Winemaker Notes
Blend: 70% Roussanne, 17% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Grenache Blanc, 2% Bourboulenc, 1% Clairette Blanche
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Esprit de Tablas Blanc is a blend of 70% Roussanne, 17% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Grenache Blanc, 2% Bourboulenc and 1% Clairette Blanche. It has slowly unfolding aromas of warm peaches, honeysuckle, white pepper and allspice. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated, spicy and fragrant with a focused spine of acidity and a long, latent finish.
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Decanter
One of America's great wine blends from the first name in Rhône varietals Tablas Creek. This blend of Roussanne, Picpoul Blanc, Grenache Blanc and a dash of a few others is a seriously contemplative wine. Aromatics of candied ginger, honeycomb and ripe apricot mingle with a dash of petrichor and wet stone. The wine's texture and honeyed notes are balanced by savory Mediterranean scrub, crushed chalk and lime leaf. Serious and seriously delicious.
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James Suckling
A seductive nose of cooked lemons, cooked apricots, flowers, almond powder and plenty of wild herbs. Medium body with a positive bitterness shaping the wine at the center and a creamy texture at the edges. Vibrant and focused finish with bright acidity and fresh pear character. 70% roussanne, 17% picpoul blanc, 10% grenache, 2% bourboulenc and 1% clairette blanche. From biodynamically grown grapes.
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Wine Enthusiast
As the importer of so many Rhône varieties, it's no surprise that Tablas Creek manages blends like few other domestic producers. This combination of 70% Roussanne, 17% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Grenache, 2% Bourboulenc and 1% Clairette Blanche shows clean nectarine and apricot aromas on the nose, with a light nuttiness. The palate's chalky texture offers creamy flavors of cashew milk and apple blossoms.
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.
