I have purchased, consumed, and written about Tablas Creek Vineyard wines for many years (to read an earlier article with the background history on Tablas Creek Vineyard including the amazing story of how it came into existence click here).

Without question Tablas Creek Vineyard is making some of the very best and most consistent wines in California that also rank with some of the best wines in the world. If you know the wines this will come as no surprise. If you do not know the wines then what are you waiting for? The new spring releases are stunning and my notes follow. The new fall releases will follow later and I will taste them and publish notes on them in an upcoming article. The final decision has not yet been made on fall releases but it will focus on blends: 2020 Esprit de Tablas and 2020 Esprit de Tablas Blanc, 2021 Patelin de Tablas and 2021 Patelin de Tablas Blanc, 2021 Cotes de Tablas Blanc, and likely a varietal wine or two. Perhaps 2021 Grenache Blanc or 2020 Mourvedre? But be sure to get these new spring releases now while they are available and then watch for the new wine releases. You will be very glad you did! They are great wines at great prices which is a win/win! (To join the wine club and assure access to their wines click here)

 

The spring 2022 releases from Tablas Creek Vineyard include the newest vintage of their two rosés (the Grenache-based Patelin de Tablas Rosé and the Mourvedre-based Dianthus), two varietal whites in contrasting styles (the zesty, citrusy 2021 Vermentino and the rich 2020 Roussanne), and the newest vintages of two red Rhône-style blends (the Syrah-based 2020 Patelin de Tablas and the Grenache-based 2020 Côtes de Tablas). All the wines except the two Patelin de Tablas wines (which are sourced from other Paso Robles Rhône specialist vineyards, most planted with cuttings from the Tablas Creek nursery) are entirely grown on Tablas Creek’s estate, the first vineyard in the world to receive Regenerative Organic Certification in August 2020. And, make no mistake, these wines are very special! My notes on these wines are shown below.

ROSÉ

2021 Dianthus
Consistently this is one of the very best rosés I taste every year. And I am just now finishing my tastings of a very large number of 2021 Rosés and some 2020 Rosés and I can say that it is no surprise that this is the case again this year. The wine is Mourvedre-based and has the characteristic depth and richness. It is deep orange red in color with a faint golden hue and on the palate it shows intensity and raspberry and cherry fruit accented by a floral tinge followed by a long lasting finish – Extraordinary.   $35   900 cases produced

2021 Patelin de Tablas Rosé
This rosé is Grenache based and is more delicate than the Dianthus but brimming with lovely delicate fruit flavors. The color is pale golden pink and the wine has a lovely floral perfume with hints of peach and a tinge of citrus. On the palate it shows great balance and is finesseful and flavorful with hints of peach and citrus with a faint apricot nuance and nice finish – Outstanding Plus.    $28    3150 cases produced

 

WHITE WINE

2021 Vermentino
Very pale yellow in color this wine has a lovely floral citrus tinged perfume with a kiss of spice. On the palate it has very pure and delicate citrus tinged fruit with a very subtle spiciness and is bright and crisp on the finish – Outstanding Plus.   $30   570 cases produced

2020 Rousanne
Light yellow in color this wine has a great perfume showing exotic pineapple nuances with a faint floral tinge. On the palate it has great intensity, fruit, balance and flavor with floral citrus and pineapple nuances and a long finish – Extraordinary.    $40   940 cases produced

RED WINE

2020 Patelin de Tablas
Made with 36% Syrah, 34% Grenache, 9% Mouvedre, 8% Tannat, and 3% Counoise this wine has a deep red color and a great floral cherry and plum perfume with a faint spice nuance. On the palate it is deep and rich with layers of cherry and plum fruit accented by a tinge of spice and is impeccably balanced with a long lasting finish. This is a great wine by any standard and is a great value. Moreover, while delicious to drink now, it will evolve over many years into the future and become a cellar treasure – Extraordinary.     $28     1830 cases produced

2020 Cotes de Tablas
Made with 43% Grenache, 33% Syrah, 19% Counoise,  and 5% Mouvedre this wine has a deep color and a lovely cassis perfume with floral undertones. On the palate it has richness and depth with layers of plum and cassis fruit showing faint exotic floral nunaces with cedar and spice accents. With a long lasting finish this is another great wine that is also delicious to drink now but will also  evolve over many years into the future and become a cellar treasure – Extraordinary.   $40   900 cases produced