Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas Adelaida District 2023

The Data

Country USA

Appellation Adelaida District

Varietal Red Blend

Retail Price $75

ABV 14%

Score 5 Stars/97 points

In the Glass

Appearance

Brilliant, deep ruby color.

Aromatics

The aromatics are intense, offering scents of red currant, blackberry, and black tea with supporting notes of leather, graphite, dried fruits, cigar box, and rosemary.

Flavor

The palate confirms the nose, delivering a red and black fruit-driven core with flavors of boysenberry, black plum, dried fruits, cassis, and sassafras. The finish is long and lingering with ripe tannins.

Intensity & Texture

Full-bodied and perfectly balanced with an opulent texture while being incredibly nimble and vibrant.

Cool Factor

Tablas Creek is a unique winery in California, seamlessly marrying Old World and New World winemaking with beautiful Paso Robles fruit. They have set the standard for Rhône varietals in California. What could be cooler?

Value Grade

B+

This is a wine for an occasion. It's pure class and worthy of aging and enjoying with your dearest friends, so we find it to be a value in today's market.

Analysis

The 2023 Esprit de Tablas is a charming, nuanced homage to Châteauneuf du Pape, made in Paso Robles by Tablas Creek. As their flagship red blend, it consistently impresses, never failing to rate at 96 points or greater in our 11 years of evaluations. It is crafted from a blend of 33% Mourvedre, 31% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 6% Cinsaut, 2% Counoise, and 2% Vaccarese. The blend changes from vintage to vintage, but Mourvedre always leads the Esprit de Tablas, even though it is just 33% (the lowest we have seen) of the blend this vintage. The 2023 vintage started with our wettest winter on record, which replenished groundwater and delayed budbreak. It was followed by the coolest growing season in over 10 years. The Esprit de Tablas grapes were grown on its certified organic and biodynamic estate vineyard. They were fermented with native yeasts in wooden, upright, 1,500-gallon fermenters and closed, stainless steel tanks. The best lots were blended in June 2024 and then rested in 1,200-gallon foudres before bottling in July 2025. This wine will improve with age in the cellar — leave it for at least a decade.

How to Enjoy

This meaty and rich wine really needs to be decanted to be thoroughly enjoyed. It drinks well now, but it will benefit from years in the cellar to reveal all it has. Pair with duck breast, roasted lamb, or beef braised in red wine.