate sports flavors of lime, gooseberry, lemon juice and wild strawberries. It offers a plush texture that is silky-smooth and satiny while a vibrant energy bounds alongside. The finish is clean and crisp. Easy drinking. We want more.
Reds
The 2021 Tank Garage Dynamic Karate Theory, Mixed Blacks, Clements Hills Stampede Vineyard is somewhat amaranthine in color (just a fancy word for dark reddish purple); the bouquet offers aromas of plum, some brambly notes, sage, a subtle nuance of Graham Cracker, cardamom, white pepper and old cedar. The scents are slightly savory. Our palate was mouthwatering before we even tried this wine. It delivers high-toned red fruit flavors including most prominently of cranberry along with plum and blackberry. We strongly recommend pairing this wine with Linger, by the Cranberries, as loud as your speakers will allow. The acid keeps this wine lively and bright from start to finish. It lingers with a tartness, very reminiscent of Icelandic crowberries (a high acid, somewhat tart tiny bush berry), pat yourself on the back if you’ve ever heard of this obscure fruit. This wine persists juicy, bright and mouthwatering with crushed black pepper, dried herbs and dark and savory tannins of a light to moderate grip. This wine is primarily a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet. Following harvest, the grapes were foot stomped, fermented in an open-top stainless steel tank and then transferred to neutral oak for 8 months of aging before bottling.
The Tank Garage Heavy Metal Life, Red Wine, California (non vintage) is a blend of 71% Valdiguié (Napa Gamay), 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Zinfandel and 5% Sagrantino. For reference, we tasted this wine in early 2023. This wine is medium ruby in color; the aromas show blackberry and plum, recently tilled soil, dried herbs including a subtle sprig of rosemary and a hint of chocolate and cardamom deeper in the bouquet. Our first impression on the palate was of a sweetness of fruit and perhaps some residual sugar. Offers flavors of raspberry, cran-apple and red licorice. It lingers slightly tart with lighter textured but still tightly woven tannins and a note of white pepper. This is a fun wine to enjoy poolside or on the patio. It goes down very easily. A catchy image of a Shawn Barber oil painting graces the front label. Reference Shawn’s shop, Memoir Tattoo in Los Angeles for more information.
The 2022 Tank Garage Tutto Passa is a blend of 76% Barbera, 9% Valdiguié, 6% Freisa, 5% Montepulciano, 2% Falanghina and 2% Ruché. This wine is medium ruby in color; the bouquet is fun and fruity and highly aromatic. Its scents include raspberry, plum, and a hint of vanilla. Balanced and bright across the palate with flavors of red plum, red cherry, currant and pomegranate. The finish lingers with racy acidity along with a note of white pepper and dried herbs. Fairly light bodied, the tannins are fine-grained. One wouldn’t be wrong in describing its lingering characteristics as savory. Pizza and pasta. Tutto Passa refers to everything passes, meaning that problems don’t last forever. This label was created even before the wine was produced. Its inspiration was an older Italian gentleman that James Harder discovered on Instagram. This man lives in Naples, during warm weather is often shirtless, smokes cigarettes and most importantly, sports a tattoo on his chest: “tutto passa”.
The 2021 Tank Garage BDXSM is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Malbec with grapes sourced from both Hollister and Sonoma County. BDX is an acronym for Bordeaux and while not part of the label, BOD is the airport code for Bordeaux, an airport we have flown into and out of many times. The name BDXSM when combined with the ‘juicy’ label perhaps might mean something sensual; let your imagination carry you away or simply visit Naughty but Nice, an adult boutique store located merely a three minute walk from Tank Garage, Paso Robles. This wine is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is highly aromatic with ripe fruited aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, dark raspberry, dark cherry and chocolate. The bouquet smells like the palate should be on the riper side of the spectrum, but this is not the case. Its flavors are more red fruited than dark including raspberry, cherry and red plum along with a hint of tobacco. Mouthwatering finish. The tannins are lightly gravelly and show more on the front of the palate than the back. A noticeable tartness on the finish persists for some time accompanied by a light textural grip. A pool party with handsome scantily clad bodies and pizza, please. And in case your wondering who created the seductive artwork for the label; it is the talented René Garza.
The Tank Garage G Funk Non Vintage is 49% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah, 14% Grenache, 7% Négrette, 4% Zinfandel, 4% Mourvèdre, 2% Viognier. This wine is deep ruby; the attractive aromatics feature a union of both fruit and baking spices. The bouquet sports scents of raspberry, red licorice and plum accompanied by a light meaty character. For some reason the bouquet reminded us of tasting wines in Maury, France surrounding by its steep hills covered in both head pruned Grenache vines but also more importantly a diversity of chaparral. The palate offers flavors of bramble, licorice, red plum cherry and raspberry. Refreshing acidity. The tannins are grainy and linger with a light dusty character and a note of crushed pink peppercorn. The majority of the grapes for this wine were sourced from the Central Coast.
The 2011 As the Crow Flies is an ideal everyday wine which just might make the perfect pairing with a tri-tip sandwich from Calistoga based Busters BBQ. You may realize this as you are in the middle of tasting this particular wine (or other current release red bottlings) while at the tasting bar and delicious BBQ aromas from that nearby establishment tantalizingly waft into the tasting room. As the Crow Flies is a unique blend of Nero d’Avola (sourced from Los Olivos in Santa Barbara County) and a much smaller percentage of Petite Sirah. The bouquet on this 2011 vintage beautiful; the palate features an intensity of flavor accompanied by excellent structure. Broad dusty tannins linger for some time.
Over the years, we have seen many non Napaesque varieties in some of Tank Garage’s blends including Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Picpoul, Nero D’Avola, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Négrette and Sagratino. Their wines are truly a showcase of California’s varietal diversity. Some years they crush up to nearly 50 different wine grape varieties! Perhaps after we bring by a commercial bottling sometime in the next few years from our personal project, a vineyard block of Marselan growing just north of Calistoga, they will seek out this extremely rare for California variety. The folks at Tank Garage and winemaker Chris Carpenter will be among the first to try this special bottling.
Sometimes they bottle 100% varietal wines including years ago a tasty Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley in neighboring Sonoma County. So, one never knows what wines will be available for tastings (appropriately titled Lubrication) during visits because of their always varied and continuing exploration of varieties and wine styles. During various visits, we usually see at least one orange wine on the menu; one year it was a skin-fermented white wine of Vermentino and Verdelho. And in 2021 Tank Garage produced a crystal-fermented Cabernet Sauvignon. But they were not the only ones in Napa Valley to add geological objects into their wines that year; reference Non Nocere wines. Winemaker Peter Hopkins added alluvial river rocks from Conn Creek in Rutherford to one of his wines to fill empty head space in one of his barrels.
—
And Tank Garage has embraced those who work in the industry (winery owners, employees of owners etc.) – with a business card, they offer complimentary tastings Monday through Friday. A visit is casual, relaxed and focused on having a fun time. Do not be alarmed if you see or hear a few swear words during your visit. Its all part of the vibe and the tribe. They might even give John fu****g Caldwell (proprietor of Caldwell Vineyards) a run for his money.
The wines are not distributed and therefore not available in any retail outlets; they are only available through the tasting room and their website. For more information, to join the mailing list, to purchase wines or to join their MADE wine club (with 3, 6 or 12 bottle membership levels), visit: www.tankgaragewinery.com
Exterior
Interior
Lounge Room
Tank Garage, Paso Robles
The first ever Tank Garage outside of Napa Valley opened on Friday April 26, 2024 at 840 13th Street Ste. F in downtown Paso Robles. This space is only two blocks from the downtown city park, the central part of the city. And like anywhere in downtown Paso Robles, Tank Garage’s tasting room is a short drive from the 101 freeway. Numerous parking spots are available nearby, curbside. Reservations are encouraged but not required.
Two tasting spaces are located here including the main room with the horseshoe bar and the ‘backstage lounge’ where visitors can enjoy Tank Garage wines in a dimly lit room surrounding by a rock & roll and other historical memorabilia. The two black leather arm chairs in this lounge were the first pieces of furniture acquired for Tank Farm Paso Robles. Their graffiti was added by Wyn, an artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Wyn also created the already iconic Peace, Love & Paso which is prominently displayed in the main tasting room.
Several items housed within emulate the same vibe as at Tank Garage in Calistoga. These include a box can guitar, an old filling pump, an Indian motorcycle clock, and an Indian motorcycle that was acquired from Los Angeles based brothers Johnny and Ernie Rocio who were members of the motorcycle club, Boozefighters MC. The serial number on the motor is listed as number 10, certainly one of their early production bikes. And the attractive gold lettering signs on the window and door were hand painted by Orcutt, CA based AC Vintage DeSIGNS.
Tank Garage Paso Robles is open daily from 12-7pm. Like at Tank Garage in Calistoga, guests are guaranteed to have a fun time, but there is no guarantee, ever, on the types of wines available. However, future plans might call for two consistent bottlings each year, a Paso white wine and a Paso red wine. This space was formerly occupied by Copia Vineyards and Winery and Tasting Room (no relation to the CIA at COPIA in downtown Napa). Other downtown Paso Robles tasting rooms with connections to Napa Valley wineries through ownership include, Alpha Omega, Serial Wines and Justin Cellars, all within an easy walk of Tank Garage Paso Robles.
Tasting Room
Lounge Room
Leave a Reply