04/29/05 New favorite - Tablas Creek

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran and, as most of you know, my new favorite wine is usually the one that is in my glass at the time. I simply do not drink wine that I do not like. Today I want to share a wine from a winery that I discovered on a recent trip to Paso Robles California. A friend and I were on our way to Santa Barbara and we couldn't resist making a few stops in the Central Coast wine country surrounding Paso Robles. Although possibly best known for the Zinfandel this region is also home to many of the classic French Rhone varietals. We stumbled upon a winery that was placing its entire focus upon these grapes and making truly stellar wines. The winery is Tablas Creek Vineyard, and the morning we visited, we were the only two people in the modest tasting room. The young lady at the tasting bar was pleasant and quite nicely forthcoming with her knowledge. We began tasting wines and we were delighted to realize that these wines were truly unique and were saying something about where they came from and who was making them. They so impressed me that I actually joined their wine club. The winery is a partnership between two of the wine worlds leading families the French Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel and Robert Haas of Vineyard Brands. One of the wines that stood out to me that day was the 2002 Cotes de Tablas. It is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cunoise. The complexity of the rich spicy fruit and smoky undertones, made this wine one that I had to purchase to take home, where I wouldn't be spitting it out. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.