2020 Cinsaut
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The Tablas Creek Vineyard 2020 Cinsaut is our second varietal bottling of this rare Chateauneuf-du-Pape grape, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate.
Cinsaut is the fourth-most-planted grape in Chateauneuf du Pape, after Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. On its own it is valued for its juicy liveliness, its red fruit, its relatively gentle tannins, and its low alcohol.
Tasting Notes
A rich, exotic nose of ripe cherry, soy, forest floor, star anise, and chocolate. On the palate, flavors of cocoa powder, black plum, and smoky spice, with a creamy texture. This wine bridges the gap in mouthfeel between a ligher-bodied red like Counoise or Terret Noir and richer red grapes like Syrah or Mourvedre. The finish shows sweet earth and dark red fruit, kept in balance by a little tannic bite.
Technical Details
Appellation
- Adelaida District Paso Robles
Technical Notes
- 12.5% Alcohol by Volume
- 88 Cases Produced
Blend
- 100% Cinsaut
Recipes & Pairings
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Roast Pork Loin
- Veal
- Roasted Chicken
- Spicy Sausage
Production Notes
We expect, in the long term, to use Cinsaut in many of our red and rose blends. But it is also capable of making a delicious varietal wine, showcasing its lively fruit, spice and acidity. With just two barrels to work within this, our first vintage, we made the decision to bottle it on its own.
The 2020 vintage began benignly, with a cool spring that delayed budbreak to a little after normal and continued below-average temperatures through July. Beginning in August, the weather turned hot, accelerating ripening and producing intense flavors. The state's terrible fires stayed well north of us, and the harvest finished early, under a compressed timeline but in good conditions. The vintage shows concentrated flavors, noteworthy lushness, and lovely spice.
Our Cinsaut grapes were grown on our Regenerative Organic Certified™ and biodynamic estate vineyard.
The barrels were racked and blended in June 2021, then aged in neutral oak before being bottled under screwcap in February 2022.