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2020 Dianthus Bottle

2020 Dianthus

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The Tablas Creek Vineyard Dianthus 2020 is a blend of three estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate. The blend incorporates the rosé traditions of the southern Rhône, taking its Mourvèdre foundation from the solid, dry rosés of Bandol and incorporating the structure of skin contact from the rich, juicy Grenache-based Tavel. Dianthus refers to a genus of flowering plants known for their deep pink blossoms and known colloquially to gardeners as "pinks".

Tasting Notes

A lovely orange-pink color. The nose shows powerful wild strawberry, mint, and pink peppercorn aromas. The palate shows lush texture, tangy yellow plum, and a powerful rose petal florality characteristic of Mourvedre rosés. It's luscious but also vibrant, with a hint of plum skin tannin keeping control over a finish with intense flavors of yellow raspberries, sweet herbs, and rose hips. A rosé to convert people who think that pink wines can't be serious. Drink before the end of 2022.

Technical Details

Appellation

  • Adelaida District Paso Robles

Technical Notes

  • 14.0% Alcohol by Volume
  • 1270 Cases Produced

Blend

  • 48% Mourvedre
  • 37% Grenache
  • 15% Counoise

Recipes & Pairings

Food Pairings

  • Salmon
  • Sushi
  • Anchovies
  • Sausages
  • Fried chicken
  • Mediterranean tapas

Production Notes

The core of our Dianthus comes from the oldest section of French-sourced vines at Tablas Creek. In 1994, two years after our French vines had been released from their USDA-mandated quarantine, we had propagated just enough to plant a few rows of each varietal on a hill overlooking our vine nursery. Over the next few years, we used cuttings from these plants to plant the rest of our vineyard. These few rows of high-quality vines ripen later than the rest of the vineyard, so we harvest the Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Counoise together and co-ferment them (on their skins) in a single stainless steel fermenter. After 48 hours, we draw about 800 gallons of juice off the blend, and ferment it dry away from the skins. These lots are then supplemented with saignées (bleedings) from other Mourvèdre and Grenache lots in the cellar.

The grapes for Dianthus were grown on our Regenerative Organic Certified™ and biodynamic estate vineyard.

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 good conditions. The vintage shows concentrated flavors and a distinctive savory, spicy character.

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