Saturday, December 26, 2009

2007 Tablas Creek (Paso Robles) Esprit de Beaucastel

This one got 94 points from the Tanzer Int'l Wine Cellars's Josh Reynolds as well as 95-97 from Parker himself. I was able to snag some at a good price from Apex Beverage and couldn't wait any longer to taste it. It transported me on first sniff to the actual Beaucastel, and it turns out this winery is a joint venture between the Perrin family which runs the original Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape and a California family in Paso Robles (somewhere near Santa Barbara).

On the nose this is a bit closed but with coaxing you get a major whiff of red raspberry, with strawberry and blackberry components, unmistakably promising of the soft and deep grenache fruit. I read that this is actually 44% mourvedre and 29% grenache (21% syrah) and it might be the first time I've had such a heavily mourvedre-driven wine. Nonetheless, this one has sweet tannins that you wouldn't notice unless you concentrated on the finish, but they are there in abundance, a good thing since there is very ripe fruit here from the great 2007 Calif vintage and this will give the wine longevity and potential to develop more bouquet. With more air i'm getting some subtle minty herb lavender spice component, Parker might say Provencal herbs, on a very long finish that provides the acid and tannin backbone to complement the fruit. This is truly one that drinks great right now, silky and sweet, but will improve. I'd have to agree with the 95 points and with the promise of possibly better--in a couple years it could go higher. I'd give it 2010-2022 drinking window. The finish is very long and voluptuous, and on the palate right now you have a totally hedonistic pleasure. Below is some info on Tablas Creek followed by the Parker and IWC reviews. Given that the Beaucastel itself costs $110 and up, this wine is a great bargain @ about $45-60.

pumped of oxygen and tasted 3 days later (12/29) it was good but the acid was up too high. It didn't, in other words, live up to the improving curve of the Chrysaeia or the Montiano, though on the initial day it was better than either.

The Beaucastel Model at Tablas Creek Vineyard
Tablas Creek Farms Organically
The Rhone in Paso Robles
Tablas Creek Vineyard was founded by the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and Robert Haas, longtime importer and founder of Vineyard Brands. They chose the hilly Las Tablas district of west Paso Robles for its similarities to Châteauneuf du Pape: limestone soils, a favorable climate, and rugged terrain.
Vines Imported from France
The partners imported the traditional varietals grown on the Perrins' celebrated estate, including Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Counoise for reds, and Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc for whites. These imported vines passed a rigorous 3-year USDA testing program, and are propagated and grafted in an on-site nursery. All Tablas Creek wines are estate grown and organically farmed on ourvineyard.
Minimum Intervention in Winemaking
Tablas Creek follows the centuries-old Châteauneuf du Pape tradition of blending chosen varietals, which produces wines that are more complex, better balanced, and richer than single varietal wines. Each varietal is hand-harvested when completely ripe and fermented separately. Winemaking, including native yeast fermentation and neutral French oak barrels, preserves the wines' ties to their soil, climate, and varietal character.
Wines: Esprit de Beaucastel
The signature red Esprit de Beaucastel is a richly intense wine, with aromatics of roasted meats, licorice and currants, and flavors of ripe cherries, blackberries, leather, earth and spice, held together in a velvety tannic structure.

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Parker 95-97 pts
The profound 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel (a 4,200-case blend of 44% Mourvedre, 29% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and 6% Counoise) boasts a glorious perfume of roasted herbs, Peking duck, soy, blueberries, blackberries, and bouquet garni. This elegant yet powerful, dense, multilayered wine saturates the palate, possesses multiple dimensions, beautiful nuances, and a stunningly long finish that lasts over 40 seconds. It should provide plenty of pleasure over the next 10-15 years. This Paso Robles outpost is owned by two Francophiles, Frenchman Francois Perrin (one of the owners of the Rhone Valley's Chateau Beaucastel) and Robert Haas (founder of the import company Vineyard Brands, and a pioneer importer of estate-bottled French wines). Seeking out steep limestone ridges near the Pacific Ocean, Tablas Creek was a work in progress for its first four to five years, but it has come on like gang-busters in the 21st century. The 2007s are unquestionably their finest wines to date, but readers should not overlook the excellent 2006s.

Reynolds IWC 94
y Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Nov/Dec 09
($50; 44% mourvedre, 29% grenache, 21% syrah and 6% counoise) Vivid red. Impressively complex bouquet melds raspberry, cherry pit, cassis and incense, with smoky Indian spice and herbal qualities adding complexity. Rich, palate-coating red and dark berry preserve flavors verge on decadent but are nicely framed by velvety tannins. A sweet floral note come up with air and carries through the strikingly long, juicy and spicy finish. I'd serve this powerful, deeply fruity wine with braised lamb.

94 WS:
Rich, dry and full-bodied, with loamy earth, dried berry, mineral, anise and black licorice flavors that run deep and persistent, layered and concentrated, ending with a long, tight finish. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise. Drink now through 2017. 4,200 cases made. –JL

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