Our Story

Level 3 is the latest wine endeavor for my wife Susan and I (Norm). Twenty years ago we created Dark Star Cellars on the scenic corridor of Hwy 46 West on the Westside of Paso Robles. When we started Dark Star in 1995 it was the thirty-second winery in Paso and quickly became a benchmark for the quality of wines produced in the region (their words, not mine). During that time we garnered many awards and ratings and a devoted following.

In August of 2015 we decided it was time for a change of pace. We sold Dark Star to a friend and moved over into the “slow lane”. The problem was I wasn’t quite ready to stop making wine. We wanted to slow down, not disappear! Level 3 was the solution.

“Level 3” symbolizes the third chapter in our professional lives. Level 1, if you will, was the motion picture and medical industries, Level 2 was Dark Star Cellars, and of course the third is Level 3.

The vision of Level 3 is to produce very limited amounts of red blends from grapes sourced from respected vineyards on the Westside of Paso Robles. The grapes for the 2014 vintage came from Denner Vineyards, Melange du Rhone, and Westside Ranch. Only one hundred cases each of three wines were produced. “Driven”, “Choice & Chance”, and “Milestone”.

As you will see as you roam around this site, wine is not the only thing that excites us. A passion for all things motorized keeps Norm busy in his shop and on the road. For Susan, it’s lazy days on the lake, family, and her current new joy, our new grandson.

We are relatively simple people who try to enjoy every moment of life.

PLEASE JOING US AT OUR TASTING ROOM IN TIN CITY SAT-SUN 11-5. 2915 LIMESTONE WAY, PASO ROBLES,CA 93446.