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Tablas Creek celebrates 30 Years of Rhone varieties in Paso Robles

If you like to drink Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre or any other Rhone varieties made in California, you can thank Tablas Creek. Not only were they one of the original wineries in Paso Robles, but they are one of the pioneers of the California Rhone wine movement. And, they are celebrating 30 years! Jason Haas shared his family's story with me and then we tasted verticals of their top of the line Esprit de Tablas Blanc and Rouge which I wrote about in the Napa Valley Register and am sharing here.

Located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles is a popular destination for wine travel. Today, there are more than 200 wineries in Paso Robles, which is primarily planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Chardonnay. It is hard to believe that only 30 years ago, Paso Robles was a relatively undiscovered region in the middle of nowhere. Thirty years ago, a partnership was formed between importer Robert Haas and the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape and they established a winery, Tablas Creek, in Paso Robles. Not only was Tablas Creek one of the original wineries in Paso Robles, but they are one of the pioneers of the California Rhone wine movement.

24 December, 2019

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Thacher Winery 2017 Valdiguie, Shell Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles Highlands District

In the Beaujolais region of France, the primary grape is Gamay which makes for a fresh and fruity wine. For years, it was thought that a grape grown in Napa...

26 June, 2019

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Central Coast Wine Competition

The Central Coast is the fastest growing wine region in California. It includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. More importantly, the quality and diversity of the wine produced in the Central Coast is really good. To promote the excellent quality and diversity of commercial wineries in the region, the Central Coast Wine Competition is an annual event hosted by the California Mid-State Fair and sponsored by Albertsons/Vons and The Tribune and it is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

For the second year in a row, I was invited to be one of the 18 judges at the Central Coast Wine Competition. Judging wine may seem like a pretty easy way to spend two days but it is harder and more exhausting that it looks.

There were a little over 800 wine entries this year! That is an increase from last year. And that meant that there were more wines for us to judge.

22 June, 2019