2007 Tablas Creek Espirit de Beaucastel California Red

2007 Tablas Creek Espirit de Beaucastel

96 JD

Featured Review

Truly exceptional, and showing every bit as good as last year, the 2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (44% Mourvèdre, 29% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and 6% Counoise) delivers awesome aromatics reminiscent of a top ’07 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, showing pure blackberry, kirsch, licorice, incense, and herbed rubbed meaty notes. Dense, concentrated, and fantastically textured, this full bodied beauty should drink well for 10 to 15 years. Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JD

The prodigious 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel is a blend of 44% Mourvedre, 29% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and the rest Counoise. A very great wine, very much in the mold of its French cousin, Chateau Beaucastel, the wine has a saturated ruby/purple color and a gorgeous nose of melted licorice, charcoal, blueberry, and blackberries intermixed with freshly sliced mushrooms, tree bark, and pepper. Spicy, dense, full-bodied, and extraordinarily complex, yet at the same time well-delineated and fresh, it should drink well for 10-15+ years.

Robert Parker | 95 RP

(44% mourvedre, 29% grenache, 21% syrah and 6% counoise) Vivid red. Impressively complex bouquet melds raspberry, cherry pit, cassis and incense, with smoky Indian spice and herbal qualities adding complexity. Rich, palate-coating red and dark berry preserve flavors verge on decadent but are nicely framed by velvety tannins. A sweet floral note come up with air and carries through the strikingly long, juicy and spicy finish. I'd serve this powerful, deeply fruity wine with braised lamb.

Vinous Media | 94 VM

Rich, dry and full-bodied, with loamy earth, dried berry, mineral, anise and black licorice flavors that run deep and persistent, layered and concentrated, ending with a long, tight finish. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise. Drink now through 2017. 4,200 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 94 WS

There's a graphite-like mineral character that frames fresh blueberry fruit in this juicy red. A cool note of acidity keeps the flavors lively and fresh through the finish. Serve it with slow-roasted pork shoulder.

Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

This is one of the richer Rhône-style reds coming out of Paso Robles. It's potent in blackberry and cherry pie filling, blueberry, anise, dark chocolate and smoky cedar flavors. The richness is balanced with fine, silky tannins. Best now–2013.

Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Type of Wine	California Red : Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring.
Varietal	Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.
Country	US : As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants.
Region	California : With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented. Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine.