Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2019

Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas Blanc

Region: California, USA

Vintage: 2019

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Picardin

ABV: 13%

This wine displays complex aromas of orange blossom, honeycomb, and pine nut. This is a balanced expression of Esprit Blanc that will gain additional nuttiness and complexity with time in bottle.

The Esprit de Tablas is produced from 100% estate fruit. Located twelve miles from the Pacific Ocean and with an average altitude of 450 metres above sea level, the estate’s hot and sunny days are tempered by cool nights, resulting in fully ripe grapes with fresh acidity. Its shallow, rocky and limestone-rich soils are based on the same geologic origins as the Beaucastel vineyards.

The fruit was whole bunch pressed and fermented with native yeasts. The Roussanne was fermented in oak of various ages and sizes: from 270-litre barrels to 5,500-litre foudres. The Grenache Blanc was fermented in stainless steel, while the Picpoul Blanc, Clairette Blanche, and Picardan were fermented in stainless steel and a small proportion in neutral wood. All went through malolactic fermentation and were blended in the spring following harvest, and aged for an additional eight months in foudres before bottling. The wine remained in bottle for a further nine months before release.

Tablas Creek was founded in 1987 by the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel, and the Haas family, owners of the US importer Vineyard Brands. After many years travelling across the United States together to promote the Perrin wines, Robert Haas and Jacques Perrin agreed that California’s climate was ideally suited to the Rhône’s native grape varieties and decided to establish their own winery.