The New Rhône

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Norm January 2004 Roby The new Rhône ROM the start, information about Tablas Creek Vineyard, the California project of the Perrins of Château de Beaucastel and importer Robert Haas, dribbled out in bits and pieces. But the winery Fhas everything in place now and has been showing its entire line of wines. The whites and reds are equally impressive. Based in Paso Robles, Tablas Creek was founded in 1994. The belief was that the hilly vineyard site had chalky, clay soils that were as close to Châteauneuf-du-Pape as can be found in California. The owners decided early on to import their vines from Beaucastel, and once all 13 Rhône varietals were established, it became obvious that Tablas Creek was doing things its own way, farming organically with hand hoeing and cover crops used for weed control. The top red and white wines from the estate are named ‘Esprit de Beaucastel’ and the next level is the Cotes de Tablas red and white. Both red blends contain slightly more Mourvèdre than Syrah or Grenache. Another surprise is the high percentage (14%) of Counoise, an unknown variety here, in the winery’s Esprit red. The 2000 Esprit red is an exciting addition to the wine scene. Displaying red cherry and currant aromas, this red also reveals a touch of the leathery-animal side of Rhône wines that others are shying away from. One of the unfortunate trends is the New World move toward a fruitier, jammy style of red Rhône blends. The whites are also atypical. The 2001 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc is round, spicy and lively, with no oak in view. Containing 44% Roussanne, 22% Viognier, and roughly equal parts of Grenache Blanc and Marsanne, it was fermented by the native yeast. Fruitier and simpler in style, the 2002 Cotes de Tablas Blanc merges Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc with a splash of Roussanne. But the most exciting white is the Tablas Creek 2002 Roussanne, a rich, finely scented wine with wonderful flavours and balance. Roussanne was pushed aside in favour of Viognier in California. At Tablas Creek, it appears to have emerged as the noble white Rhône grape. We can only hope once the word spreads that Roussanne will be given another look by other winemakers. Norm Roby is co-author of the best-selling New Connoisseur’s Handbook of Californian Wine (Knopff)..

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Côtes De Tablas 2005 Tablas Creek Vineyard
T ABLAS CREEK VINEYARD CÔTES CDEÔTES TABLAS DE TABLAS BLAN 2005C 2012 The Tablas Creek Vineyard Côtes de Tablas is a blend of four estate-grownThe Tablas Rhône Creek varietals: Vineyard Grenache, 2012 Syrah, Côtes Counoise de andTablas Mourvedre. Blanc Like is most a blend wines ofof thefour Southern estate-grown Rhône, it is a blendwhite of Rhônevarietals, varietals.featuring the The fruitiness wine, of Grenachelike most bal- anced by the spice and structure of Syrah, with meaty, earthy noteswines from ofMourvedre the Southern and Counoise. Rhône, is a blend of varietals, featuring the floral aromatics and Thestone 2005 vintagefruit of was Viognier, one of nature’s the crisp lucky acids breaks, and with rich excel- lentmouthfeel quality and of higher-than-normal Grenache Blanc, yields. and Thethe summerstructure was uniformlyand minerality sunny but relativelyof Marsanne cool, and and harvest Roussanne. began (rela- tively late for us) in the 3rd week of September. The grapes spentThe nearly grapes a month for our longer Côtes than de normal Tablas on Blanc the vine, were and thegrown resulting on wines our 120-acrewere intensely certified mineral, organic with good estate struc- turevineyard. and powerful The aromatics. 2012 vintage Our ﬁ rstwas lots a ofclassic Syrah Pasocame in on RoblesSeptember vintage, 29th, followed warm by and Grenache sunny, on butOctober with 5th, Mourvedreabove-average on October yields 11th, thanksand (unusually to average for us, winter our last varietal harvested) Counoise on October 28th. rainfall and the frost-reduced 2011 crop. Despite All thevarietals warm were summer, fermented ripening in stainless was slowedsteel with due the to use of nativethe healthy yeasts: crop the Syrah levels, in open-topand harvest fermenters, at a normal punched downtime manually, starting and in early the otherSeptember varietals and in closedfinishing fermen- in terslate with October.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard by Josh Raynolds
November/December 2013 Tablas Creek Vineyard By Josh Raynolds “Jason Haas told me that his family and the Perrins have now eliminated references to Château de Beaucastel from all of the Tablas Creek wines (the last to go was the Esprit de Beaucastel, which is now called Esprit de Tablas) because ‘the winery can by now stand on its own merit and successes without leaning on the Beaucastel name. We’re proud of being a leader in Paso and want everything we do to reflect that.’ As we tasted through this year’s set of releases, Haas commented that while the estate ‘has built its reputation on mourvèdre, in the cooler vintages, meaning lately, we lean much more heavily on grenache,’ which ripens earlier. In addition, grenache makes wines that are much more accessible and popular with the overwhelming majority of visitors that this popular destination regularly hosts. Indeed, on the Friday afternoon I visited here in September there were upwards of five dozen customers milling around the new tasting rooms and out on the patios, and they were buying. 2011 Tablas Creek Vineyard Roussanne Paso Robles 91 Light yellow-gold. Fresh peach and yellow plum on the floral-inflected nose. Fleshy and broad, offering intense pit fruit flavors and a bracing note of bitter lemon zest. Becomes spicier with air and finishes with lingering ginger, chamomile and citrus pith qualities. A powerful, lively, complex wine. Aged in a combination of foudres, puncheons and barriques. 2011 Tabls Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas Blanc Paso Robles 92 (64% roussanne, 26% grenache blanc and 10% picpoul): Pale gold.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard Newsletter for April 2003
The VINformer Vol. 2, No. 2 April 2003 State of the Vineyard The vineyard is now well out of dormancy, and the nursery is in full swing grafting and raising young vines for ourselves and for the other vineyards that placed orders with us. The winter did an excellent job of replen- ishing ground water, with several large storms in November and December, and another batch in late February. January and early February were so warm that we were worried the vines would start budding out by early March. The return of cold tem- peratures (several nights in a row below freezing), clouds, and rain later in March put us back on target for a normal April bud break. Last year we left a couple of long “kicker” canes on each pruned vine and we contin- ued that practice this season. These long canes sprout first and delay the sprouting of the true fruiting canes which produce the desired eight to twelve bunches per vine at harvest. When the danger of frost has passed, we will prune off the long canes. In general, keeping the long canes on the vine delays bud break by about 2 weeks... a crucial period if we want to avoid spring frosts. The other technique we’re using to protect us from spring frosts is the installation of frost-prevention fans, a technique first developed in Uruguay. We’re the first vineyard in California to try them, and others are eagerly tracking our progress to see how the fans work. The See VINEYARD on page 3 Tablas Creek Open for Wine 101: Calcium in Viticulture Tours and Tasting The “Got Milk?” campaign has ensured that everyone knows that calcium builds healthy Summer hours are here at the bones for humans, but did you know it also contributes to healthy grapevines? It has tasting room! We are now open long been recognized that great wine regions such as Burgundy and the Rhône and Loire daily from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, valleys are planted in limestone, but scientific studies demonstrating how the soil influ- with tours offered at 10:30 and ences the wines have only come to light recently.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard Movement
Tablas Creek is a pioneer of California’s Rhône Tablas Creek Vineyard movement. Founded in 1989, it is the culmination of a friendship between two of the international wine October 2020 community’s leading families dating back to 1967: the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. After a four-year search, the partners chose Paso Robles, California for its many similarities to the Southern Rhone and began the lengthy process of importing vine cuttings, building a grapevine nursery, and creating an estate vineyard from the ground up. Today, the vineyards at Tablas Creek are proudly Biodynamic® and organic certified by Demeter USA. These selections revolve around a historic adventure involving people, places, and 17 Chateauneuf du Pape Patelin de Patelin de grape varietals all within a regenerative ecosystem. Tablas Blanc Patelin de Tablas Red Tablas Rose for customers of ANDOVER | BLAINE | WOODBURY | ST. LOUIS PARK | ROSEVILLE | PLYMOUTH Place Matters Tablas Creek’s limestone-rich 120-acre organic estate vineyard is located in the heart of the Adelaida District, in the hills north and west of Paso Robles, about 11 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Its viticulture practices emphasize quality through dry-farming and moderate crop levels. They farm organically, have been certified organic since Map, 2003. Their organic vineyard practices follow the lead of the Beaucastel estate in Chateauneuf du Pape. Like Vineyard Beaucastel, they use no chemical herbicides, pesticides, or Images fertilizers in the vineyard. Cover crops minimize erosion, host beneficial insects, and return nitrogen to the soil. Composting keeps soil fertility up, while compost tea controls mildew in the vineyard and reduces their need for sulfur.
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Esprit De Beaucastel Blanc 2004
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Flavors Show Very Good Depth and Back-End Lift, Picking up Dusty Minerality with Air
NOV/DEC 12 Tablas Creek Vineyard By Josh Raynolds Beginning with the 2011 vintage there will be no more references to Beaucastel on any of the Tablas Creek labels as the Perrins and the Haas family, the two partners in this venture, believe that the winery can and should stand on its own merit and that the Beaucastel association was no longer a necessity. Winemaker Neil Collins, who is a former chef, told me that he continues to be excited by working with counoise, which is now a component of four of the five blended red wines here, "because it has a softening and civilizing effect and tones down the bullies, like having a woman working in a restaurant kitchen. It keeps things in line." 2011 Tablas Creek Vineyard Vermentino Paso Robles ($27) Pale, green-tinged straw. Stony citrus and green apple aromas, with complicating jasmine and herbal notes adding pungency. Brisk and minerally on the palate, showing good depth and a refreshingly bitter edge to its racy lime and lemon zest flavors. Finishes clean and bright. 89 2011 Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas Blanc Paso Robles ($20) (45% grenache blanc, 34% viognier, 18% roussanne and 3% marsanne; all stainless steel): Bright straw. High-pitched aromas of lime zest and lemongrass, with a deeper note of fig building in the glass. Dry, tightly wound flavors of tangy citrus fruits, white flowers and herbs accented by spices. Closes dry and long, leaving mineral and white pepper notes behind. 90 2011 Tablas Creek Vineyard Marsanne Paso Robles ($30) (all stainless steel): Greenish yellow.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard Newsletter: December 2008
The VINformer Vol. 7, No. 4 December 2008 Harvest Report Recent Press Despite late spring frosts, shatter during fl owering, weeks of smoky weather from Mon- Tablas Creek has been the recipient of terey County forest fi res, a heat spike in August, an unusual early October freeze, and quite a bit of positive press in the past rain at the end of October, we are encouraged by the wines in the cellar, and are surpris- few months. Robert Parker, in his annual ingly positive about the vintage’s prospects. Th e 2008 harvest, completed on October review of California Rhone wines in the 30, was more challenging than most. Our yields were well below average, but slightly June 2008 Wine Advocate, gave Tablas higher than in 2007, as higher yields on most white varietals balanced declines in most Creek great reviews: 92-94 for the 2007 red varietals. We brought in a total of 262 tons, 145 of which were red and 117 which Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, 91-94 for the 2006 were white. Panoplie, and 91-93 for the 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel. Parker also named the “excep- Harvest began with Viognier, as usual, on September 3 and ended with Mourvèdre tional” 2005 Cotes de Tablas (91 points, in on October 30. After a hot stretch in late August and the fi rst few days of September Business Week) as one of the fi fteen best caused several varietals to race towards ripeness simultaneously, the beginning of har- California wines under $25, hailing its vest saw more moderate temperatures and a slower harvest pace.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard
Tablas Creek Vineyard Closing Date 6-30-08 Issue177 Tablas Creek 2007 Antithesis (Chardonnay) White (91-94) Tablas Creek 2006 Côtes de Tablas Red 89 Tablas Creek 2005 Côtes de Tablas Red 91 Tablas Creek 2005 Mourvèdre Red 88+ Tablas Creek 2007 Côtes de Tablas Blanc White (88-90) Tablas Creek 2006 Panoplie Red (91-94) Tablas Creek 2006 Côtes de Tablas Blanc White 90 Tablas Creek 2005 Panoplie Red 95 Tablas Creek 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel Red (91-93) Tablas Creek 2007 Roussanne White (91-93) Tablas Creek 2005 Esprit de Beaucastel Red 92 Tablas Creek 2006 Roussanne White 90 Tablas Creek 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc White (92-94) Tablas Creek 2006 Syrah Red (89-91) Tablas Creek 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc White 91 Tablas Creek 2005 Syrah Red 87 Tablas Creek 2006 Grenache Red 88 Tablas Creek 2007 Vermentino White 90 Tablas Creek 2007 Grenache Blanc White (87-88) Tablas Creek 2006 Vin de Paille Sweet Dessert 92 Tablas Creek 2006 Grenache Blanc White 88 Tablas Creek 2006 Vin de Paille Quintessence Sweet Dessert (95-98) Tablas Creek 2006 Mourvèdre Red 90 Tablas Creek 2005 Vin de Paille Sacre Rouge Red Dessert 90 “Readers would be hard pressed to find more French-like wines in the Paso Robles to full-bodied wine displaying beautiful purity, fruit, and depth. Drink it over the next corridor than those produced by Tablas Creek. This is a partnership between renowned 5-6 years. 2005 Esprit de Beaucastel is a 3,500-case blend of 44% Mourvèdre, 26% importer Robert Haas (Vineyard Brands), one of the pioneers of estate-bottled French Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Counoise.
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Dry Farming Techniques Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, CA
www.ca!.org Dry Farming Techniques Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, CA 7DEODV&UHHN9LQH\DUG3DVR5REOHV&$9LHZIURP6FUXII\+LOO In 1950, Robert Haas, a future co-owner of Tablas Creek Vineyard, began working for his family as a wine importer and merchant LQ0DQKDWWDQ$VKHWUDYHOHGH[WHQVLYHO\WKURXJK(XURSH¿QGLQJZLQHVWRLPSRUWLQWRWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVKHPHWWKH3HUULQIDPLO\ of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône, France. Robert Haas loved their wines; he began importing the wine and, with that, a last- ing friendship between the two families was started. 'HFDGHVODWHULQWKH3HUULQDQG+DDVIDPLOLHVIRUPDOO\HQWHUHGDSDUWQHUVKLSWKH\ZDQWHGWRVWDUWDQHZYLQH\DUGDQGZLQHU\ LQ&DOLIRUQLD)RU\HDUVWKHIDPLOLHVVHDUFKHGIRUDSURSHUW\WRGHYHORSWKHLU&KkWHDXQHXIGX3DSHVW\OHYLQH\DUG,QWKH\ SXUFKDVHGDFUHVLQ3DVR5REOHV,WZDVDSLHFHRIODQGZLWKDUXJJHGWHUUDLQOLPHVWRQHDQGFOD\VRLOVDQGDKRWFOLPDWH7KH\ named it Tablas Creek Vineyard, after the creek running through the property. )URPWKHEHJLQQLQJDSULPHJRDORI7DEODV&UHHNKDVEHHQWRSURGXFHZLQHVWKDWUHÀHFWWKHFKDUDFWHULVWLFVRIWKHYLQH\DUGVLWH Robert Haas has always supported natural winemaking, minimal intervention, and organic viticulture. But more than that, Jason Haas, the general manager and Robert’s son, indicates that dry farming is a large part of this goal, as it is key for producing wines of place and character. Jason writes in his blog that dry farming may well contribute to the lower alcohol, balance, and intensity RIWKHLUZLQHV$QGRIFRXUVHLQ&KkWHDXQHXIGX3DSHLUULJDWLRQLVSURKLELWHG)RUWKHVHUHDVRQV-DVRQVD\VWKDWLWZDVDOZD\V intended that Tablas Creek would
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