A Bargain Esprit

“…this fine young wine is still mostly about promise,
but the promise is very good indeed.”

Time Sensitive: This is a great buy for $25, but it won’t last long. There were a couple of cases available in the bins at our friendly neighborhood Madison Heights Costco just two days ago. Today, there is half that or less. It may be gone by this weekend, so, quick like a bunny, get some if you can.

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We don’t see nearly as much Tablas Creek in our neck of the woods as we used to. In fact, the bottle reviewed here is the only one I have been able to find around here in at least a year. I had to pull two bottles from our cellar the last time I wanted something from this producer, and I was reminded yet again why TC has been on our short list of favorite California wineries for almost two decades.

This particular bottling has been hanging around our friendly local Costco since at least last fall. We even ponied up the $49.99 to try one sometime around Thanksgiving, when we found it to be good, but in need of more time in the cellar. A few days ago, I noticed that it is now priced at $24.99 at the same Costco, a pretty obvious indication that the wine has not been selling, and that the distributor wants to discount it and move it quickly. At that price, I felt obliged to pick up another bottle and give it further consideration.
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Two Tablas Creek Whites

“These are both wonderful white wines, but for quite different reasons…”

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Tablas Creek Vineyard has been on my very short list of favorite California wineries for almost two decades. This storied collaboration between the Perrin family (Famille Perrin, Chateau de Beaucastel) and the Hass family (Robert Haas was the founder of the Perrin’s American importer, Vineyard Brands) has been at the forefront of the West Coast Rhone movement for even longer. Not only were all of their vines propagated from cuttings taken from Chateau Beaucastel, their nursery has also provided cuttings for many other California Rhone producers. Vineyard farming practices are heavily rooted in organic and Biodynamic principles, and just about everything else that goes on at Tablas Creek is intended to lighten their carbon footprint. There is so much to admire about this forward looking operation, but in the end, the wines are what Tablas Creek is all about, and the wines are very, very good.

The Esprit de Tablas line is Tablas Creek’s flagship range, and these two wines had been cellared comfortably for at least the last few years. That’s not a bad thing, because they are built to age, and could have easily spent more time evolving. Still, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to open them, and a visit from our old Gang of Pour accomplice Alan Kerr aka Canadian Zinfan last week provided the perfect excuse to pull those corks. We were hosted by our friends Shar Douglas and Ken Hebenstreit, who provided a nice Mediterranean-Lebanese spread to enjoy with the wines.
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