Notes From the Winemaker:
The Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel 2009 is a blend of four estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate. The wine is based on the dark red fruit, earth, spice and mid-palate richness of Mourvedre, with additions of Grenache for forward fruit, approachability and lushness, Syrah for mineral, aromatics, and back-palate tannins, and Counoise for brambly spice and acidity.
The 2009 vintage was our third consecutive drought year, with yields further reduced by April frosts. Berries and clusters were small, with excellent concentration. Ripening over the summer was gradual and our harvest largely complete except for about half our Mourvedre at the time of a major rainstorm on October 13th. Crop sizes were 15% smaller than 2008 and 30% lower than usual. The low yields and gradual ripening resulted in wines with an appealing lushness, rich texture and wonderful chalky tannins. Syrah began the harvest of our reds between September 17th and 24th, followed by Grenache between September 26th and October 3rd, Counoise between October 10th and 12th, and Mourvedre between September 30th and November 3rd.
The grapes for our Esprit de Beaucastel were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.
The grapes were fermented using native yeasts in open and closed stainless steel fermenters. After pressing, the wines were moved into barrel, blended, and aged in 1200-gallon French oak foudres before being bottled in July 2011.
What Does It Taste Like?
The 2009 Esprit de Beaucastel shows a deep, spicy nose with dark fruit, crushed rock, cocoa and licorice. The palate shows blackberry, black raspberry, and currant fruit highlighted by a persistent minerality, lush texture and substantial but fine-grained tannins. The power of the tannins and the concentration of the wine suggest that it will benefit from short- to mid-term cellaring, and drink well for two decades or more.
Ratings & Reviews
91-94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2009 Esprit de Beaucastel, tasted from foudre, is very, very young. The wine literally explodes on the palate with a rush of dark fruit enshrouded within a wall of muscular tannin. The 2009 is a dark inward Esprit that will require patience, but when the wine opens up it will be a jewel. Actually, it already is. In 2009 the blend is 40% Mourvedre, 28% Syrah, 27% Grenache and 5% Counoise. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024.
Tablas Creek was founded as a partnership between Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Robert Haas, owner of Beaucastel’s US importer, Vineyard Brands. Tablas Creek is one of the pioneers for Rhone varieties in Paso Robles, not just for the quality of the wines, but just as importantly for creating a nursery of clones from Beaucastel cuttings that are now used widely throughout the region. The estate currently has about 105 acres under vine. Tablas Creek works with indigenous yeasts and favors large, neutral oak barrels and casks for aging. Vintage 2009 was the third in a series of drought years for the estate, which along with a severe spring frost reduced yields dramatically to less than 1.85 tons per acre. The wines, though, are striking. Vintage 2010 could not have been more different. There was no spring frost. Instead the estate received a whopping 44 inches of rain. A cold summer led to a late harvest that started during the second half of October and lasted until early November. Readers will find a broad range of compelling bottles across all price ranges. As an aside, Tablas Creek is one of the highest-quality estates in California that has the facilities and capacity to receive visitors." - Antonio Galloni (Aug 2011)
93 Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar ('08 Vintage):
"
Bright red. Enticing aromas of raspberry, potpourri, licorice and fresh
herbs. Lush, broad and sweet but structured, with an exotic candied
fruit quality giving this dense, well-constituted wine plenty of early
sex appeal. Finishes sweet and spicy, with a fine dusting of tannins and
outstanding length. This is already delicious but has the balance to
age." - Josh Raynolds (Nov/Dec '10)
93 Points - The Rhone Report ('08 Vintage):
"Slightly deceiving at first with a relatively light profile, the 2008 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel, a blend of 38% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 26% Syrah, and 6% Counoise, fleshes out beautifully with about an hour of air. It exhibits a downright Provençal nose of spiced red berries, pepper, garrigue and a touch of licorice and dried flowers. This leads to a medium bodied wine that has a light, deft texture, solid balance, sweet fruit and a long, classy finish. Already showing good complexity, this is a prime candidate for drinking over the next 8 to 10 years. Tasted twice." (11/2010)
91-93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate ('08 Vintage):
"A blend of 38% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 36% Syrah, and the rest Counoise, the 2008 Esprit de Beaucastel has notes of graphite, damp earth, forest floor, underbrush, and loads of blue and red fruits. A distinctively peppery, spicy, earthy wine with medium to full body, this will be an early drinker and best consumed in its first 5-7 years of life.
Robert Haas, the iconic French wine importer, who was one of the first to bring estate-bottled French wines into the United States, continues to go from strength to strength at Tablas Creek. His partner remains the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape. They have had three tiny vintages in a row, all producing very small yields, but the quality of their 2007s is the best in the history of the winery, and 2008 is certainly a strong vintage as well. These are wonderful, food-friendly wines with considerable complexity. While they do some varietal naming, the strength of Tablas Creek is their extraordinary Rhone Ranger blends, whether white or red. The 2009 vintage turned out to be an even smaller crop than 2008 and 2007 as a result of spring frost." -Robert Parker
(8/2010)
90 Points & "13 Great Reds from Paso Robles" - Wine Spectator Magazine ('08 Vintage):
"Offers a complex array of ripe cherry, wild berry and plum, with touches of mineral, presented in a supple, elegant, well-integrated style, with dark red berry flavors forming the core. Drink now through 2020. 3,000 cases made." -J.L. (11/29/2010)
