Beverage of the Week (BOW)
Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc Paso Robles 2020
Product Story
Incredibly, this is Tablas Creek’s eighteenth bottling of its 100% Grenache Blanc and this vintage is among our favorites. All of Tablas Creek wines are wines that tell the story of the vintage. Among all of Tablas Creek’s wines their Grenache Blanc shows perhaps the greatest swings in style and direction. In 2019 their Grenache Blanc was the most generous in fruit than any previous samples we analyzed while the 2020 shows Grenache Blanc’s ability to deliver complex fruit while being very austere and even a bit tannic. This character shown through in their white blends containing Grenache Blanc as well. This versatile and great varietal is most often used in white blends and rarely offered as a single varietal wines. The Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc 2020 was fermented in stainless steel to retain freshness and then aged in large, neutral wooden vats (foudres) to add texture and roundness. The wine was blended in March 2021 and bottled in June 2021.
Brand Story
Tablas Creek is a unique animal on the California wine scene. They are unquestioned pioneers in the movement of Rhône-styled wines in California and many consider them to be the absolute best-in-class. While many wineries in California make wines with classic Rhône varietals, Tablas Creek makes wines with the heart and soul of the Rhône. They were founded in 1989 by a collaboration between two iconic wine families – the Perin family of Chateau de Beaucastel and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. Together they chose vineyard locations in Paso Robles, imported vine cuttings from the Rhône, and built vineyards and a winery from the dirt up. Their vineyard site in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles is a close match to climatic conditions and soils found at Chateau de Beaucastel. Their wines are not at all typically Californian in style. While they are not merely replicas of Rhône wines, they are rather a unique expression of Paso Robles fruit grown at elevation with the winemaking touch of an old Rhône master. I love how the Tablas Creek wines are always true to their respective vineyards and vintages. The wines convey a sense of being expertly managed rather than manipulated. Bravo!
Tasting Note
Brilliant, medium gold/green color. The aromatics are very intense offering scents of lemon curd and wet stones with supporting notes of citrus zest, meringue, lemon grass, guava, and honeysuckle. The palate echoes the nose delivering a green fruit-driven core with flavors of white peach, bees wax, pear skins, and hints of quince. The finish is tart with dry tannins. Medium-bodied and perfectly balanced with a vibrant texture.
How to Serve
This gorgeous wine needs nothing but a glass but it really needs to be decanted for at least 15 minutes — 30 minutes is better. It's a terrific food wine that excels with most any bold seafood preparation.
Price: $ 30
BevX Review: http://bevx.com/wine-detail/?id=4134
