Tablas Creek Wine: Bringing the Rhone Tradition to America

Jason Haas of Tablas Creek Vineyards presented some wonderful wines at a class on wine blending at the Society of Wine Educators annual meeting this past summer–and all of them are worth procuring. The seminar focused on blending wines because Tablas focuses the Rhone-style wine blends, which Tablas maintains makes for wonderfully complex and delicious wines. Indeed, the wines they produce certainly fulfill that promise.

Tablas Creek winery is a partnership between the owners–Pierre and Jacques Perrin–of the France’s Rhone Valley-based Château de Beaucastel–and U.S. wine importer and founder of Vineyard Brands, Robert Haas.

Many great wines made in new-world regions are the products of similar partnerships between renowned winemakers from the old world and new. The result is many fine, new world wines that have the advantage of tradition, history, and knowledge of some of the world’s greatest wine houses.

Among the most famous of these in the U.S. is Opus One, which is a partnership between California’s Robert Mondavi and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild from Bordeaux, France. The Examiner also reviewed wines from Artesa Winery, which is a division of Codorníu, another old-world wine company. Located in Spain, Codorníu is responsible for coining the name of “cava,” which refers to Spanish sparking wine made using “méthode Champenoise.”

California because its soils and climate are similar to those at the Chateau de Beaucastle, which is located in France’s Southern Rhone Valley in the area of Chateauneuf du Pape. Not surprisingly, Tablas is making some terrific Rhone-style wines with Rhone varietals: Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc. They also grow a lesser-known red Rhone grape called Counoise, which is quite unique.

Their signature white wine blend is the Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, a white wine made with Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul Blanc grapes. It has earned high ratings from wine experts–Robert Parker (91 points) and Stephen Tanzer (92-94). It is also recommended by Charlie Palmer Steakhouse’s Sommelier Nadine Brown, who is featured in the July issue of the Sommelier Journal. You can enjoy a bottle of this wine for $51 here in DC with your meal at Charlie Palmer’s.

Tablas’s signature red wine is the Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel. The 2006 vintage is made with 45 percent Mourvedre; 28 percent Grenache; 22 percent Syrah; 5 percent Counoise. It rates 93 points by the Wine Spectator, 91-93 points by Robert Parker, and 93 points by Stephen Tanzer.  The 2006 Tablas Creek Vineyard Mourvedre is made with 90 percent Mourvedre and 10 percent Syrah, it rates 90 with the Wine Spectator. Also, keep your eye out for the 2007, which Tablas Creek owners say it the best vintage for this wine yet. Also delicious is Tablas Creek Vineyard Syrah, made with 90 percent Syrah and ten percent Grenache. It retails there for $35-$40.