Tablas Creek is the realization of the combined efforts of two of the international wine community’s leading families: the Perrin family, proprietors of Château de Beaucastel, and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. Equally owned and run by the two families, the partnership begun in 1987 remains today as ever, even as the next generation of Haases and Perrins have stepped into leadership roles over recent decades.
The partners searched California from the foothills of the Sierras in the north to coastal Ventura County in the south, looking for a close match to the Mediterranean climate and high pH soils of Château de Beaucastel. In 1989, they purchased 120-acre parcel twelve miles from the Pacific Ocean in what is now the Adelaida District west of Paso Robles. The Tablas Creek Esprit De Tablas is a solid red from Paso Robles. The Rhone Valley inspiration is present in this wine. A blend of 39% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 10% Counoise. The color is deep glistening ruby with purple edges. The aromas begin with a whiff of perfume, baking spice, ripe plum, forest floor, and licorice. The palate fills your mouth with flavors of black cherry, chocolate, spices, and minerality. The tannins and acidity are nicely integrated and balanced through to an energetic long finish with lingering flavor of spice and minerality. You can drink it now but with patience and 5 – 10 years in the cellar, the Tablas Creek Esprit De Tablas will reveal more complexity and balance.