Tablas Creek: The Original Rhone Ranger

Last weekend I extended my tour of non-Napa and non-Sonoma California wine regions with a trip to Paso Robles, 3.5 hours south of San Francisco. Tablas Creek Vineyard was at the top of my list, knowing only that they produced Rhone varietals. I quickly learned that this partnership between the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape (Southern Rhone, France) and Robert Haas, an importer and founder of Vineyard Brands, which brought the wines of Marqués de Cáceres (Spain), Santa Rita (Chile), and Villa Maria (New Zealand) to the U.S., resulted in the first Rhone varietals being brought to the U.S. back in the 1980s. The team purchased 120 acres in the Las Tablas area of west Paso Robles county, noting the similarities to Châteauneuf du Pape: limestone soils, a temperate climate, and hilly terrain. They brought over the traditional Rhone varietals from France: Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise (reds) and Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc (whites). The original 80 cuttings were brought in through Cornell University for quarantine and propagation, and the new plants were grafted onto disease-resistant American rootstock. Tablas Creek today has their own grafting business and grafts for themselves and other wineries in California.

An original Syrah plant brought to the U.S. from Chateau de Beaucastel in Rhone, France

Mourvedre grafted onto old vine Chardonnay in the field

While a rarity in California, some of the great French wine regions are known for their limestone, including Champagne, Burgundy, and of course, Châteauneuf du Pape. Tablas Creek Vineyard is organic and dry-farmed (no irrigation), and the limestone soil retains the moisture from about 30 inches of annual rainfall. The topsoil of clay and decomposed limestone helps with drainage. The 1500-foot elevation and proximity to the ocean give it the benefit of the humidity and tempered climate. Cover crops like peas, oats and cloves also help with drainage and provide food for their many grazing animals, including sheep, donkey, pigs, alpacas and chickens. These animals naturally fertilize and aerate the soil.

Tablas Creek is largely estate grown, with some additional Paso Robles grapes used for their Patelin de Tablas blended red and white wines. The wines undergo natural fermentation in a wide variety of tanks and barrels. The whites are full of minerally acidity, so they are crisp, refreshing and alive. The reds have deep flavor with good structure and balance.  The signature red and white Rhone blends are named Esprit de Tablas, mimicking the Chateau de Beaucastel wines. The Cotes de Tablas blends are meant to be approachable sooner than Esprit.  

Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2012: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne combine into a fresh, well-bodied wine with orange blossom notes.

Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2011: Roussanne leads with Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc making an appearance to a lush, rich result.

Picpoul Blanc 2012: a lesser-known Rhone varietal, Picpoul Blanc is also known as the “lip stinger” for its sparkling and spicy citrus character.

Mourvedre 2011: 100% varietal full of red fruit, bloody beef, earthiness and nice salinity.

Cote de Tablas 2011: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise balance bright spice, earth and meat in this wine.

Esprit de Tablas 2011: Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise combine in a dark fruity, meaty, spicy wine that is a bit more lush than the Cote de Tablas.

Tannat 2011: a varietal from the Basque region of Spain that is widely planted in Uruguay, Tannat made its U.S. debut through Tablas Creek. Classic blackberry flavor on a firm, tannic structure mean this wine will likely age well.


Thank you to Gustavo for a wonderful tour & tasting and to Jason Haas for making the arrangements. Go Big Red!

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay: My Wine Awards

I drank a lot of wine in South America! So I thought I'd wrap up the trip with a recap of my favorites. It can be tough for me to choose favorites since I believe wine-drinking is very circumstantial, but I tried my hardest to find my top picks. I've paid homage to the signature grapes of each country plus my other favorites in the major color categories. And I've rated my best food pairings and wine experiences in each country.

ARGENTINA
Fave Malbec: Colome Malbec Estate 2007
Fave Torrontes: Miraflor 2009
Fave other Red: Los Vencejos Aleteo 2006 (Tempranillo)
Fave Rose: Melipal Malbec Rose 2009
Fave Dessert wine: San Pedro de Yacochuya Late Harvest Torrontes 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: O. Fournier Urban Uco Sauvignon Blanc 2009 with steak tartar
Fave overall wine experience: Barrel sampling at Los Vencejos

CHILE
Fave Carmenere: J. Bouchon Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007
Fave other Red: Casa Marin Pinot Noir Lo Abarca Vineyard 2006
Fave Rose: J. Bouchon Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2009
Fave White: Casa Marin Gewurztraminer 2009
Fave Dessert wine: Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Fave wine/food pairing: Errazuriz Merlot 2007 with pastel de choclo
Fave overall wine experience: J. Bouchon Winery and Mingre Lodge excursion

URUGUAY
Fave Tannat: Bouza Tannat A6 2007
Fave other Red: Alto de la Ballena Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat 2006
Fave Rose: Alto de la Ballena CabFranc-Tannat Rose 2008
Fave White: Stagnari Chardonnay 2009
Fave wine/food pairing: Bouza Chardonnay 2008 with creamy spinach ravioli

Fave overall wine experience: Wine tasting and barrel sampling at Alto de la Ballena

Thanks for following my journey! If anyone ever tries any of the wines I tried please feel free to leave a comment with your impressions.

Road less traveled to Colome

In the Salta province of Argentina, we set out to visit Bodega Colome, launching from Cafayate, the charming town where we were staying. We were about halfway there, enjoying the scenic route up through the mountains alongside the cacti, when we were faced with a choice of 2 directions to take. We opted for the "shorter" way because we were running late, but it was perhaps not the best choice. It was clearly the road less traveled, and for good reason - very narrow, rocky, sandy roads with no pavement in sight. At one point we almost got stuck in a sand ditch and had to build a rock path to drive over. We gathered rocks and Peter arranged them just so, building up the sand with 2 lanes of rocks so he could drive over the ditch. Once we built our bridge I directed him to ensure he stayed on the rock path, and after just 2 tries Peter got us out! We were so relieved. The next obstacle was a bit of mud and marsh, and again, 2 possible directions, but Peter assessed the situation and determined the best path, concluding that the mud was solid enough that we wouldn't get stuck. From here we could almost see Colome up in the hills. Then finally we made it there, 2200 meters above sea level, a mere 1 hour late for our appointment.

Thankfully, it was worth it! I really liked the wines here. The whites were flavorful and crisp. The reds were super concentrated but had really good flavors and complexity. All the wines here had a chalky minerality that we hadn't noticed in wines from Mendoza. This could be attributed to the rocky mountain soil. Colome has 2 additional vineyard sites besides the 2200m one we visited with the winery, and one of them is 3015 meters above sea level - the highest vineyard in the world, they say. The altitude helps cool things down in this very hot region of Argentina.

The wines:

*Mystery white: a mystery because the vines are so old and have morphed a few times from cloning, so they don't know exactly what they are. To me it tasted like Sauvignon Blanc, with gooseberry, asparagus, and jalapeno pepper.

*Torrontes 2009: at first vanilla and banana candy, then classic orange blossom as it warmed up in the glass. Different from the Torrontes we'd had so far, but interesting, and smooth with good acid.

*Amalaya 2007: a blend of mostly Malbec with some Cab Sauv and a little bit of something I can't remember. Cranberry and spice, good body and smooth tannin, my favorite of the tasting.
*Malbec Estate 2007: 85%Malbec, 8%Tannat, 5%Cab Sauv, 2%Syrah. Pure blackberry fruit, bright with firm tannin.
*Syrah 2007: a wine only available at the winery and served in their hotel's restaurant, it was pretty special with cassis, blackberry jam and a hint of cured meat. Firm tannin and almost 16% alcohol! A wine that should come with a 1-glass max. warning.

Colome is biodynamic and produces 900,000 liters of wine per year from 150 hectares of planted vines. All their supplies and equipment come from Mendoza, so everything makes that rocky, uphill climb through the Andes. There is a beautiful hotel on the property, and we now realize why. After all those bumps and jumps you totally want to take a nice long siesta. But our trip was just 3 hours, so we about-faced and took the road more traveled with no snafus. Muchas gracias to Peter for getting us there and back, no worse for the wear!

A whale of a day at Alto de la Ballena

I spent the day at this young winery in Punta Ballena, Uruguay, with the owner Paula and winemaker Carla. Alto de la Ballena is beautiful - set in the hills not far from the ocean and overlooking a lake. Paula gave me the history and showed me the Tannat, explaining what a vigorous vine it is; they often have to do leaf- and bunch- thinning a couple times in the spring to maximize the ripening potential of the grapes. They actually focus more on Merlot than Tannat, and their Tannat is blended with Viognier to get a softer wine. Way up in the highest hills of the property they grow Syrah, which Carla explained gets this spot because the elevation and soil allow it the best conditions for ripening.

Alto de la Ballena's tasting area is a covered deck overlooking the vineyards. The 3 of us sampled some wines and cheeses and exchanged our impressions. I particularly liked their Syrah, Tannat-Viognier and Merlot-CabFranc-Tannat.

After the tasting Carla showed me the winery and we did some barrel sampling of the '08 and '09 vintages of Cab Franc, Syrah, and Tannat. It was great to be able to taste the latest vintage and get a sense for how it develops in the barrel.

It was a beautiful day and Paula and Carla were amazing to spend so much time with me. Alto de la Ballena might be the dream vineyard - rocky soil, rolling sierras (hills), proximity to the ocean, and delicious wines. Muchas gracias, Señoras!

I heart the Tannat, a.k.a. wine touring Uruguay-style

Today I had a unique experience causing me to label the day as the best day of wine touring I've ever had. I've only just begun my wine journey down here so I may say that again next week but for now we'll let it stand.

First I visited the gorgeous property of Bodega Bouza in Montevideo, Uruguay. I started by roaming the vineyards before my tour began. Then Maria walked me around the property and told me about the history and viticulture and viniculture practices at Bouza. I think the most interesting thing I learned is that Bouza uses gravity to transfer the wines from fermentation tank to oak barrel instead of an electric pump. The sorting line and fermentation tanks are on the main level of the winery while the smaller oak barrels are on the lower level, and they run the hoses through a hole in the floor. This method prevents the introduction of air in the transfer process. For my Bouza tasting I was given a selection of 4 wines, as follows with my brief impressions:

*Chardonnay 2008: oaky but well-made with nice acidity and apple on the finish.

*Tempranillo-Tannat 2008: slight petrol funk on the nose with some red berry characteristics and smooth tannins.

*Monte vide eu 2007 Tannat-Merlot-Tempranillo: rose petal nose with some bell pepper character, palate of dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco - my second favorite of the tasting.

*Tannat A6 2007 (single plot): very fragrant nose of blackberry with raspberry chocolate on the palate, jammy with weighty but smooth tannins - my favorite of the tasting.

I continued tasting the wines over a most delicious lunch of spinach ravioli in a cheesy cream sauce - very decadent and quite possibly one of the best meals I've ever had, wines included. Interestingly, both the Chardonnay and Tannat went really well with the dish. The Chardonnay was such a good complement, it reminded me that there is a place in this world for oaky Chardonnay - or at least for Bouza's.

Three hours had passed and it was time for my next and last stop, H. Stagnari. Among the stainless steel tanks Ana told me about their history, viti and vini, and showed me the team of girls inspecting every bottle and hand labeling to perfection. Stagnari and all of Uruguay are very proud of their wine history and national grape Tannat, and I can see why. Tannat could age for 10 years, and it can range in complexity, like most reds, depending on the vinification techniques. For our Stagnari tasting Ana selected 4 wines and actually poured herself a glass and tasted each one with me, so we could talk about them:

*Chardonnay 2009: stainless steel and malolactic fermentation gave this wine a lush pineapple character that I really liked.
*Merlot 2009: very pronounced strawberry nose with smooth chocolate covered strawberry on the palate - quite possibly the best Merlot I've ever had (and a ridiculous $6 a bottle!).

*Tannat Viejo 2007: rose petal and blackberry characteristics with firm but juicy tannins - it may be an oxymoron but these tannins were juicy - made me see Tannat a bit differently because of the unique tannin situation. Ana actually had decanted this the day before and said it shows it best that way. For older Tannats she definitely recommends decanting to allow the wine to breathe and open up.

*Blush 2009: base of Muscat de Alexandria with a bit of Tannat mixed in to cut the sweetness, this had a pronounced honeysuckle aroma and was crisp on the palate - and very yummy with a bit of cheese and maraschino cherry.

So, I now understand how it works down here and why people only book 2 winery appointments per day (and you almost certainly need an appointment). Each visit is a personalized experience where you are encouraged to take your time enjoying the wines and the atmosphere - and I definitely did.

Latest Vintage Tannat

Another night in Colonia, another half bottle of Tannat! This one is Don Pascual's 2009. It is cool to be in the southern hemisphere drinking the latest vintage, which they probably harvested this past March-April. This Tannat is very pleasant, with flavors of blackberry, black tea, and a hint of black pepper.

NV Tannat?

I'm currently in the cutest seaside town in Uruguay - Colonia del Sacremento - eating dinner on a sidewalk cafe looking at the ocean with a half bottle of wine. It's Tannat, of course. In terms of body it reminds me of Merlot but has a darker black fruit character more like Cabernet Sauvignon. Tannat may actually be the perfect marriage of those 2 varietals if anyone ever needed one - the structure and complexity of Cab Sauv with the lightness and ease of Merlot (read: not so tannic). Bordeaux could have just made Tannat instead of doing all their mixing of Cab Sauv, Merlot, and the others ;) I'm sure they have their reasons. At this point I don't know enough about how Tannat holds up and how the quality varies to judge France. Which brings me to my next point - this San Juan Tannat does not have a vintage anywhere on the bottle. I don't know what this means. The obvious answer is that it is a blend from different years. I don't know if that is a thing here. I am hoping my upcoming winery visits will shed some more light on this subject.

Tannat preview

During my last shift at W.I.N.E. in NYC I got a little preview of what I might expect to drink in Uruguay. Coincidentally we featured a Tannat-based blend from the Irouleguy region of France, way down in the south-eastern corner of the country, as the wine of the day. Tannat is the national grape of Uruguay and it actually means 'tannin.' So naturally it has a reputation for being a tannic wine. In Uruguay I have heard it tends to be a bit softer than traditionally in France - I will be finding this out for myself next week when I tour Uruguay's wine country. In this Irouleguy wine the Tannat is blended with Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. It was a nice bottle with dark fruit and pepper - I could definitely notice the Cab Franc characteristics. As for the Tannat, I have no idea what it's like but I soon will. Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo!