When I sat down with Drew Nenow, winemaker for Kiler Canyon Vineyard and ONX, I could immediately tell this was a story of family legacy, innovation and a passion for Paso Robles.
Drew is a second-generation winemaker. His dad started at IBM before launching his own label, and Drew, the youngest of five, grew up working on harvests next to his dad. By eighth grade, he’d already decided he wanted to be a winemaker.
He completed Cal Poly’s enology program and began working for ONX Wines in 2013 as a harvest intern. He advanced to assistant winemaker, and then in 2019, head winemaker. When ONX acquired Kiler Canyon Vineyard in the Willow Creek District, Drew was excited about the challenge ahead. “This site is a study in extremes,” he told me, describing the depleted limestone soils and strong Templeton Gap winds that make the vines dig deep and struggle. With that climate, the vineyards experience low yields, intensely concentrated fruit, and wines with a backbone.
What makes Kiler Canyon truly special is Drew’s approach to winemaking. He’s focused on just a few Rhône varietals — Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Roussanne. Each clone brings its own personality, but they all share chalky tannins, vibrant fruit, and a sense of place. Several well-known wineries were buying fruit from the vineyard before ONX acquired Kiler Canyon. A virus had impacted the vineyards, so Drew supervised the replanting of the vines. Nearly eight years in the making, the vineyard’s rehabilitation culminated in a new line of micro-lot, luxury wines.
The debut allocation launching July 2025, is scarce. Thirty cases of 2023 Roussanne, a 2021 Estate Syrah, and a 2021 Syrah-Mourvèdre Cuvée. No traditional wine club. Only an allocation list, first come, first served. Click here to get on the list. And with a Tin City tasting room and hospitality lounge opening soon, Kiler Canyon is poised to become an insider’s stop.
Drew’s philosophy is simple: Let the land speak through every bottle. Kiler Canyon is a testament to what happens when you respect the land, trust your instincts, and continue writing the story of Paso Robles, one small lot at a time.
Kiler Canyon Vineyard is committed to farming sustainably and is on the road to becoming fully organic within the next two years. It consists of 24 planted acres with multiple clones of Syrah and Mourvèdre.
I had a chance to try two of the wines.
2021 Kiler Canyon Estate Grown Syrah – notes of blackberry, cherry, violet, black pepper, tapenade, spice and chocolate. I loved this wine.
2020 Kiler Canyon Estate Grown Syrah-Mourvèdre Cuvée – notes of red fruit, clove, black pepper, herbs and tobacco. Another solid wine.
With Drew Nenow’s leadership and a focus on expressing the character of Willow Creek’s steep, limestone-rich slopes, Kiler Canyon Vineyard is redefining what Paso Robles Rhône varietals can be. These micro-lot, sustainably farmed wines show the struggle and the beauty of the land, showing what happens when tradition meets innovation.
