The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Adelaida District

Varietal   Red Blend

Retail Price   $55

ABV   14.5%

Score   5 Stars/98 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, deep garnet color.

The aromatics are very intense offering scents of black currant, earth, and blackberry with supporting notes of truffle, anise, mineral, and baking spices.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a black fruit-driven core with flavors of black plum and cured meat with hints of sea salt and cocoa nibs. The finish is long and lingering with chewy tannins.

Full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a rich and dense, nearly chewy texture.

Cool Factor

Tablas Creek is a unique winery in California seamlessly marrying Old World and New World winemaking and setting the standard for Rhone varietals in California. What could be cooler?

Value Grade

At over $50 a bottle it's not a bargain hunter's Rhône Ranger of choice but this is for lovers of Châteauneuf du Pape and in that proper context it's worth every penny.

Analysis

The Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas is as close as you will get to Châteauneuf du Pape in California being made with vines propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate. Again in 2014 Mourvedre takes the lead as the wine is crafted with a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 5% Counoise. The 2014 vintage was the third drought year on the trot with a pleasing, warm summer and a very cool August before warming up again in September. The grapes were harvested in mid-October and fermented with native yeasts. After pressing, the wines rested in large 1200-gallon French oak foudres until bottling in June of 2016. 98 points.

How to Enjoy

This dense and rich wine really needs to be decanted to be fully enjoyed. It does drink well now but it needs some cellar time for it to show you all that it has. This wine will live for decades in your cellar. Pair with duck breast, roasted lamb, or beef braised in red wine.