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2001 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc
Production Notes
The Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc 2001 is a blend of four estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate.
The 2001 vintage saw an early spring frost that cut down on the quantity of fruit, but the result was wines of remarkable intensity. A hot, sunny summer further concentrated the grapes, while cool nights maintained the character of the aromatic varietals. The harvest began on August 27th with the Viognier, and continued with Roussanne, then Marsanne, each about a week apart. It concluded with the Grenache Blanc on September 17th.
The fruit is whole cluster pressed, and fermented with native yeasts. The Roussanne was fermented half in stainless steel fermenters and half in small oak “pieces”, while the other varietals were fermented 100% in stainless steel. To maintain crisp acidity on the finish, a portion of the Viognier and the Grenache Blanc were prevented from completing malolactic fermentation. The wines were racked, blended, and cold stabilized, and bottled in April 2002.
The 2001 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc is a richly intense wine, with aromatics of peaches, pears, honeysuckle and anise, and flavors of honey, green apple, pear, and licorice, balanced by crisp acidity on the finish. Best served slightly chilled, but not ice cold.
Updated tasting notes from a July 2011 vertical tasting can be found on the Tablas Creek blog.
Reviews
- 93 points; "Delicious stuff": Wine Anorak (July 2004)
- 89 points; "Elegant": Stephen Tanzer (Feb. 2004)
- 94 points; "Enormously complex": Wine Enthusiast (Dec. 2003)
- "Best New World White": Decanter (Sept. 2003)
- Wine of the Week: L.A. Times (Sept. 2003)
- 94 points: Wine&Spirits (Aug. 2003)
- 90 points: Wine Advocate (Aug. 2003)
- "Rich, complex, lively": Saveur (Aug. 2003)
[...more recent Tablas Creek press]
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Foods cooked garlic and olive oil (i.e, Mediterranean foods)
- Rich fish dishes (i.e., salmon, swordfish with buerre blanc sauce)
- Asian stir fry
- Cooked shellfish (lobster, scallops, softshell crab, shrimp)
Not Available for Purchase
Blend
- 44% Roussanne
- 22% Viognier
- 18% Grenache Blanc
- 16% Marsanne
Technical Notes
- 13.8% alcohol by volume
- 1763 cases produced
Downloads
Upcoming Events
Real Men Drink Pink, June 23rd
Join us, along with a dozen Paso Robles rosé producers for the ultimate summer wine revel! Held at Star Farms in San Miguel, complete with a half-acre blue lagoon pool, white sandy beaches and tropical palm trees, the afternoon begins with a rosé Grand Tasting and continues with great live music and revelry. Proceeds benefit the Cancer Support Community. Details & more events »
Tablas Creek News
Featured Wine for May: 2011 Cotes de Tablas Blanc
In May, we're featuring our 2011 Cotes de Tablas Blanc at a 10% discount. In 2011, our Viognier crop was cut by 80% due to spring frost, leaving a tiny, intense yield of less than one-half a ton per acre. The resulting wine is rich and tropical, with stone fruits and honey, but at the same time firmly dry, with a very long, saline & mineral finish. Details »
On the Blog: Tablas Creek is a finalist for Best Winery Blog
May 20, 2013
We are proud to have been named a finalist for "Best Winery Blog" at the 2013 Wine Blog Awards. This is the sixth consecutive year we've been finalists, and we've taken home the trophy twice, in 2008 and 2011. We'd love to make the 2013 awards a three-peat, and look back at nine favorite posts of the last year. More »