Grapes
There are dozens of grapes grown in France's Rhône Valley. 13 of these are approved in Châteauneuf du Pape, with another 8 approved in the Côtes du Rhône appellation. We chose initially to focus on 9 key varietals of the Southern Rhône for our Paso Robles estate vineyard: Mourvèdre, Syrah, Grenache, and Counoise for the reds, and Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Picpoul for the whites.
More recently, we have imported seven additional grape varieties, with the goal of having the complete Chateauneuf du Pape collection: Clairette, Bourboulenc, Vaccarese, Cinsaut, Picardan, Muscardin, and Terret Noir. You can read about each of these grapes below.
Red Grapes
Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre provides structure, backbone, and aging potential. It tastes of ripe plum and strawberry fruit, with animal flavors of red meat and mushrooms when young, and leather and truffles as it ages. Dark purple-black color.
Historically, Mourvèdre was the most widely planted grape in the Southern Rhône before Phylloxera decimated vineyards in the late 1800s. Replanting was slow, as rootstocks for Mourvèdre were developed only after World War II. Jacques Perrin of Chateau de Beaucastel led regeneration efforts.
Syrah
Syrah provides firm tannin and aromatics, as well as blackberry and currant fruit. It tastes of smoke, tar, and black pepper. Intense dark blue-black color.
Syrah is best known from the the Northern Rhône appellations of Hermitage and Côte-Rotie, where it produces wines of phenomenal elegance and longevity. It is tremendously flexible, and can be made in styles from elegant and restrained through to wines bursting with fruit, in locations as diverse as France, California, South Africa, and Australia (where it is known as Shiraz).
Grenache
Grenache (also known as Grenache Noir) provides fruit, tannin, and acidity. It tastes of currant, cherry, and raisin, with aromatic spice of black pepper, menthol, and licorice. Brilliant ruby red color.
Grenache is the most widely planted grape in the Rhône Valley. It is vigorous, and at high production makes wines that are simple, friendly and approachable. When production is restricted, Grenache can assume tremendous depth and longevity, yet can still open up tighter, more tannic varietals such as Syrah and Mourvèdre.
Counoise
Counoise tastes of blueberry and strawberry fruit with spice notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. It has fresh acidity, soft tannins and is a translucent purple-red color.
One of the lesser-known Châteauneuf du Pape varietals, Counoise's bright acids, brambly spice, soft tannins and low alcohol complement the more tannic, higher-alcohol grapes such as Syrah. On its own, it makes a delightful light red reminiscent of Gamay. Counoise was introduced into the United States by Tablas Creek, and recognized by the BATF in 2000.
Cinsaut
Cinsaut (often spelled Cinsault, and known by several other names around the Mediterranean) is a relatively new arrival at Tablas Creek, first planted in 2017. Its aromas of spicy raspberry, violet, and black tea, and flavors of tart cherry, redcurrant, and new leather make it a useful blending partner to higher-alcohol, more tannic red grapes, and it makes a delicious lighter red on its own. It is also a famously prized rosé grape.
Terret Noir
Terret Noir is an ancient grape from the Languedoc, but one whose footprint in Châteauneuf-du-Pape has declined to just 2 acres. We imported it in 2003 as a part of our quest to get all 13 traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties, and have been pleased to discover its combination of vibrant spiciness, pale color, low alcohol, and grippy structure.
Vaccarèse
Vaccarèse is an ancient grape from the south of France, but rare nowadays, with just 10 acres planted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and little more than that elsewhere. We imported it in 2003 as a part of our quest to get the full collection of traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties, and have been pleased with its dark color, herbal and floral aromatics, and lively acidity. It has been bottled on its own most years since 2019 and included in our Esprit de Tablas since its second vintage (2020).
Muscardin
Muscardin is a rare grape that appears never to have been very common, or found anywhere outside the Rhone. With only 27 acres planted in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape and even less in the rest of France, it represents one of the more obscure varieties. Imported in 2003 as a part of our quest to get the full collection of Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties, it was the last to be released from quarantine, in 2018, and grafted into the vineyard, in 2019. Its pale color, floral and pomegranate notes, and herby grip remind us of Terret Noir. We bottled it on its own for the first time in the 2023 vintage.
White Grapes
Roussanne
Roussanne provides golden color, rich texture, floral aromatics, flavors of honey and pear fruit, and excellent aging potential. With time, Roussannes gain caramel and hazelnut aromatics, making it one of the world's most ageworthy whites. Roussanne is notoriously difficult to grow, and has in much of the world been replaced with the more amenable Marsanne. But at Beaucastel, it makes one of the world's greatest whites, and it provides the foundation of our white wine program at Tablas Creek.
Roussanne's rich texture and notes of honey and white flowers make it appealing on its own as well as as a lead player in blends, while its structure helps even in small quantities.
Viognier
Viognier is highly aromatic, with a nose of peach, apricot, and citrus blossom. It has a rich mouthfeel with stone fruit and floral notes, low acid, and a spicy finish reminiscent of crystallized ginger.
Viognier is grown in the Northern Rhône valley, and reaches its peak in the appellations of Condrieu and Château Grillet. In California, it is by far the most-planted white Rhone grape, producing rich, tropical wines, and useful as a varietal bottling and as both a lead and supporting player in blends.
Grenache Blanc
Grenache Blanc has bright acidity, green apple and citrus flavors, rich texture, and white flower aromatics.
Grenache Blanc is the tenth most widely planted white grape in France, and the fastest-growing white Rhone in acreage in California. Its combination of good richness and crisp acids makes it a great blending component, brightening many of the lower-acid white Rhône grapes without thinning the mouthfeel. Tablas Creek was the first winery to import Grenache Blanc into the United States, and it was recognized by the BATF in 2003.
Marsanne
Marsanne tastes of melon and minerals, and has a golden straw color.
Marsanne is a flexible and adaptible grape found throughout the Rhône valley. It reaches its peak in the appellation of Hermitage in the Northern Rhône, where it is often blended with Roussanne. Its tendency to pick up mineral character from the soils makes it an important piece of many wines which wish to express the terroir of their site.
Picpoul
Picpoul (often known as Picpoul Blanc) gets its root from the french word piquer, “to sting”, a reference to its high acidity. In France, wines from Picpoul are celebrated for their bright acidity, minerality, and clean lemony flavor.
Picpoul has thrived in California since we brought it in. California's climate adds a tropical lushness to Picpoul's brightness -- reminiscent of Piña Colada -- that makes it both delicious on its own and an excellent blending component.
Clairette Blanche
Clairette Blanche (pronounced Kleh-RHEHT BLAHNSH) is a grape that was once one of the most widely planted white grapes in the south of France, and while acreage declined for decades, it is now seeing a resurgence because of its freshness, its ability to express minerality, and its capacity to thrive in warm climates.
We imported it in 2003 as a part of our quest to get the full collection of traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties, and have been excited by its freshness, its clean minerality, and the nutty richness it brings with time in bottle.
Picardan
Picardan is one of the rarest grapes in the world, with just over an acre planted in France as of 2010. So the half-acre that we planted at Tablas Creek increased the world's Picardan footprint by 40%!
We imported it in 2003 as a part of our quest to get the full collection of traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties. It has shown lovely brightness and minerality, and we have used it both as a varietal bottling and as a component in our estate blends.
Bourboulenc
Bourboulenc is an ancient white grape from the region surrounding Avignon, valued in France for its vigor, floral character and ability to maintain acids in warm climate. Our two-thirds of an acre, planted in 2016, was the first acreage outside its French homeland.
Bourboulenc's bright acids, rich texture, and nutty finish make it an appealing varietal bottling and we have found it valuable in our blends as well.
Non-Rhône Varietals
In addition to our Rhône varietals, we introduced both Tannat and Vermentino to California viticulture, and we maintain important footprints of both here on the Tablas Creek estate.
More information about these and other Rhône varietals can be found online. Two particularly good resources are the Rhône Rangers and the Hospice du Rhône.