Every Thursday I feature a wine I particularly enjoy, whether it’s something new and different, is a great value, or from a producer worth checking out.  For this week, my Wine Of The Week is the 2009 Tablas Creek Vineyard Grenache.

The Winery

Tablas Creek Vineyard (“TCV”) is probably the best-known of all Paso Robles wineries specializing in Rhone style wines.  It is a partnership between Robert Haas, and Chateau de Beaucastel in the Chateauneuf du Pape region in France. What I find interesting about TCV is that they specifically chose to establish themselves in Paso Robles because of the similarities of the soil conditions and climate of Paso Robles to Chateauneuf du Pape.  They went as far as to import vines from Chateauneuf du Pape.  The vines were propagated and grafted in their on-site nursery and used to plant their 120 acre organic vineyard.  Check the full story here.

The Wine

The 2009 vintage was the fourth varietal bottling for Tablas Creek.  The fruit for this wine come from Tablas Creek’s 120 acre organic vineyard.  2009 was a challenging year due not only to drought, but also to an April frost.  As a result yields were down. Ah…but tough times for grapes, means more concentrated fruit.  According to TCV…

The low yields and gradual ripening resulted in wines with an appealing lushness, rich texture and wonderful chalky tannins.

The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts.

My tasting notes follow:

Medium garnet color with red fruit, spice and slight smoked meat aromas. On the palate, it’s medium bodied, with nicely integrated tannins, and is fresh and focused with cherry, spice, and mineral flavors. Medium-long finish – 91pts

Rating: Highly Recommended

Pair with: Braises and stews made with beef, pork, or lamb, or a grilled steak. On the poultry front; try with roast turkey, or gamier fowl such as pheasant. A personal favorite is pairing it with Paella.  It’s also is a good match for Cheddar, Fontina, or Gouda, or Jarlsberg cheeses.

The Wine Geek Stuff:

• Alcohol: 14.5% alcohol.
• Closure: Cork
• AVA: > California> Central Coast> Paso Robles
• Grape Varieties: 100% Grenache
• Cooperage: Aged in 1,200-gallon foudre
• Retail: $40
• Cases produced: 600
• Drink: now – 2020

This above wine was purchased for review