2018 Patelin de Tablas

In a mix of typical Paso Robles wines, Tablas Creek's portfolio stands out for balance, poise and purity. The contiguous regenerative vineyards of Tables Creek are located in the extreme western reaches of Paso Robles within the Adelaida District. This year, I tasted vintages spanning from 2021 through 2023, which showed how well this estate, led by winemaker Neil Collins in close conjunction with proprietor Jason Haas, has dialed in its vineyard and wine-making practices. The 2021s are magnificent. Having tasted some samples from cask last year, it's a real pleasure to witness their slow maturation. I eagerly anticipate revisiting the top wines in five to ten years. Hass commented, “If I could design an ideal growing season, 2021 would be it.” As for 2022, a hot, drought year plagued by a heat wave during harvest, I was amazed by the level of energy and complexity captured throughout the lineup. Something seldom mentioned about 2022 was a late spring frost that hit the region on May 11th. As a result, the white wine production at Tablas Creek was down by 40%. The team here did a fantastic job of maintaining a classic style despite the season's conditions. The Esprit de Tablas Blanc is fantastic and falls slightly short when tasted next to the 2023. Roussanne made up only 33% of the blend, and Grenache Blanc increased to 32%. Two thousand twenty-three is a vintage to watch closely. It was the coolest year since 2011, with almost 50 inches of rain, which broke all records for precipitation. The result was a long and balanced season that allowed for a slow and well-timed harvest across all varieties. From what I’ve tasted of the early releases, it’s a vintage to get excited about. Lastly, the Lignée de Tablas lineup takes fruit from outside the estate vineyards that are planted to Tablas Creek clones.

The secret to Paso Robles is often a balance of power and acidity to find harmony. Tables Creek relies, instead, on their vast portfolio of focused, graceful and terroir-driven wines. The winery, established in 1989, is located in the extreme western reaches of Paso Robles, within the Adelaida district. The vineyards, all contiguous, are carefully divided into blocks that allow the team, led by winemaker Neil Collins in close conjunction with proprietor Jason Haas, to give individual care as needed. In recent years, Tables Creek has switched from organic and partial biodynamic practices to full-on regenerative. The regenerative system creates an environment that sustainably nurtures itself from the inside out. This includes a focus on soil health, biodiversity, no tilling, active flocks of sheep, sustainable energy and paying all workers a living wage to better everything within and attached to the farm. Regenerative is a term that readers will be hearing a lot more about in the coming years. Tablas spearheaded the process, being the first winery to receive an official certification from the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). As for the wines, both the reds and whites are superb. Most of what I tasted was from the 2021 vintage, which is very exciting. It’s essential to keep in mind that Tablas Creek can often be misjudged by the average consumer looking for a Paso Robles experience. The new releases are almost always understated yet complex and refined. In most cases, these don’t just require further aging but demand it. With that said, patient collectors will reap the rewards.

The sprawling range of offerings from Tablas Creek Vineyard, a pioneering Paso Robles winery established in 1989, has been consistently excellent from the outset and, if anything, seems to have become even more refined in recent years. Balance and even understatement have long been the calling cards here, which I think makes some people underestimate these wines. Unlike those made by other top producers in the region, the Tablas Creek bottlings, made by long-time winemaker Neil Collins in close conjunction with proprietor Jason Haas, can initially come off demure and understated. And that’s exactly the character that has contributed to the winery’s large and loyal following. It also doesn’t hurt that many of the wines here are made in relatively large quantities and widely distributed worldwide. The 2019s are as strong a set of releases as I have tasted here and are maybe even better than the excellent 2018s. I was also able to try a wide selection of 2020s, which look solid as well, but I will admit that I was and will likely always be gun shy about possible smoke influence. The red wines will soon be or already are in bottle, so I look forward to checking them out this fall.

The sprawling range of offerings from Tablas Creek Vineyard, a pioneering Paso Robles winery established in 1989, has been consistently excellent from the outset and, if anything, seems to have become even more refined in recent years. Balance and even understatement have long been the calling cards here, which I think makes some people underestimate these wines. Unlike those made by other top producers in the region, the Tablas Creek bottlings, made by long-time winemaker Neil Collins in close conjunction with proprietor Jason Haas, can initially come off demure and understated. And that’s exactly the character that has contributed to the winery’s large and loyal following. It also doesn’t hurt that many of the wines here are made in relatively large quantities and widely distributed worldwide. The 2019s are as strong a set of releases as I have tasted here and are maybe even better than the excellent 2018s. I was also able to try a wide selection of 2020s, which look solid as well, but I will admit that I was and will likely always be gun shy about possible smoke influence. The red wines will soon be or already are in bottle, so I look forward to checking them out this fall.

The recently bottled, newly released 2019 white wines here are definitely promising but still tightly wound, so by all means give them some air if you’re planning on opening them any time over the coming months. On the heels of the mostly brawny 2017s, the red wines of 2018 show brighter fruit personalities and greater tension, with more graceful tannin profiles. I suspect that they will appeal to readers who favor a more elegant, call it Old World, Paso Robles style and that they’ll also be approachable on the young side. Regardless of vintage, Tablas Creek produces distinctly elegant wines that are deceptively age-worthy, so don’t bet against these 2018s drinking well way beyond my projected drinking windows.

As usual, there’s a dizzying array of bottlings on offer from this iconic Paso Robles producer, whose wines continue to set the pace for elegance in the region. Owner Jason Haas and longtime winemaker Neil Collins (actually the only person ever to have that job) told me that the 2016 growing season was “extremely easy and well-timed,” with no frost events early on and a warm but not too hot growing season that kept acidity levels healthy. The resulting wines are, perhaps, richer than the 2015s, he said, but “they aren’t on the super-ripe side of the equation, either.” I’ve been especially impressed by the white wine program here in recent years and, starting with the 2016 vintage, there is now a Picardan bottling in the Tablas Creek lineup. This rare southern Rhône variety is rarely encountered, much less vinified on its own, in its native region these days, so it was especially interesting to be able to check it out here this summer.

As usual, there’s a dizzying array of bottlings on offer from this iconic Paso Robles producer, whose wines continue to set the pace for elegance in the region. Owner Jason Haas and longtime winemaker Neil Collins (actually the only person ever to have that job) told me that the 2016 growing season was “extremely easy and well-timed,” with no frost events early on and a warm but not too hot growing season that kept acidity levels healthy. The resulting wines are, perhaps, richer than the 2015s, he said, but “they aren’t on the super-ripe side of the equation, either.” I’ve been especially impressed by the white wine program here in recent years and, starting with the 2016 vintage, there is now a Picardan bottling in the Tablas Creek lineup. This rare southern Rhône variety is rarely encountered, much less vinified on its own, in its native region these days, so it was especially interesting to be able to check it out here this summer.

There’s a new varietal wine at Tablas Creek this year, the rare Terret Noir, one of the thirteen permitted grapes for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which pushes the number of those varieties bottled from this iconic producer’s 120 acres of vineyards to nine. The style continues to push toward greater finesse, which is no easy feat in this hot region, but winemaker Neil Collins and his team have proven more than able to pull it off with impressive consistency. The oak presence in the wines is restrained and tannins are always well-managed, which makes for ease of drinking on the young side but these bottlings possess the depth and balance to reward patience.

There’s a new varietal wine at Tablas Creek this year, the rare Terret Noir, one of the thirteen permitted grapes for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which pushes the number of those varieties bottled from this iconic producer’s 120 acres of vineyards to nine. The style continues to push toward greater finesse, which is no easy feat in this hot region, but winemaker Neil Collins and his team have proven more than able to pull it off with impressive consistency. The oak presence in the wines is restrained and tannins are always well-managed, which makes for ease of drinking on the young side but these bottlings possess the depth and balance to reward patience.

I tasted through this year's new and upcoming releases with long-time winemaker and vineyard manager Neil Collins and assistant winemaker Chelsea Franchi, who has been at Tablas Creek since graduating from Cal Poly in 2008. Franchi has become more deeply involved in the winemaking here in recent years, a time when, as Collins said, "the vines are really coming into maturity and showing what the vineyards can deliver." There's a serious dedication to bush vine-planting (en gobelet) and dry farming at the estate, a process that requires considerable extra labor and raises the risk of decreased yields, but which most winemakers, including Collins, Franchi and the Haas and Perrin families, are convinced allows for maximum site expression and wine concentration.

The Tablas Creek wines have an admirable track record for rewarding cellaring, all the way down to the entry-level bottlings, so readers are well-advised to stash a few bottles away, assuming they have patience and storage space. Please note that the flagship Esprit de Beaucastel bottling is now called Esprit de Tablas because, as Collins and Jason Haas have pointed out, "Tablas Creek stands on its own now and shouldn't have to lean on the Beaucastel name any more."

I tasted through this year's new and upcoming releases with long-time winemaker and vineyard manager Neil Collins and assistant winemaker Chelsea Franchi, who has been at Tablas Creek since graduating from Cal Poly in 2008. Franchi has become more deeply involved in the winemaking here in recent years, a time when, as Collins said, "the vines are really coming into maturity and showing what the vineyards can deliver." There's a serious dedication to bush vine-planting (en gobelet) and dry farming at the estate, a process that requires considerable extra labor and raises the risk of decreased yields, but which most winemakers, including Collins, Franchi and the Haas and Perrin families, are convinced allows for maximum site expression and wine concentration.

The Tablas Creek wines have an admirable track record for rewarding cellaring, all the way down to the entry-level bottlings, so readers are well-advised to stash a few bottles away, assuming they have patience and storage space. Please note that the flagship Esprit de Beaucastel bottling is now called Esprit de Tablas because, as Collins and Jason Haas have pointed out, "Tablas Creek stands on its own now and shouldn't have to lean on the Beaucastel name any more."

Once again, Tablas Creek has turned out a mind-bending number of fabulous wines, from delicious entry-level whites and reds all they way up to the top selections, which remain very reasonably priced considering the quality. General Manager Jason Haas describes 2012 as a vintage with generous yields. Haas adds that 2013 followed a similar ripening curve, but the vines were into the second year of a drought cycle, so yields were lower than 2012 by about 20-25%. In addition to these current and future releases I also tasted a handful of library wines, which I include here for further context and ease of reference.

Once again, Tablas Creek has turned out a mind-bending number of fabulous wines, from delicious entry-level whites and reds all they way up to the top selections, which remain very reasonably priced considering the quality. General Manager Jason Haas describes 2012 as a vintage with generous yields. Haas adds that 2013 followed a similar ripening curve, but the vines were into the second year of a drought cycle, so yields were lower than 2012 by about 20-25%. In addition to these current and future releases I also tasted a handful of library wines, which I include here for further context and ease of reference.

Jason Haas told me that his family and the Perrins have now eliminated references to Chateau de Beaucastel from all of the Tablas Creek wines (the last to go was the Esprit de Beaucastel, which is now called Esprit de Tablas) because "the winery can by now stand on its own merit and successes without leaning on the Beaucastel name.We're proud of being a leader in Paso and want everything we do to reflect that."As we tasted through this year's set of releases, Haas commented that while the estate "has built its reputation on mourvedre, in the cooler vintages, meaning lately, we lean much more heavily on grenache," which ripens earlier.In addition, grenache makes wines that are much more accessible and popular with the overwhelming majority of visitors that this popular destination regularly hosts.Indeed, on the Friday afternoon I visited here in September there were upwards of five dozen customers milling around the new tasting rooms and out on the patios, and they were buying.

Tablas Creek did not have an easy go of things in 2011. The spring frost took with it a whopping 40% of the year's production, including 50% of the Grenache crop and 40% of the Syrah. Thankfully, Mourvedre was largely spared as the shoots were still not out when the frost hit. I tasted slightly fewer wines than normal this year as most of the single-variety reds weren't made in 2011 because production was so severely impacted by bad weather. General Manager Jason Haas describes 2012 as a much warmer year than 2011, but without any heat spikes. Tablas Creek will bottle some of their single-variety wines, although I did not taste them during my visit. The estate has also decided to regraft their Chardonnay parcel with Counoise, so there will be no more Chardonnay. As always, Jason Haas and his team led by long-time winemaker Neil Collins have done an outstanding job with a range of wines that spans from inexpensive bottlings all the way up to the flagships. One of the major developments at Tablas Creek is the estate's decision to remove references to Chateau de Beaucastel, their Rhone partner, from wine names and labels. This move is significant for many reasons. First, Tablas Creek's wines have stood on their own for years. But I believe there is a broader context, intentional or not. And that is that Paso Robles as a region has to make wines that can succeed on their merits rather than being California versions of Rhone wines. Personally, I think that is a great message.

Tablas Creek did not have an easy go of things in 2011. The spring frost took with it a whopping 40% of the year's production, including 50% of the Grenache crop and 40% of the Syrah. Thankfully, Mourvedre was largely spared as the shoots were still not out when the frost hit. I tasted slightly fewer wines than normal this year as most of the single-variety reds weren't made in 2011 because production was so severely impacted by bad weather. General Manager Jason Haas describes 2012 as a much warmer year than 2011, but without any heat spikes. Tablas Creek will bottle some of their single-variety wines, although I did not taste them during my visit. The estate has also decided to regraft their Chardonnay parcel with Counoise, so there will be no more Chardonnay. As always, Jason Haas and his team led by long-time winemaker Neil Collins have done an outstanding job with a range of wines that spans from inexpensive bottlings all the way up to the flagships. One of the major developments at Tablas Creek is the estate's decision to remove references to Chateau de Beaucastel, their Rhone partner, from wine names and labels. This move is significant for many reasons. First, Tablas Creek's wines have stood on their own for years. But I believe there is a broader context, intentional or not. And that is that Paso Robles as a region has to make wines that can succeed on their merits rather than being California versions of Rhone wines. Personally, I think that is a great message.

Beginning with the 2011 vintage there will be no more references to Beaucastel on any of the Tablas Creek labels as the Perrins and the Haas family, the two partners in this venture, believe that the winery can and should stand on its own merit and that the Beaucastel association was no longer a necessity. Winemaker Neil Collins, who is a former chef, told me that he continues to be excited by working with counoise, which is now a component of four of the five blended red wines here, "because it has a softening and civilizing effect and tones down the bullies, like having a woman working in a restaurant kitchen. It keeps things in line."

As always, my tasting at Tablas Creek was a bit of a marathon session covering several dozen wines, but that is just a testament to a world-class winery that excels at so many things. This year I tasted with proprietor Jason Haas, winemaker Ryan Hebert and assistant winemaker Chelsea Magnusson. Haas describes 2011 as a difficult year. A devastating spring frost reduced yields by as much as 40% in some places. Vintage 2010 was characterized by a long growing season, but without the huge heat spikes that were seen elsewhere. It was also much more plentiful, which gave the winery the quality and ability to bottle its four main red Rhône varieties separately.

As always, my tasting at Tablas Creek was a bit of a marathon session covering several dozen wines, but that is just a testament to a world-class winery that excels at so many things. This year I tasted with proprietor Jason Haas, winemaker Ryan Hebert and assistant winemaker Chelsea Magnusson. Haas describes 2011 as a difficult year. A devastating spring frost reduced yields by as much as 40% in some places. Vintage 2010 was characterized by a long growing season, but without the huge heat spikes that were seen elsewhere. It was also much more plentiful, which gave the winery the quality and ability to bottle its four main red Rhône varieties separately.

Jason Haas and his winemaker/vineyard manager Neal Collins told me that they're particularly excited about exploring the potential for varieties outside the traditional Rhone palette that they helped establish in Paso Robles. There's a bottling of petit manseng made here now, which joins the tannat, picpoul and vermentino as alien varietal wines at this pioneering winery. "Who knows what will actually turn out to work best here?" Haas asked rhetorically. It's pretty humbling to be considered the old-timer when you've only been set up for about 25 years. In historic wine terms, that's the blink of an eye." This year's set of releases includes a new bottling, Patelin, that comes in both a red and a white version and includes some purchased fruit. These are now the entry-level bottlings here, which allows the Cotes de Tablas wines to be pushed up the cellar hierarchy and be given higher-quality fruit than before. According to Collins,"the Cotes de Tablas wines were always too serious to be considered the basic wines, and now we hope that they'll be taken for what they are, not looked at simply as the low end of the collection."