2015 Counoise
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The 2015 Tablas Creek Vineyard Counoise is Tablas Creek’s sixth varietal bottling of this traditional blending grape from the Southern Rhone. The Counoise grape has an unusual combination of vibrant blue and purple fruit (blueberries and cranberries), sweet spice (nutmeg and cinnamon), light-to-medium body, bright acidity, ruby color, and soft tannin.
Tasting Notes
The 2015 Counoise shows a garnet hue, with a high-toned nose of pomegranate, shiso, red raspberry, mulling spices and orange peel. The mouth is tangy, medium-bodied, with cran-raspberry juiciness elevated further by brambly spice and refreshing acidity on the finish. Drink this wine now and for the next five years.
Technical Details
Appellation
- Adelaida District Paso Robles
Technical Notes
- 13.5% Alcohol by Volume
- 220 Cases Produced
Blend
- 100% Counoise
Recipes & Pairings
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Roast pork loin
- Veal
- Roasted Chicken
- Spicy sausages
Production Notes
Our Counoise grapes were grown on our certified organic estate vineyard. We typically use all this Counoise in our Esprit de Tablas and Côtes de Tablas wines. However, in years when Counoise spends an unusually long time on the vine, it achieves enough concentration to balance its exuberant fruit, spice and acidity.
The 2015 vintage saw dramatically reduced yields from the combined effects of four years of drought and cool, unsettled weather during May's flowering. Months alternated between significantly cooler than normal and significantly warmer than normal, which produced an early start to harvest but required multiple passes through most vineyard blocks during a long, drawn-out picking season. Yields were down as much as 50% in early-ripening grapes like Syrah, while later grapes like Mourvedre were only down slightly. The result was a vintage with excellent concentration but unusually good acids, and wines with dramatic aromas, texture, and intensity. Our Counoise was harvested between September 26th and October 14th.
The Counoise grapes were destemmed and fermented in closed-top stainless steel fermenters using only native yeasts. After two weeks, the grapes were is pressed and moved to small neutral French oak barrels, where the wine was aged until it was bottled in April 2017.