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REVIEWS
Sunset (June 2010)
Wine Spectator (June 2010)

The Tablas Creek Vineyard Rosé 2009 is a blend of three estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate. The blend is traditional of the southern Rhône, though the blend of grapes is predominantly Mourvèdre, and therefore more like the solid, dry rosés of Bandol than the lighter Grenache-based Tavel.

Each year, we take the grapes for our Rosé from the oldest section of French-source vines at Tablas Creek. When we first received our vines from France, we had just enough to plant a few rows of each varietal on a hill overlooking our vine nursery. Over the next few years, we used cuttings from these plants to plant the rest of our 120-acre vineyard.

These few rows of high-quality vines ripen later than the rest of the vineyard, so we harvest the Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Counoise together and co-ferment them (on their skins) in a single stainless steel fermenter. After 48 hours, we draw about 800 gallons of juice off the blend, and ferment it dry away from the skins. These lots are then supplemented with saignées (bleedings) from other lots in the cellar.

As with all our wines, the grapes for our Rosé were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

The 2009 vintage was much reduced by drought and spring frost, and resulted in small, intense crops. We adjusted to this unusual intensity by decreasing slightly the percentage of Mourvèdre in our Rosé blend, and increasing both the Grenache and Counoise, while reducing the skin contact by a few hours, to maintain the wine's balance.

The 2009 Rosé is vibrant and fully dry, rich with spice and fruit. It has aromatics of sage, plum and watermelon, flavors of strawberries and cherries, fresh acidity and a lingering finish. Pair it with Mediterranean cuisine, Spanish tapas, preparations with garlic and olive oil... or just enjoy it outside on a sunny day.