I was shopping at my local Von’s with my lady, just a typical weekend trip to load up for the week, when I decided to hit the restroom. Right across from the restroom, I noticed a rack with wines at 50% off. About half the wines on the rack were Tablas Creek, much to my surprise!
There were boatloads of 2006 Grenache Blanc, but a few other cuvees were hidden in the mix: an '05 Syrah, an '06 Cote de Tablas Blanc, and the big score, an '06 Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge! At 15.3% ABV and 4 years age, the GB was easier to pass on. Also, the Syrah was tightly wound when tasted recently, and from a grocery store may not have the provenance to last through that phase. So we left with the Cotes de Tablas Blanc (screw capped, so hopefully still alive) and Esprit Rouge. The damage: $11.50 for the Cotes Blanc, and $23.50 for the Esprit Rouge. Silly good! Definitely we’ll drink near-term since I can’t assume these were well stored, but for the price, no biggie.
This was like a “ground score” in terms of awesomeness. Not quite as good as the $60 ground score last year, but better than some $20 and $30 scores in the past. Most of the time bargain bins are filled with crap, and it’s a waste of time. Not so in this case!
The '06 Cotes de Tablas Blanc has turned out nicely with pork chops in a blackberry reduction sauce. The '09 I tasted recently was very bombastic, all fat body and Viognier aromatics. This one shows no oxidation (thanks screw cap!), yet has mellowed to show dried apricots and petrol, usually something I find in Central Coast Grenache Blanc though this is mostly Viognier and Marsanne. The texture is round but not fat–this seems like a baby Esprit Blanc.
Go figure! Four years from vintage isn’t a crazy period to age, but this wine was not made with any aging intent. And yet it’s flat out good. I guess I’ll go back and grab a few more of the other cuvees on the rack tomorrow.
I agree, the price point is very reasonable for the quality. In the US the price is often running around $50 now, so a sub-$30 purchase of Esprit is a rare find. Too bad for me there was only one bottle.
The '06 Esprit Rouge is drinking nicely (albeit young) right now; tannins aren’t harsh, and the wine is pretty open; give it some air, and have a good time. Nice find!
Went back today and picked up the '05 Syrah ($16.50) and an '06 Grenache Blanc ($13.00). They also had several vintages of Eroica Riesling marked down to $7, so I got an '05. I’m thinking now these are labels Von’s no longer carries, and this store is dumping what stock it had since there is no shelf space allocated.
hmmm, interesting thought. my local Von’s / Pavillions doesn’t carry Tablas’ wines, but they do carry Eroica; I’ll have to stop-by and see if they also have it deeply discounted.
Incidentally, I just read Tablas Creek’s blog, and they have been dropping steadily in production for 19k cases in 2006 to 12k in 2009. Maybe they just haven’t been able to put enough wine in the pipeline. There were only '06s and a sole '05 on discount.
Eroica doesn’t make much sense, though, since that’s pretty large production. I guess $20 for Riesling might be a tough sell. As is $30 for Grenache Blanc.
I’ll be curious to hear your notes on that Grenache Blanc . . . especially how it carries the alc level AND whether you note any petrol on the nose or not . . .
Was this bottled under screwcap or cork? Curious to hear . . .
As far as Eroica goes, that’s one heck of a deal. I really dig that wine - I feel that it consistently has just enough RS to pop the fruit but not enough to make it ‘sweet’ . . .
I checked out their latest blog, which I’ve linked to below, and their production has fallen not due to a lack of sales, but instead due to crop level issues, including frost damage. In fact, in the blog, they talk about two new blends they will be releasing which will include purchased fruit along with Tablas fruit and priced around $20 - one blanc and one rouge. Here are the details:
Larry, I didn’t mean to imply lack of sales was the problem. I was wondering more if it was a lack of ability to supply distributors, as was mentioned in the blog. There’s nothing a grocery store likes more than to have a brand that re-ups every year with a consistent style, I’d think. Given that 2006 was a peak in production, I was speculating that’s why these had lost their shelf home–no follow up in subsequent years.
Both the CdT and GB were in stelvin closure–probably would have passed if they weren’t since upright bottles + cork seems more likely to promote oxidation. Alcohol is a concern on the GB, but I figure it is worth a shot. There was some petrol in the CdT even though the GB is a minor component in that blend. I’m excited about the Eroica as well–will reload on that and/or the GB if they turn out well.
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