From Wine Enthusiast's podcast, listen in on contributing Editor Matt Kettmann as he sits down with Ian Adamo, owner of Somm’s Kitchen in Paso Robles, to talk about the rise of Rhône Blends in the Paso Robles AVA. A highlight for us is their review of the 2017 Cotes de Tablas which Matt Kettmann gave 94 points.
We were excited to see our 2016 Esprit de Tablas featured in (and appearing on the cover of) Britain's most venerable wine magazine, Decanter. The 2016 Esprit was picked out as one of their favorites, receiving a 93 point rating and the text:
"A collaboration founded in 1989 between the Perrins of Château de Beaucastel and Robert Haas of Vineyard Brands that had me thinking this Mourvedre-dominant blend was Châteauneuf – it has a natural swell of voluminous fruit, but a savoury demeanour. Gentle, unforced plum, damson and blackberry aromas, rounded, juicy and ample on the palate, generous cool fruits and puppy fat. Good sense of balance and purity. Long and satisfying. Biodynamic."
Subscribers can read the whole article here.
So exciting to see the 2018 Patelin de Tablas Rosé get a 93-point rating from Wine Enthusiast. That's tied for the highest rating one of our rosés has ever received!
So exciting! Our 2017 Cotes de Tablas just got a 94 point rating and will be an Editors’ Choice in next month’s issue of Wine Enthusiast! That’s the best score ever for our Cotes red!
The Wine Makers began as a remarkable book chronicling the Paso Robles wine community. It has continued as one of California's best new wine podcasts.
The crew made a swing out to Tablas Creek to speak with our Shepherd Nathan Stuart about our flock of 200+ sheep, regenerative agriculture, and how farming can help save the world.
Wine for Normal People is one of the American Wine Community's most consistently interesting podcasts. Creator Elizabeth Schneider strikes a great balance between expanding listeners' horizons and keeping things relatable.
Our Jason Haas made a repeat appearance on the podcast in late June. He and Elizabeth discussed Tablas Creek's impact over its 30 year history, and he shared what he's most excited about looking forward.
In this great piece, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Editor Esther Mobley puts the arrival of Muscardin at Tablas Creek into context, and explores what this new grape and the others we will be debuting soon from other recent imports means for the California wine community. An excerpt:
"So what’s Muscardin like? Since no Muscardin-only wine exists, we don’t know yet. 'According to the Perrins, Muscardin is a large-berry, pale-colored red grape,' says Haas, 'a bit like a more floral Cinsault or a less tannic Terret Noir.'
That description sounds pretty great to me - and seems like it could be perfectly poised to meet the demand for the translucent reds that are on the rise in California right now. In fact, many of the minor Chateauneuf blending grapes seem to fit this profile."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2019
(Photo: One of the 250 new Muscardin grafts at Tablas Creek Vineyard)
(Paso Robles) - Château de Beaucastel is renowned for using all the permitted Châteauneuf du Pape varieties in their blends. Now, Tablas Creek Vineyard, the project co-founded by the Perrins of Château de Beaucastel and pioneering importer Robert Haas, has the complete collection of grapes to work with as well.
While historically the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation in France's Rhone Valley recognized thirteen different grapes, there are fourteen planted at Beaucastel, counting Grenache Noir and Grenache Blanc separately. Tablas Creek Vineyard brought in high quality clones of six of these when they began their project in 1989. These were Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Counoise, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc (they also brought in Viognier and Marsanne, which are traditional Côtes du Rhone grapes though not permitted in Châteauneuf du Pape). In 1998, Tablas Creek imported Picpoul Blanc.
In 2003 Haas worked out an agreement with Deborah Golino, Director of Foundation Plant Services at U.C. Davis to bring in the remaining grapes (Cinsaut, Clairette Blanche, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Bourbelenc, and Picardan). [You can read our press release from that agreement.] These vines underwent a rigorous indexing process conducted at U.C. Davis, and have been released to Tablas Creek Vineyard one by one as they have been found to be virus-free. Three of the grapes (Clairette Blanche, Terret Noir, and Picardan) are currently in production at Tablas Creek. Three more (Bourboulenc, Vaccarese, and Cinsaut) were planted in 2017. Muscardin was released from quarantine last year and has been propagated at NovaVine Nursery in Sonoma, California since then. With the grafting of 250 buds onto rootstocks at Tablas Creek this week, the winery looks forward to having all fourteen in production within a few years.
"The prospect of having the complete collection of Châteauneuf du Pape clones is really exciting," says Tablas Creek Managing Partner Jason Haas. "It's also the culmination of my dad's dream, to have these grapes available not just for us to plant, but for the rest of the American Rhone community." Foundation Plant Services has made these new varieties available to grapevine nurseries around California, and NovaVine already has sold vine material to dozens of vineyards.
At Tablas Creek, four acres have been set aside as increase blocks for these new grape varieties. "We're not planting large quantities of any of these at the outset," says Jason Haas. "But we're excited enough with the wines we've made from our first few harvests to already be setting aside additional space in our vineyard. What comes next? We're not sure. But we're excited to find out, both from our own vineyard and by trying what our colleagues and neighbors do with this vine material."
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ian Consoli, Marketing Coordinator
Tablas Creek Vineyard
Email: ian@tablascreek.com
Phone: 805-237-1231 x238
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