Beverage of the Week (BOW)

Product Story

The Esprit de Tablas is Tablas Creek's top-tiered, white Rhône-style blend and an annual favorite at BevX. It’s always a complex blend of white Rhône varietals, showcasing the winery’s depth of varietals in their estate vineyard. The 2023 vintage is comprised of 48% Roussanne, 22% Grenache Blanc, 13% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Bourboulenc, 5% Picardan, and 2% Clairette Blanche. The 2023 vintage began with their wettest ever winter. The growing season was the coolest in more than a decade, resulting in a harvest that came roughly a month later than recent vintages. The grapes for this wine were grown in their certified organic and biodynamic estate vineyard. The six 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 2024 and then rested in a foudre for an additional eight months before being bottled in December 2024. This is an incredible wine with a bright future from a superb vintage.

Brand Story

Tablas Creek is a unique player in the California wine scene. They are undisputed pioneers in the movement of Rhône-styled wines in California, and many consider them to be the absolute best in their class. While many wineries in California produce wines with classic Rhône varietals, Tablas Creek crafts wines that embody the heart and soul of the Rhône. Founded in 1989 through a partnership between two iconic wine families—the Perin family of Château de Beaucastel and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands—they selected vineyard sites in Paso Robles, imported vine cuttings from the Rhône, and built vineyards and a winery from the ground up. Their vineyard in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles closely matches the climatic conditions and soils found at Château de Beaucastel. Their wines are distinctly different from typical Californian styles. While they are not merely copies of Rhône wines, they represent a unique expression of Paso Robles fruit grown at elevation, complemented by the winemaking expertise of an old Rhône master. I appreciate how Tablas Creek wines consistently reflect their respective vineyards and vintages. The wines convey a sense of expert management rather than manipulation. Bravo!