Winemaker Notes
A vibrant nose of blackberry and bramble, teriyaki and black pepper. On the palate, brilliantly juicy, with flavors of elderberry, graphite, tangy plum skin and loamy earth. The long, gently tannic finish lingers with crunchy black fruit and foresty spice. Delicious now, but with the substance and balance to age for up to a decade.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
California and value are two words not usually spoken in the same breath when it comes to wine. But with this elegant, fragrant blend of Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre from respected estate Tablas Creek, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. Made with a light touch, it's acid-driven, gravelly and linear in style, with aromas and flavours of crushed red berries, plums and cherries, spiciness and an earthy minerality. Serve very slightly chilled.
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Tasting Panel
A blend of Rhone varieties from 9 different vineyards; earthy and ripe nose, generous, rich and juicy with seductive fruit, deep, round and long.
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Wine Enthusiast
Elegant aromas of purple flower, rose petal, raspberry and asphalt show on the nose of this of blend of 37% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre and 5% Counoise. It's bright and floral on the palate, with rose tea and red currant flavors.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Patelin de Tablas is made up of 37% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre and 5% Counoise. It has a pale ruby-purple color and scents of red and black berries, pepper, earth, charcuterie and bitters. The medium-bodied palate is soft and juicy with a balance of bright fruit, earth and spice, and it finishes uplifted.
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Wine Spectator
A zesty red, with plenty of easygoing personality, offering black cherry, cracked pepper and spice flavors that glide toward polished tannins. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Counoise. Drink now through 2028.
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.