Featured Winery: Tablas Creek Vineyard
Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, California...
We pay a visit to a longtime favorite winery in the Paso Robles AVA; the venerable Tablas Creek Vineyard.
The Perrin family, in partnership with international importer Robert Haas, founded the Tablas Creek, and helped pioneer the blending of French varietals in the Paso Robles area, beginning in about 1990, when the family first brought clones from their established French estate to plant on the 105 acres of vineyards surrounding the current Paso Robles winery. In purchasing the Paso vineyard, Jean-Pierre Perrin, sought land similar to that of his renowned Chateau de Beaucastel in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of France (an appellation found within the Rhone Valley). He eventually decided on a parcel in the far northwest corner of Paso Robles, only a few miles from the sea and with rocky limestone soils. Pursuant to USDA regulations, the imported vines had to undergo a rigorous three year waiting and testing period to ensure they were healthy before the Perrins could plant their first vineyards here in 1994.
Huge French oak barrels at Tablas Creek...
Although its located in the far northwest corner of the Paso Robles AVA, at 9339 Adelaida Road, visiting Tablas Creek makes it easy to visit their chic tasting room by welcoming visits without reservation daily from 10 am until 5 pm. Tasting fees begin at $10.00. Prepare to spend some time and enjoy the panoply of wines crafted by this quality producer. For more information, contact them at 805-237-1231 or go to their website at http://www.tablascreek.com/visiting .
Tablas Creek farms organically and received its organic certification in 2003. They focus on dry farming and focus on crafting wines that express the terroir of the region. They rely on natural yeast for fermentation and neutral French oak to age their wines.
Tablas Creek’s winemaking relies on some new world innovation, but when blending wine, tradition prevails. They craft the same blends of varietals that came from the Rhone Valley. Currently, the estate cultivates a number of grapes from that famous region of France, including the red grapes Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache and Counoise, and the whites Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. While always known for their sumptuous red wines, the white wines have continued to steadily evolve over the years, and I highly recommend trying these wines as they provide an excellent alternative to the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay that most white wine lovers regularly drink.
The Esprit de Beaucastel line represents Tablas Creek’s signature wines. The red Esprit de Beaucastel relies mostly on Mourvedre, and the white Esprit on Roussanne. Both have received praise from critics and consumers alike. These wines, while delicious upon release, will further benefit from proper storage over time. They also make a red and white Cotes de Tablas blend of Rhone varietals emphasizing ripe fruit and intended for consumption upon release. The Cotes de Tablas wines incorporate only estate fruit grown in the organic vineyard. In 2010, Tablas Creek released a line of Patelin de Tablas, based upon Syrah, and Patelin de Tablas Blanc, based upon Grenache Blanc, crafted with quality fruit purchased from other growers. They represent a good value and provide an opportunity to sample some Tablas Creek wines without breaking the budget.
In addition to the above, Tablas Creek makes some very special wines in limited production, including the luscious Esprit de Beaucastel Panoplie, a Rhone blend of red grapes relying mostly upon Mourvedre. Tablas Creek only crafts the Panoplie in especially good vintages, and then uses only the highest quality, specially selected grapes. Normally, this wine becomes available only through the winery, and even then, usually only to wine club members. It has garnered high accolades from critics. It normally requires some years of aging to reach its full potential.
Tablas Creek also produces some varietal wines in limited quantities. One of my favorites here is the Vermentino, a dry white wine with citrus overtones that seems so refreshing in warm weather, and often pairs well with salads, pesto based pastas or seafood dishes. It costs $27.00 from the winery. Other varietals available in small quantities include Mourvedre, Grenache, Viognier, Syrah and Roussanne.
