Winemaker Notes
The Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel 2007 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 2007 vintage was the best vintage we've yet seen at Tablas Creek. Yields were very low (down between 15% and 30%, depending on variety) due to a cold and very dry winter, which produced small berries and small clusters. A moderate summer without any significant heat spikes followed, allowing gradual ripening, and producing red wines with tremendous intensity, excellent freshness and a lushness to the fruit which cloaks tannins that should allow the wines to age gracefully. Syrah began the harvest of our reds between September 5th and October 3rd, followed by Grenache between September 25th and October 22nd, the Counoise between October 11th and 30th and the Mourvedre throughout October and completing the harvest on October 30th.
As with all our wines, the grapes for our Esprit de Beaucastel were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 46% Mourvèdre, 31% Syrah, 18% Grenache and 5% Counoise, the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel has a truly sensational bouquet of black cherries, saddle leather, pepper and wild herbs (thyme, rosemary). Gorgeous on the palate, with full-bodied richness, and a silky, elegant texture, it's a killer wine that readers will be lucky to have in the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The prodigious 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel is a blend of 44% Mourvedre, 29% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and the rest Counoise. A very great wine, very much in the mold of its French cousin, Chateau Beaucastel, the wine has a saturated ruby/purple color and a gorgeous nose of melted licorice, charcoal, blueberry, and blackberries intermixed with freshly sliced mushrooms, tree bark, and pepper. Spicy, dense, full-bodied, and extraordinarily complex, yet at the same time well-delineated and fresh, it should drink well for 10-15+ years.
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Wine Spectator
Rich, dry and full-bodied, with loamy earth, dried berry, mineral, anise and black licorice flavors that run deep and persistent, layered and concentrated, ending with a long, tight finish. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise. Drink now through 2017.
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Vinous
Darkly floral and brooding in the glass, the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel wafts up with a mix of savory herbs, dried flowers, soy nuances and dusty earth. It opens with a burst of zesty acidity, a tinge of CO2 and a reverberation of tension as ripe red berry fruits swirl under an air of violet inner florals. Hints of spice mix with blood orange as the 2007 finishes a bit short and still lightly tannic. The 2007 has sporadically shown Brettanomyces over the years, reflected in the effervescence found in most bottles. With that said, decanting or opening the wine well ahead of consumption should help.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is one of the richer Rhône-style reds coming out of Paso Robles. It's potent in blackberry and cherry pie filling, blueberry, anise, dark chocolate and smoky cedar flavors. The richness is balanced with fine, silky tannins.
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Wine & Spirits
There's a graphite-like mineral character that frames fresh blueberry fruit in this juicy red. A cool note of acidity keeps the flavors lively and fresh through the finish. Serve it with slow-roasted pork shoulder.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.