Featured Wine for December 2008: 2006 Vin de Paille Many of our regular customers don't realize that we make a dessert wine, or that the wine is such a great fit for the holidays. So, to encourage everyone to try some, we are doing a new-release feature on our 2006 Vin de Paille for December. It is intense and sweet, but balanced by good acids, and a great treat with (or instead of) those rich holiday desserts. We produced just 150 cases. You can read more, or order from our online wine shop. Fall 2008 VINsider shipment includes 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel and 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc! The fall 2008 VINsider club shipment includes the next releases of our two signature wines: the 2006 Esprit de Beaucastel and the 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc. The 2006 Esprit recently received 91-93 points and the 2007 Esprit Blanc 92-94 points from Robert Parker. Other limited-production wines include the 2006 Counoise, the 2006 Syrah, and the delicious 2007 Vermentino. [...more VINsider club news]. Learn more about the VINsider Wine Club.

Tablas Creek Vineyard was founded by the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and Robert Haas, longtime importer and founder of Vineyard Brands. They chose the hilly Las Tablas district of west Paso Robles for its similarities to Châteauneuf du Pape: limestone soils, a favorable climate, and rugged terrain.

The partners imported the traditional varietals grown on the Perrins' celebrated estate, including Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Counoise for reds, and Roussanne, Viognier, Picpoul Blanc, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc for whites. These imported vines were propagated in our on-site nursery. All Tablas Creek wines are estate grown and organically farmed.

Tablas Creek follows the centuries-old Châteauneuf du Pape tradition of blending chosen varietals, which produces wines that are more complex, better balanced, and richer than single varietal wines. Each varietal is hand-harvested when completely ripe and fermented separately. Winemaking, including native yeast fermentation and neutral French oak barrels, preserves the wines' ties to their soil, climate, and varietal character.

Our signature wines are the Esprit de Beaucastel, based on Mourvedre, and the Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, based on Roussanne. These wines are rich, balanced, and ageable, and should reward time in bottle to mature.

Beginning in 2000 with the red and 2002 with the whites, we began producing our Côtes de Tablas, based on Grenache and Côtes de Tablas Blanc, based on Viognier. These wines are blended for clean, bright fruit and spice flavors, and should be ready to drink younger.

We have notes on our four single varietal examples of the core grape varieties in our blends. All are available in limited national release. These wines include the Roussanne 2006 and Grenache Blanc 2006, as well as the Syrah 2005 and Mourvedre 2006. We also have notes on our terrific 2007 Rosé.

We are proud to make available, exclusively from the winery, wines such as our Panoplie 2005, made only in great years in the style of Beaucastel's Hommage a Jacques Perrin. Other wines include the Las Tablas Estates Glenrose Vineyard 2002, our Counoise 2005, Viognier 2006, Vermentino 2006, Tannat 2005, Picpoul Blanc 2005, Antithesis Chardonnay 2006, and our three dessert wines: Vin de Paille 2005, Roussanne Vin de Paille "Quintessence", and Mourvedre Vin de Paille "Sacrerouge".

The Panoplie and all our other winery exclusives are available exclusively online through the TCV Wine Shop, or by visiting the Tablas Creek Vineyard winery.

Many of these wines, as well as pre-release items and special cuvées, are available through the Tablas Creek VINsider Wine Club.

If you have a bottle of Tablas Creek, and are interested in knowing how it's drinking before you open yours, you're encouraged to review our vintage chart, updated several times each year as we taste through our current and library vintages.