News & Press

Golden State Magazine: 20 Small and Mighty California Winemakers Who Deserve Your Dollars This Year

We're proud to be a part of Golden State Magazine's new article on family winemakers, and to have them feature our 2017 Esprit de Tablas as one of their recommendations. From author Bonnie Graves' introduction:

If you believe in shopping locally, now is the time to support small California producers whose livelihoods and businesses are currently threatened.

Below is a thoughtfully curated list of 20 to support in 2020. Each of these 20 wonderful wineries deserves your dollars. Each makes small-batch, carefully vinified wines with love and commitment; most are made with organically grown grapes and with sustainable vineyard practices too.

CSQ Magazine: The Best Wine to Drink in Paso Robles

CSQ Magazine asked Christian Navarro, President of Wally's, to pick his top wines from Paso Robles. One of his seven picks was our Esprit de Tablas Blanc. His note on the wine makes us want to go open a bottle ourselves!

It is a given that the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel would pick equally incredible terroir in Paso to craft world-class Rhone blends. Their classic white Rhône blend, Espirit de Tablas Blanc, is one of my favorite wines vintage after vintage. Insanely perfumed and mineral-accented, it evokes ripe citrus, peach, brioche, and floral notes. It’s bright, delineated acidity and graceful minerality offers depth and complexity that only special whites can achieve. Vibrant flavors of tangerine, honeysuckle, herb, and pear set the stage for an incredibly long, pleasing finish.

Jason Haas on wine.com's California Green Live Virtual Tasting

We were honored to be chosen by wine.com to appear on their live virtual tasting series alongside two of our California farming icons, Frog's Leap Winery and Grgich Hills Estate.

wine.com has posted the recording of the tasting and discussion on their YouTube channel. You can watch it at your convenience, and if you want to taste along with Jason, Violet Grgich, and John Williams, you can buy the wine.com "California Green Tasting Trio" with the wines featured in the broadcast!

Briscoe Bites: Paso Rocks: Paso Robles Wine Review Roundup

Wine writer Stacy Briscoe recently participated in a live Zoom webinar on Paso Robles, featuring our Jason Haas as well as Amanda Wittstrom-Higgins from Ancient Peaks and Jordan Fiorentini from Epoch. She came away most stuck by the soils:

The main takeaway (at least to my eyes and ears): Paso rocks. I mean, yes, it rocks in the figurative sense as well. But I was really digging (pun sort of intended) all the geeky geological stuff these guys got into. The show-and-tell of vineyard rocks was one for the record books. Have you seen fossilized whale bone in your backyard? Thought not. And of course, how these soil types and topography of each vineyard’s location affects the wine style is a connection I love making.

So, I thought I’d take some time to talk a bit about each winery, why they “rock,” and of course include mini wine reviews for each. Please, enjoy.

The Vintner Project: Five U.S. Wineries That Stand Out on Social Media

Travel restrictions and the shutdowns of many wine regions have increased the importance of winery social media. We were proud to be profiled by Meaghan Webster for the Vintner Project as a winery whose social media work stands out. From her section on Tablas Creek:

Tablas Creek’s use of social media, especially on Instagram, is impressive for many reasons. They are incredibly responsive to comments and messages from their fans, which sounds simple but can be a severely lacking form of digital hospitality in the wine industry. They also employ an approachable, even cheeky tone at times, that contributes to the successful storytelling of their brand.

I Like This Grape: Paso Robles: 5 Must-Visit Wineries

In their guide to Paso Robles, the team at ILikeThisGrape recommends five wineries you shouldn't miss, including us. From their piece:

Paso Robles has become the premier Californian producer of Rhone varietals. Tablas Creek’s tireless effort to perfecting and demonstrating to their neighbors and the world how Rhone varietals can be expressed in Paso is truly admirable. Tucked away in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles, Tablas Creek provides an excellent opportunity to escape the potentially hectic nature of the major thoroughfare in Paso, the 46.

All the Wine at the Food & Wine Classic (including Tablas Creek) and How to Sip Along at Home

The Aspen Food & Wine Classic, like so many 2020 events, was canceled. But the organizers are hosting two virtual seminars, which anyone can join online on Thursday, July 23rd. One of these seminars, moderated by Anthony Giglio, will be investigating "Super Summer Sippers"... including our Patelin de Tablas Blanc. Even better... the famously exclusive in-person event is free to all online.

You can register for the event here, and buy the wines here.

NPR / KQED News California Report interviews Jason Haas on how we're working to reopen California's wine country safely

Our Jason Haas was a featured guest in this KQED News "California Report" segment on how Covid-19 and the statewide closures impacted the wine industry, and how we (and other California tasting rooms) are approaching reopening safely in a Covid environment. Take a listen to the extended California Report segment!

The interview got recut for a shorter piece that aired on NPR's All Things Considered on July 5th. You can listen to that too!