Today we share one of the greats from Paso Robles. Many years back Jean-Pierre and François Perrin and Robert Haas purchased a former alfalfa farm that is set on limestone soils in the Adelaida Hills. This was the site that they chose for Tablas Creek with the unique terroir that they felt would create a novel minerality. From the beginning they focused on Rhône-style wines made organically. The first plantings took place in 1994 and the first Tablas Creek Vineyard wines produced in 1997. The winery has been an incredible success since that time, reaching worldwide acclaim particularly for their Rhone style red and white blends. I remember first tasting these beautiful wines more than twenty years ago.
The wines have been a pillar of consistency and I had a great visit with their CEO Jason Haas earlier in the year. We uncorked many older vintages of the ‘Espirit de Tablas’ and the aging potential of these wines was simply magical. The new wine, the 2022 Tablas Creek ‘Espirit Blanc de Tablas’ Red Wine (OB, 95) is a remarkable achievement in this vintage that saw heat spikes at harvest. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://tablascreek.com Here are the outstanding new wines by Tablas Creek.
2023 Tablas Creek ‘Patelin de Tablas Blanc’ White Winę- A leaner style than the ‘Cotes’ the really good 2023 Tablas Creek ‘Patelin de Tablas Blanc’ White Winę combines mainly Grenache Blanc (50%) with the remainder Viognier, Roussanne, Massanne and Vermentino with a dash of Bourboulenc. This comes off vibrant and fresh from the Grenache Blanc, with kiwi and starfruit notes that mingle well with stony minerals and shades of green papaya and peach. Really good and complex considering the price, enjoy this outstanding bottling now and over the next five to seven years. Drink 2024-2031- 91
2023 Tablas Creek ‘Cotes de Tablas Blanc’ White Wine- The outstanding 2023 ‘Cotes de Tablas Blanc’ is mainly Viognier and Marsanne with smaller pats Grenache bLanc, Roussanne and Clairette Blanche. Neatly texftured, this offers orange blossom water and rich melon fruit flavors alongside cashew nut notes with good weight and verve. Delicious and polished — another outstanding wine for the price. — enjoy over the next seven years to come. Drink 2024-2031- 92
2023 Tablas Creek ‘Patelin de Tablas’ Red Wine- A really good wine at the entry level, the 2023 ‘Patelin de Tablas’ combines 45% Syrah with 30% Grenache and the remainder Mourvèdre and Counoise.Delicate to medium bodied red fruits parade with citrus rind, stony minerals and shades of garrigue on the palate. A wine to buy by the case, enjoy in the short-term. Drink 2024-2030- 91
2022 Tablas Creek Syrah- The 2022 Tablas Creek Syrah is light in color and low alcohol (13.5%) considering the heat spikes this vintage. White pepper dusted brisket and loganberry cordial mark the nose alongside shades of menthol and allspice. The palate is vibrant and fresh with a soft texture and loads of mouth-watering acidity. Showing good freshness despite the heat of the vintage, this is already nicely evolved stuff that will drink well over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 93
2022 Tablas Creek Mourvedre- Also very translucent in the glass, you wonder if there is potentially a mis-print as this weighs in at only 12.5% alcohol. The wine comes off very Pinotesque, showing blood orange zest and red currants that parade with salty minerals and suggestions of red rose petal water. Very elegant and refined, this is a really nice effort considering the challenges presented at harvest. Drink 2024-2031- 93
2022 Tablas Creek ‘Esprit de Tablas’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘Esprit de Tablas’ combines mainly Mourvèdre (40%), Grenache (28%) and Syrah (22%) with the remainder Vaccarese, Cinsault and Counoise. Also translucent in the glass, this warm vintage wine weighs in at 13.5% alcohol. Garrigue and sandalwood notes mark the nose alongside Satsuma orange zest, cloves, and shades of Linzer torte. The palate is refined and elegant with a smooth texture and great sense of weight and poise. A stunning wine from 2022, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2038- 95