Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2015

Tablas Creek Vineyard was founded in 1989. Robert Haas of Vineyard Brands and Jean-Pierre Perrin of Château de Beaucastel conceived the project while traveling through California visiting many of the region’s early pioneers in the 1970s. The wine scene in California was very different at the time, with more focus on Burgundian varieties. The Perrin and Haas families were convinced that California’s Mediterranean climate could produce great Rhône-inspired wines, but they would need to find the perfect location to do so—one with high-calcium soils, a long growing season and moderate nighttime temperatures. The search lasted four years, from 1985 to 1989. The Perrins ultimately settled on the western reaches of Paso Robles, just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean in what is now the Adelaida District.

The 2015 vintage saw dramatically reduced yields from the combined effects of four years of drought and cool, unsettled weather during May’s flowering. Months alternated between significantly cooler than normal and significantly warmer than normal, which produced an early start to harvest but required multiple passes through most vineyard blocks during a long, drawn-out picking season. Yields were down as much as 50% in early-ripening grapes like Viognier, while later grapes like Roussanne were only down slightly. The result was a vintage with excellent concentration but unusually good acids, and wines with dramatic perfume, texture, and intensity. Our Viognier was harvested between August 26th and September 22nd, Grenache Blanc between September 11th and October 2nd, Marsanne on September 2nd and October 5th, and Roussanne between September 15th and October 28th.

All varietals for the Côtes de Tablas Blanc were whole cluster pressed, and fermented in stainless steel to emphasize their clean crisp flavors and preserve their aromatics. Only native yeasts were used. After fermentation, the wines were racked and blended, and bottled in June 2016. The wine underwent only a light cold stabilization before bottling.

91 points -Editors’ Choice; “both lush and light…and intriguingly savory”:

Wine Enthusiast (Dec. 2016)

91 points; “very good energy, clarity and persistence”:

Josh Raynolds, Vinous (Sep. 2016)

Rich, pungent, full bodied and dense, with excellent acids and very good length:

Gang of Pour (Sep. 2016)