2013 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Green-tinged yellow. Ripe pear and nectarine aromas show very good depth and clarity, turning spicier with air. Smooth, warm and open-knit, offering an array of pit and citrus fruit flavors that tighten up on the back half. A floral note comes up on the fragrant, focused, fruity finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Probably the leanest example of this cuvee I've tasted, the 2013 Esprit de Tablas Blanc checks in as 71% Roussanne, 21% Grenache Blanc and 8% Picpoul that saw 10 months in mostly neutral foudre. It offers pretty, salty minerality in its leafy herbs, citrus and stone fruits to go with a medium-bodied, juicy, straightforward (by this cuvee's standards anyway) personality. This cuvee has a long track record of aging gracefully, but I'd lean toward drinking this over the coming 4-5 years.
Dried pear, crushed flowers, savory herbs and mint emerge from the 2013 Esprit de Tablas Blanc. This is a much more laid back, mineral-driven wine next to the straight Roussanne, probably because of the blend, which includes 21% Grenache Blanc and 8% Picpoul Blanc, along with aging in larger, neutral puncheons.