Winemaker Notes
A cool wintergreen minty note sets off deeper smoked meat, redcurrant, mocha, and juniper aromas. The mouth shows Grenache's sweet fruit and licorice on that attack, then deepens into notes of black cherry, chocolate, and a chorizo-like meatiness, all with tremendous mouth-coating texture. The long finish, with lingering flavors of wood smoke, roasted meat, plum skin and crushed rock, hints at more rewards to come with cellar aging. We recommend that you drink either between now and 2024 or again starting in 2027 any time over the subsequent two decades.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2017 Esprit de Tablas smolders up with a rich and beguiling blend of sage and rosemary, giving way to cedar box and ashen stone before arriving at dried black cherries. This shows amazing freshness despite the overall style of the year, with vibrant acidity and mineral tones adding depth to a mass of ripe red and blue fruits. The 2017 boasts incredible length, leaving a balsamic tinge and nuances of blackcurrant as a sensation of liquid stone lends a cooling effect. This vintage will forever be remembered for its dramatic heat spike in August, but the cool September conditions and increased rainfall throughout the season provided enough relief to bring in a healthy set of fruit. The 2017 is a tremendous success for the vintage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Esprit de Tablas is a blend of 40% Mourvèdre, 35% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Counoise. Pale to medium ruby, it has pretty aromas of tangerines, blueberries, tea leaves, tar and forest floor with loads of floral perfume. Medium-bodied, it's concentrated and layered but delicately framed, and it finishes long with just enough freshness.
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Wine Enthusiast
A plum aroma meshes into cola, rose and hibiscus tones on the nose of this blend of 40% Mourvèdre, 35% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Counoise. The tense palate delivers engaging flavors of purple flowers and elderberry as black pepper and bright acidity pumps into the finish. Drink now–2032.
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Wine Spectator
Personality meets refinement, with expressive black raspberry, smoky garrigue and stony white pepper notes that build richness and complexity toward polished tannins. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise. Drink now through 2027.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Tablas Creek Vineyard is one of my favorite Central Coast wineries; they produce generously-flavored wines with excellent balance and structure. The 2017 Esprit de Tablas Red is one such example. TASTING NOTES: This wine equals or surpasses some of the top efforts from the Rhône Valley. Its aromas and flavors of savory spices and generous black fruit would pair nicely with highly-seasoned lamb stews. (Tasted: February 18, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
Recently bottled, the 2017 Esprit De Tablas offers a Rhône-like bouquet of blackberries, garrigue, pepper, and licorice, that develop with time in the glass. Beautifully textured, with fine tannins and good acidity, it’s going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years or more if you’re so inclined. The blend is 40% Mourvedre, 35% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 5% Counoise, raised mostly in foudre.
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.
