Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
There is a great core of black plum and dark berry to the nose of this blend of 48% Syrah, 32% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre and 4% Counoise, but also a fresh rose-petal component. It's brisk on the palate with crisp damson plum, raspberry and melon flavors, accented by a slight gravel minerality.
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Wine Spectator
Lithe and expressive, with elegantly layered raspberry, garrigue and pepper notes that glide on a long finish toward polished tannins. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise. Drink now through 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Patelin de Tablas is made up of 48% Syrah, 32% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre and 4% Counoise. It opens with a touch of tarry reduction, slowly giving way to wild blackberries, black cherries, chargrill, potpourri and blue fruit hints with a spicy undercurrent. It's light to medium-bodied, intense and earthy with juicy acidity and a long, berry-laced finish.
Rating: 90(+?)
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Wine & Spirits
Mostly syrah and grenache, with mourvedre and counoise, this wine leads with scents of fresh-cut tobacco and dark plum. The flavors are dark and mildly savory, bringing to mind muddled berries. Chill it for barbecue.
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.