Jess Lander visited Paso Robles to go behind the scenes with the "French Mafia:" BENOM, Clos Solène, L'Aventure, and Les Petites Canailles. In this article, she explains how the Asseo and Fabre family found their way to the Central Coast and built their empire of wineries and a restaurant that has become known ironically as the French Mafia.
We are honored to have been able to host her and share our stories, aspirations, and, of course, wine. Lander explains, "The French Mafia is not a criminal organization but a tight-knit family of French transplants that have played a significant, pioneering role in California’s Paso Robles wine region in San Luis Obispo County."
To ensure that no one gets the wrong idea of the term "mafia," she later quotes Julien Asseo stating, "I think for people who know our family, they get a kick out of it because we’re nowhere close to a mafia.”
As Lander spent the weekend exploring the four entities that make up the French Mafia, she stated, "Fans often embark on an unofficial French Mafia tour, booking tastings at all three wineries and ending with dinner at the restaurant..."
BENOM is open seven days a week in Tin City. To book BENOM as part of your own "French Mafia" tour, schedule a tasting online or call us at (805) 369-2036.