We had the opportunity to try three new releases from Tablas Creek, whose wines are made from Rhône varietals and have really wowed us of late, and these efforts more than lived up to our expectations.
2005 Tablas Creek Paso Robles Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, 70% Roussanne, 25% Grenache Blanc, 5% Picpoul Blanc, 14.5%, $35: Pale to medium gold in color, with a tight nose that gradually opens with air and a bit less of a chill to show rich ripe yellow fruit aromas of melon, golden delicious apple, pear, white flowers and a hint of honey, all of which echoes and expands on the palate with great balance and length, just enough acidity to make it all work and that signature smooth, dense, almost viscous character that graces everything these folks put out. These wines like some time so give it three to five years in the cellar and then check back in to see where it’s at. Nice stuff, 35 bucks and all. The grapes hung almost a month longer than usual; Grenache Blanc was harvested starting on September 26th, the Roussanne in several batches between September 26th and November 7th and the Picpoul Blanc on November 1st. Whole cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts, the Roussanne half in stainless steel and half in oak “pieces,” and the rest in stainless steel. All went through malolactic fermentation, then were blended in May, then racked, cold stabilized and bottled in June, 2006.
2005 Tablas Creek Paso Robles Grenache Blanc, 15.3% alc., $27: Medium straw color with a tinge of lime; the reticent nose only hints at the pungent, substantial flavors of green apple and melon shaded with a hint of lime and some mineral. Rich, ripe and full bodied, with ample acids and excellent length, with a certain “green” character, and in this case, that’s a positive descriptor, because it’s certainly not lean, sour or under-ripe in any way. Absolutely delicious; I savored every sip. Harvested between September 26th and October 26th; whole cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel. Malolactic fermentation in neutral French oak, final blends assembled in May 2006 and bottled in June 2006, with only a light cold stabilization beforehand.
2006 Tablas Creek Rosé Paso Robles 60% Mourvèdre, 28% Grenache, 12% Counois, 14.8% alc., $27: Rich raspberry pink color, with a lovely perfume encompassing a wide spectrum of red berries (spearheaded by strawberry and raspberry) and cherry; plenty more of the same on the palate, with more density than your average rosé (no matter where in the world it’s from) and that fine balance, smooth texture and lush Tablas Creek character. A most worthy successor to last year’s model. From the oldest French sourced vines at Tablas Creek, which ripen later than the rest of the vineyard. Harvested and co-fermented together on the skins in a single stainless steel tank; after 72 hours, 800 gallons are drawn off and fermented dry away from the skins, supplemented with saignées (bleedings) from other Mourvèdre lots.
-from A Bunch o' Whites (and One Pinky)
Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.
