TN: New Tablas Creek Release...(long/boring)

TomHill · April 5, 2021, 2:17pm

We tried these last Fri at Pig+Fig the New TablasCreek releases:

TablasCreekVnyd Vermentino AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (12.5%; Frmtd: SS) PasoRobles 2020: Med.yellow color; very fragrant Verm/carnations slight chalky/mineral/spicy very aromatic lovely nose; fairly tart almost grapefruity quite floral/carnations/Verm light chalky/mineral very aromatic balanced lively flavor; very long/lingering lightly tart/tangy light-bodied very Verm/floral/carnations light stony/mineral finish; a very lovely very perfumed Verm almost R-like in character; not the minerality of Liguria or Piemonte Verm/Pigato but a very pretty easy-drinking white that should put on weight over the next yr or so; great price at $27.00/$21.60 (VINSider)

TablasCreekVnyd Roussanne AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.5%; Frmtd/Aged: 9 mo. in small wood/large foudres/SS) 2019: Med.light gold color; bit quiet rather floral/honeysuckle/gardenias/tropical fruit slight mineral bit closed/shy nose; fairly tart fairly rich closed/tight/quiet some floral/Rouss/honeysuckle/light tropical fruit slight mineral/chalky flavor; long lightly floral/honeysuckle/Rouss lightly tart bit rich/well-bodied light mineral finish; a bit on the shy/closed side right now but should put on weight over the next yr & greatly improve. $40.00/$32.00 (VINSider)

TablasCreekVnyd Dianthus Rose AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (14.0%; 48% Mourv/37% Grenache/15% Counoise; Frmtd dry in SS) 2020: Med. watermelon/bit orange color; rather fragrant/strawberry/cranberry bit floral/rose petal very pretty nose; lightly tart fairly strong strawberry/cranberry/bit plummy somewhat rich rather floral flavor; very long strong cranberry/plummy/floral/strawberry lightly tart finish; the Mourv gives it a strong/richer character than most Grenache roses; an easy-drinking rose. $30.00/$24.00 (VINSider)

TablasCreekVnyd LeComplice AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (13.5%; 60% Syrah/25% Grenache/15% TerretNoir) 2018: Rather dark color; strong blackberry/plummy/bit strawberry/spicy slight earthy quite aromatic nose; lightly tart blackberry/plummy/Syrah/slightly floral light oak bit earthy flavor w/ light soft tannins; very long bit tart slightly hard/tannic some Rhonish/smokey fairly blackberry/Syrah/spicy/slight strawberry bit aromatic/floral finish w/ modest hard tannins; speaks mostly of Syrah w/ a floral/spicy perfume; the Grenache seems pretty quiet; needs a few yrs of age yet; a bit pricey for what it is. $55.00/$44.00 (VINSider)

TablasCreekVnyd Tannat AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (13.5%) 2018: Very dark/near black color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/licorice/plummy/pungent some toasty/smokey/oak very intense nose; slightly tart quite big/structured/tannic intense blackberry/boysenberry/pungent/licorice huge fruit slight earthy light toasty/oak flavor w/ strong chewey tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/Tannat/licorice/pungent slight earthy some toasty/oak bit complex finish w/ ample hard tannins; badly needs age; blows away any Uruguay Tannats and better than any Madiran Tannat I can recall; an atypically huge wine for TCV; this is how TCV would make Saxum red in PasoRobles if they could; terrific expression of Tannat w/o the rustic character they often show. $40.00/$32.00 (VINSider)

TablasCreekVnyd Panoplie AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (64% Mourv/24% Syrah/12% Grenache; 13.5%) 2018: Very dark color; very fragrant strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/Syrah light pencilly/toasty/oak rather complex some Rhonish/roasted/smokey lovely nose; lightly tart strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/Syrah bit floral/violets light pencilly/oak some complex flavor w/ modest smooth tannins; very long/lingering very strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/Syrah/slight earthy/dusty rather fragrant/perfumed/floral light pencilly/oak slight Rhonish/smokey some complex finish w/ modest smooth tannins; a lovely well-made complex Rhone; doesn’t show the Grenache as much as the Esprit Rouge; not sure it’s worth the premium over the Esprit, which ages beautifully. $95.00/$76.00 (VINSider)

And tasted earlier:

Tom 3/17:

My latest TablasCreek shipment arrived ystrday, so cracked:

TablasCreekVnyd Marsanne Estate/AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.0%) 2018: Light gold color; strong apple/bit pear/Marsanne slight floral/apple blossom some stony/chalky/perfumed talc rather fragrant fairly classic young Marsanne nose; quite tart some lean/chalky/stony/mineral light floral/apple blossom/appley/Marsanne/slight spicy flavor; very long appley/Marsanne/bit floral/apple blossom bit austere/earthy/stony/chalky rather tart finish; a pretty classic bit closed/tight young Marsanne that needs 5-10 yrs to really get interesting; will certainly put on weight; great price for an ageable white. $22.75 (VIN)

Tom 2/25:

My TCV shipment arrived ystrdy, so Pobega’d last night:

TablasCreekVnyds Roussanne EB/AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.4%) 2018: Med.gold color; very strong honeyed/honeysuckle/Rouss/floral/jasmine light pencilly/oak quite spicy some complex beautiful nose; lightly tart very rich/lush/mouthfilling very strong Rouss/floral/honeysuckle/honeyed/honeycomb light pencilly/oak quite spicy/bit nutmeg some complex beautiful flavor; very long/lingering very rich/lush/but not DollyParton intense Rouss/honeyed/honeysuckle/floral/honeycomb light pencilly/oak quite spicy/nutmeg/cardamon beautiful finish that goes on&on; not yet showing any of that nutty/toasted hazelnuts character that a mature Rouss shows; a beautiful Rouss that will only get better over the next 10-15 yrs; even though the wine is wonderfully rich & luxurious, it’s a fur piece from being a DollyParton white; an absolute steal at $26.00 (VIN)/$40.00

A wee BloodyPulpit:

I don’t remember tasting this Rouss upon release. The last TCV Rouss I had was the '17 & it seemed a bit tight & closed. This '18 may not have been included in the last VinSidersClub release, so I may not have actually tasted it. I usually taste their new VIN releases just as soon as they come out and sometimes they seem a bit tight/closed, but they usually put on weight & really blossom.
The TCV VINSiderClub is one of the tasting clubs that I continue my membership in. Probably one of the best tasting clubs around in terms of value. I sometimes feel guilty for drinking such good wines at such a cheap price. A club worth joining.
Every month, TCV offers to their VINSiderClub at a 30% discount. Oftentimes, if you catch the special on a shipping deal month, you can get a fabulous deal. This Rouss '18 was in the January VIN special, I suspected it would be quite good, so my group ordered 2 cs worth. Whatta deal this was. One of the best Calif Rouss I’ve had in a number of yrs.

A wee BloodyPulpit:

This was the Feb TCV special offer. Like most young Marsannes, it badly needs some age to develop that honeyed/nutty character of an aged Marsanne.
When I first started trying BobLindquist’s Marsannes back in the '80’s, I was singularly underwhelemed by them. It wasn’t until Bob served me a 10 yr old Qupe Marsanne that I finally saw the light. He’s served me 25-yr old Marsanne that are absolutely amazing.
In the late '90’s (I believe), Bob started adding a bit of Roussanne to his Marsanne. That was sufficient to give it a bit of an aromatic lift & make them much more attractive upon release, without affecting their ageability. I think this TCV Marsanne would benefit from a bit of Roussanne or GrenacheBlanc to make it more attractive in its youth.

A wee BloodyPulpit:

Roussanne: The '18 Rouss was released last Fall but not a VINSider shipment I don’t believe. TCV put it on special in Feb, we tried it, and was blown away by it. Ordered two more cases of it. This just-released '19 is a lot quieter than the '18 and seems a bit tight/closed. Jason is big on their '19’s, and I suspect by next Fall this was be another outstanding TCV Rouss.

Another very good/solid TCV release. The Vermentino and the Tannat were the big hits.
The TCV VINSider Club is one of my favorite clubs I belong to. Every month, they offer a monthly special that is heavily discounted. Several times a yr they offer $10 flat-rate shipping (as in April here), so you can make out like a bandit. Every night when I go to bed and “Now I Lamy down to sleep…”, I am overwhelmed by guilt for continuing to rip off TCV for such good wines at great prices.
Tom

larry_schaffer · April 5, 2021, 3:16pm

Thanks for the comprehensive notes, my friend. Looks like another round of wonderful releases indeed!

Cheers

Taylor_Broussard · April 5, 2021, 8:22pm

Thanks for this Tom! The Le Complice release has been one of my favorites in their current line up, alongside the En Gobelet. To the best of my knowledge, this is one of the few wines that Tablas Creek does any whole cluster with, which adds more lift and floral notes - although contributes more tannin as you know. I think it’s a fine bottling, although I too was surprised by the price - for some reason I thought it was more in the $36~ range. Personally I’d like to see them do more whole cluster to give the wines some lift as many Paso reds can be quite heavy and dense on the nose - and generally speaking could use a bit more structure too (even the Tablas wines). So I’m excited to see where this particular wine goes and if they continue to add more stems to the rest of the line up if these show well over time.

Al_Osterheld · April 6, 2021, 10:05pm

A couple years ago, the Le Complice list price was $50. Depending membership in their clubs or whether it was reordered after being part of a shipment, that could been ordered for $35-$40.

-Al