The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Adelaida District

Varietal   White Blend

Retail Price   $60

ABV   13%

Score   4.5 Stars/97 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, medium gold/green color.

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of pear and apricot stone with supporting notes of honeysuckle, slate, orange peel, and hints of brioche.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a ripe orchard and tropical fruits-driven core with flavors of white peach, kiwi, and passion fruit. The finish is long and lingering with bright citrus accents.

Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant yet lush texture.

Cool Factor

Tablas Creek is a unique winery in California seamlessly marrying Old World and New World winemaking. This wine is one of the best Rhône style white blends made in the USA. What could be cooler?

Value Grade

At $60 a bottle it's certainly beyond many wine drinkers weeknight budget but considering the pedigree and the fact that this wine will age very gracefully we recommend it.

Analysis

The Esprit de Tablas is Tablas Creek's top-tiered white Rhône blend and an annual favorite at BevX. It’s always a complex blend of white Rhône varietals with Roussanne in the lead. The 2021 vintage is comprised of 70% Roussanne, 17% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Grenache Blanc, 2% Bourboulenc, and 1% Clairette Blanche — the highest portion of Roussanne since the 2016 vintage. The 2021 vintage began after a chilly and relatively dry winter. This resulted in small clusters and berries with total yields down about 25%. All of Tablas Creek’s 2021 wines have been stunning. The grapes for this wine were grown in their certified organic and bio-dynamic estate vineyard. The five varietals were all fermented separately in a variety of vessels from neutral oak barrels to foudres, and stainless steel. The best lots are blended in April 2022 and then rested in a foudre for an additional eight months before being bottled in December 2022 and rested for nine months (July 2023) in bottle before release.

How to Enjoy

As always with the Esprit de Tablas Blanc, if you choose to drink this wine in its youth please decant it as this will allow the aromatics to fully bloom. Serve chilled with grilled lobster, roasted fowl, or a complex and spicy stir fry.