2012 Esprit de Tablas
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The Tablas Creek Vineyard 2012 Esprit de Tablas is a blend of four estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate. The wine is based on the dark red fruit, earth, spice and mid-palate richness of Mourvèdre, with additions of Grenache for forward fruit, approachability and lushness, Syrah for mineral, aromatics, and back-palate tannins, and Counoise for brambly spice and acidity.
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95 points; "Beautiful and complex with a gorgeous purity of red fruit character": Owen Bargreen (Feb. 2024)
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17/20; "mixed black fruits with dusty earth accents": Jancis Robinson (Feb. 2016)
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93-95 points; "broad, expansive personality...compelling": Antonio Galloni (July 2014)
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92-93 points; "concentrated and juicy but lively as well": Tanzer's I.W.C (Dec. 2013)
Tasting Notes
The nose is winey and serious, with aromas of blackberry, mint chocolate, aged balsamic, Worcestershire and red licorice. The palate is long and complex, with flavors of black raspberry, plum compote and leather, and Mourvedre's signature flavors of cassis, black tea and roasted meat. The wine's tannins come out on the long finish. We recommend that you hold the 2012 Esprit for a few months, then drink either between 2015 and 2018 or 2020-2040.
Updated tasting notes from a July 2020 tasting can be found on the Tablas Creek blog.
Technical Details
Appellation
- Paso Robles
Technical Notes
- 14.5% Alcohol
- 4600 Cases Produced
Blend
- 40% Mourvedre
- 30% Syrah
- 21% Grenache
- 9% Counoise
Recipes & Pairings
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Game
- Dark Fowl (i.e., duck)
- Richly flavored stews
- Lamb
- Asian preparation of red meats (i.e., beef stir fry)
Production Notes
*Curious about the new name of our signature blends? Please read about this change on our blog post.
The 2012 vintage was a classic Paso Robles vintage, warm and sunny, but with above-average yields thanks to average winter rainfall and the frost-reduced 2011 crop. Despite the warm summer, ripening was slowed due to the healthy crop levels, and harvest at a normal time starting in early September and finishing in late October. Syrah harvest began September 10th, followed by Grenache on September 21st, Mourvèdre on September 26th and Counoise on October 5th. The last pick of all four grapes came October 30th.
The grapes for our Esprit de Tablas were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.
The grapes were fermented using native yeasts in open and closed stainless steel fermenters. After pressing, the wines were moved into barrel, blended, and aged in 1200-gallon French oak foudres before being bottled in July 2014.