Winemaker Notes
"The 2003 Esprit de Beaucastel, a blend of 50% Mourvedre, 27% Syrah, 18% Grenache, and 5% Counoise, exhibits a saturated deep ruby/purple color in addition to a superb nose of blackberries, blue fruits, crushed minerals, new saddle leather, animal fur, and flowers. With wonderful concentration and purity buttressed by considerable structure as well as moderately high tannin, this foudre-aged effort will benefit from another 1-2 years of cellaring, and promises to keep for a decade or more."
-The Wine Advocate
Tablas Creek is a pioneer of California’s Rhone movement. Founded in 1989, it is the culmination of a friendship between two of the international wine community’s leading families dating back to 1967: the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. After a four-year search, the partners chose Paso Robles, California for its many similarities to the Southern Rhone and began the lengthy process of importing vine cuttings, building a grapevine nursery, and creating an estate vineyard from the ground up. Today, the vineyards at Tablas Creek are proudly Biodynamic® and organic certified by Demeter USA.
