Tablas Creek Vineyard

Nope, I hadn’t heard of Grenache Blanc till this one, but it certainly is a discovery. This little-known but widely-planted Southern Rhone varietal, reputedly produces wines with tremendous body, good acidity, and flavors of citrus, anise, and green apple. For sure, this wine delivers all that and more. Although the winery uses most of the Grenache Blanc they grow on their 120-acre certified organic vineyard in the Far Out hills of Paso Robles in their Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc and Cotes de Tablas Blanc, they decided to reserve a small bit in 2005 for a single-varietal bottling.

It’s all about Mother Nature, and the 2005 vintage, owing to the wet winter of 2004/05, delivered excellent quality and good yields. A long slow summer meant the grapes hung nearly a month longer than usual on the vine, maximizing the intense minerality and powerful aromatics. The Grenache Blanc was harvested between September 26th and October 26th. The grapes were whole cluster pressed, and fermented using native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. After primary fermentation, the wine was moved to neutral French oak barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. And then it was bottled with a screw top – yea!!!

This wine tingles your nosehairs with amazing lemon and lime aromas, with a tease of anise and lavender. There’s also a hint of freshly sanded pine floors. On the palate, the texture is like a kiwi lime pie,, and there’s a fabulous sprinkling of white pepper and coriander to make things rally interesting. The finish, like white linen, is clean and creamy. Think of a refreshing slice of lemon meringue pie topped with a zing of lemon peel.

Reviewed August 29, 2007 by Laura Ness.