Winemaker Notes
#5 wine in VinePair's Top 50 of 2018
The Tablas Creek Vineyard 2015 Esprit de Tablas Blanc is a blend of three estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate. Roussanne provides the core richness, minerality, and flavors of honey and spice, while Grenache Blanc adds green apple and anise flavors, a lush mouthfeel and bright acids. Picpoul Blanc completes the blend, adding a saline minerality and tropical notes. A fascinating, structured Esprit Blanc that should be a pleasure to watch evolve in bottle.
Blend: 55% Roussanne, 28% Grenache Blanc, 17% Picpoul Blanc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted out of bottle, the 2015 Esprit de Tablas Blanc checks in as a blend of 55% Roussanne, 28% Grenache Blanc and 17% Picpoul Blanc raised mostly in foudre. It’s a rich, beautifully layered and textured white that’s going to shine on the dinner table. Exotic/tropical notes of orange blossom, caramelized lemons, wood smoke and spice give way to a medium to full-bodied, clean, impeccably balanced white that has plenty of density and length. It’s beautiful today, yet has the capacity to evolve gracefully for 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 55% Roussanne, 28% Grenache Blanc and 17% Picpoul Blanc, the 2015 Esprit Blanc de Tablas is a bit of an animal—in the best possible way! It opens with a nose of charcuterie, salted nuts and dried herbs over a core of lemon curd, fresh peaches and hay. The medium-bodied palate delivers loads of savory layers, matched by a lively backbone and satiny texture, finishing long with herb and nut layers. 1,875 cases were made. This should age beautifully over the next ten years!
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Wine Spectator
Focused on fruity peach, mandarin orange and pineapple flavors, with a juicy, smooth core. Floral highlights, along with matcha green tea and fennel accents, are harmonious and lovely on the smooth and crunchy finish. Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc. Drink now.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
