It was with a somewhat heavy heart that I started out today. My good friend Bernie Schwartz (who has been to a couple FallTaculars now) was to have joined me for the day here and had made many of the appointments. Bernie’s mom passed away last week and he’s with family, where he needs to be right now. I had many thoughts of him as I toured through the day today and many of the servers expressed their sympathies and do know him.
TABLAS CREEK
My thanks to Darren Delmore for helping to set this up. Deborah was great, took me around the property….and I got to graft a vine!!
2016 Tablas Creek Cote de Tablas Blanc
Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne. An “amuse bouche” she describes it as. Viognier is in ascendance in the nose—honey, peach and honeysuckle. Does wake up the palate, fairly light.
2017 Tablas Creek Picpoul Blanc
Done in stainless. Sweet lemon oil, a small kiwi whisk. This is very different—a little honeycream and quite lilting
2015 Tablas Creek Roussanne
16 acres of this, it took 5 passes to pick. 10% new oak. Way, unripe pear, a bit of acacia in the bouquet. It has the white and green fruit and a Rhonish tang. Good effort.
2016 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas
There is that ripe strawberry from the Grenache. To taste, very CdP—a little dialed back but roses and strawberry and the chewiness. A workable Grenache-based wine.
2016 Tablas Creek Counoise
A touch of forest floor frames cranberry and fragrant crabapple. A nice sort of wildness—needs a bit of time but the flowers are at the front and slightly bitter cranberry and raspberry at the back.
2016 Tablas Creek Grenache
14.3%. Fragrant and floral mostly, the chewy strawberry behind. Pretty bold, though also with some prettiness. But it IS Grenache with the herb-edged sweet berry and just that particular profile that is not me. Well made, though.
2017 Tablas Creek Dianthus
A rose from Mourvedre, Grenache and Counoise. 1 day’s contact. The 14 of this wowed me 3 years ago. Sure smells nice—a fresh breeze of raspberry, pink grapefruit and earthy rhubarb. To taste, this is again really good—just solid mix of replays, length, enough acidity balanced with a touch of ripeness centred on the raspberry.
2015 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel
Quite similar to the Cotes, but a little darker fruit and intensified “depth” to the nose. On the tongue, level, solid presentation of cherry, boysenberry and herbed plum.
2016 Tablas Creek Full Circle PN
A hot year, but they got it in at 12.7%. Dark strawberry, some bilberry and flashes of earth. It “stops” both down and middle, but is rather tasty at front with perfume and bright red berry.
2017 Tablas Creek Vermentino
Lifted breath of fresh air—really like a bit of baby powder in a room. Possibly unripe pineapple? Good Vermentino here, the sweet and bitter threads through the apple core. Well done.
2004 Tablas Creek Vin de Paille
39% Roussanne, 31% Grenache Blanc, 18% Viognier, 12% Marsanne, I definitely wanted to try this. Soooo nice! Knee-buckling sweet amontillado scents, an overlay of nougat and some clotted cream. The gorgeous honey and buttertart are all in place here. 1 bottle bought.
2016 Tablas Creek Petit Manseng
Loads of honeysuckle, a slice of grape. Subtly lingers in the mouth, a white grape liqueur feel and flavour, mildly honeyed and a very small bit of guava near the back.
EPOCH
6500 cases come out of here at present and Kristin took very good care of me. Bonus—they have a Steinway grand piano in the tasting room! (an hommage to Paderewski, who one of their vineyards is named after). The Paderewski vineyard is 65 acres, planted in 2004 and the Catapult vineyard is 30 acres, planted in 2007-8.
When I asked Kristin what changes 6 years from now, she points to a new vineyard coming online and York Mountain being its own AVA. Their goal is to continue to have fun and the owners do want to leave a legacy. As I’ll find out throughout Paso, there’s an almost cheerleader mentality and us-against-the-world with little thought of entertaining buyouts from bigger conglomerates.
2017 Epoch Rose
48% Mourvedre, 28% Grenache, 24% Syrah. Made Provencal style, skin contact for 2-4 hours. Lifted strawberry and a dash of citrus to sniff. This is quite on the sweet side. In the oddest way, it drinks like a Roussanne or Marsanne. Perfume/musk flavours and a sort of absinthe thing going on. Hay (from winemaker) is a good catch and present.
2017 Epoch White
48% Viognier, 40% Grenache Blanc, 12% Roussanne, mostly from the Catapult vineyard. Fine perfumey nose. White berries and melon and bits of pear. It’s a “typical” white from here—delineated with the acid, slight bitter flavours of lime & guava in somewhat separate parts. This was aged in concrete for 56% of the time, 37% of the time in oak and a little in stainless.
2014 Epoch Veracity
GSM done 8% in concrete and rest in oak with 24% new oak. From both vineyards, this is quite meaty—beef and sweetmeats with some real cumin character. Grenache leads, the sweet plum and strawberry. It shares itself well around the base flavours, sort of spirals around them on the mouth.
2014 Epoch Zin
83% Zin, the rest Syrah, Grenache and Viognier. 15.7%. 18 months in 20% new oak. Smokehouse blues—with blueberry and plum. Big mouthful of Paso zin here—rich and thick, does hold the alcohol well. Plenty of chocolate and mostly plum and boysenberry. A touch of sandalwood at the back and on the breathe-back.
2013 Epoch Tempranillo
15.4%, 9 year vines. Walnut oil and dark cherry swirl up the glass. This is good—it is again sticky-grainy, a chocolate layer cake. But big, bold and beautiful. As a “change of pace” for me, I bought a bottle.
2013 Epoch Estate Blend
GSM field blend, 50/50 between the 2 vineyards. Rich and sweet black fruit on nose and mouth, it’s consistent, if a little big for me. Bernie would like this a lot.
CLOS SOLENE
Morgan greeted me and we had one of the best visits I’ve had on this trip so far. Winemaker Guillaume apprenticed with Stephane at L’Aventure for 10 years and then started Clos Solene in 2007. They are only running out 1500 cases. When I asked her what changes 6 years from now, she said nothing will be the same. They intend to always keep their vineyard contracts, but they have just acquired the place and vineyard and they are planning to double production. They have a very strong and faithful mailing list and, echoing something at Epoch, in 6 years there will be no public tastings at the winery, only for wine club members. This seems to be a trend in Paso.
2017 Clos Solene Rose
60% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre, 9% Syrah and 5% Cinsault. Checks in at 14%. No skin contact, whole cluster Provencal style pressing. Done in stainless. Tasty red fruit, has a touch of warmth, fits the acid profile well.
2017 Clos Solene Hommage Blanc
80% Roussanne, 20% Viognier. 14.4% alcohol, they use Taransaud, Atelier and Sylvain barrels. The fruit comes from James Berry vineyard and the Rattlesnake block of Glenrose Vineyard. Co-fermentation for 14 days and 100% whole cluster for this. 10 months in 30% new oak. Peaches and honey and lemoncake and a touch of cheese—a lot of fascination here. Very suave, beautiful wine—it tickles your senses with flowers and white fruit and citrus.
2015 Clos Solene L’Imprevu PN
Means “completely unexpected”. Sourced from the Bien Nacido vineyard portion that Manfred used in SQN. Pommard & Martini clones, 35 years, this was done 25% whole cluster and saw 16 months in oak. 13.5% alcohol. Bits of nutmeg, earth meet. Restrained—red fruit characteristics, a little acid punch at the back. Not bad.
2015 Clos Solene Fleur de Solene
50% syrah, 30% CS and 20% Grenache. The CS is done in concrete. 15.1% alcohol, 16 months in oak for the other grapes. Quite cedary and sandalwood bouquet, plum and cocoa too. Dans la bouche, it does end up being Paso—still a large amount of sweetness, big but just reined in. Morgan says it needs days of air right now for the cab to show. I’m thinking of Bernie again!
2015 Clos Solene Harmonie
60% Grenache, 26% mourvedre, 14% syrah. Various shapes and sizes of barrel used here. 16 months again, checks in at 15.6% Motor oil, dark glints of things. This is too big for me, with heat in the middle.
2015 Clos Solene Hommage a nos Pairs Reserve
Guillaume made this to honour both his father and Stephane, his “wine” father. Syrah with splashes of Grenache and viognier. All co-fermented, 23 months in 80% new. This does smell a little like a Cote Rotie—so red the fruit and how enticing the florals. This is gigantic wine to taste, but it also has the stuff to be rather amazing. It’s a black stallion right now.
JACOB TOFT
Another appointment Bernie made, I was quite late here but Kelly and Jacob made time to talk to me about the wines—many thanks!
For Kelly, 6 years from now brings 2500 cases and a push west in the vineyards they choose for wines. She says that ultra-premium wines are in an interesting place—cycling down with the older “investment” group of buyers buying less. She feels strongly about fostering the community in Paso and agrees that there is little appetite to be bought out by the larger concerns.
2017 Jacob Toft Elizabeth’s Cuvee
Sourced from the G2 vineyard and Caliza vineyard. 52% Grenache Blanc, 48% Roussanne. This is done in 50% stainless and 25% new oak. 13.3% alcohol. Light touches of saltwater taffee, key lime, kiwi. Wow. This is Rhone Spatlese, man. No kidding around here. Kiwi, bits of papaya and lots of sweet.
2017 Jacob Toft Seahorse Chard
Jacob also apprenticed under Stephane at L’Aventure. This is Sierra Mar fruit from SBC. Mix of stainless and oak. Graham cracker scents, light tropical fruit overtones. Also quite sweet to taste, with pineapple, orange and back-end of guava.
2016 Jacob Toft Mary Jane’s Cuvee
53% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 23% Mourvedre. Dark fruit here, plum jam, and some sweetmeats throughout. Big Paso sweet—chewy with ripe red fruit. I’m thinking of Bernie as I drink this. Unusually, because of their placements in the vineyards, the mourvedre and syrah for this came in on the same day.
2016 Jacob Toft Sarah’s Cuvee Syrah
2/3 Caliza fruit, 1/3 Shadow Canyon. 10 year vines for the Caliza, 15 for Shadow. This checks in at 16.2%. Steak spice, black pepper, very deep plum. Again, a wine my friend must love. Hu-uge on the palate. That said, the plum and strawberry and sugar fits the profile and it should settle down in time, another one that holds its alcohol well.
2016 Jacob Toft Tessa’s Cuvee
52% Syrah, 39% Cab, 9% Petit Verdot. 15.3% alcohol. This is 16 months in 30% new oak. Chocolatey and quite cherry liqueur on the nose. Replays with a lot of drive and some heat at back. Well made.
2015 Jacob Toft Etienna’s Cuvee Zin
Only 57% zin with 28% Grenache and 15% Petite Sirah from the Cocavin vineyard. Cocoa for sure, red and black fruit. Palate is quite good—length and lots of fruit and a little salted beef kick.
A lot of fun to try these wines, glad to have explored.
