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2000 Esprit de Beaucastel
Production Notes
The Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel 2000 is a blend of four estate-grown varietals, propagated from budwood cuttings from the Château de Beaucastel estate.
The 2000 vintage was beautifully balanced at the vineyard: warm sunny days persisted through the ripening season, without the intense baking heat that can dampen the varietals’ aromatics. Consistent warmth shortened the harvest, which began on September 18th with the Syrah, and finished with the last lots of Counoise and Mourvèdre on October 19th.
Native yeast fermentation was conducted in open and closed stainless steel fermenters and small oak “pieces”. After pressing, the wines were racked and blended, and aged for a year in 1200-gallon French oak foudres before being bottled in April, 2002. The wines are unfined and unfiltered.
The 2000 Esprit de Beaucastel is a richly intense wine, with aromatics of roasted meats, licorice and currants, and flavors of ripe cherries, blackberries, leather, earth and spice, held together in a velvety tannic structure.
Updated tasting notes from a December 2010 vertical tasting can be found on the Tablas Creek blog.
Reviews
- "Minerally, sanguine notes": James Molesworth (May 2010)
- 91 points; "bold but still balanced": Wine Anorak (July 2004)
- 90 points: Stephen Tanzer (Feb. 2004)
- 91 points; "superb": Wine Enthusiast (Dec. 2003)
- 92 points: "tremendous intensity as well as richness": Wine Advocate (Aug. 2003)
- 90 points: Wine&Spirits (Aug. 2003)
- "Unequivocally Rhone-like": Saveur (Aug. 2003)
- 93 points: Wine Advocate (Feb. 2002)
[...more recent Tablas Creek press]
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Game
- Dark Fowl (i.e., duck)
- Richly flavored stews
- Lamb
- Asian preparation of red meats (i.e., beef stir fry)
Not Available for Purchase
Blend
- 35% Mourvèdre
- 26% Syrah
- 25% Grenache
- 14% Counoise
Technical Notes
- 14.6% alcohol by volume
- 4237 cases produced
Downloads
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Paso Robles Rhone Rangers Experience 2/19
Join the 40+ members of the Paso Robles Rhone Rangers chapter for a seminar, lunch and tasting on everything Rhone and Paso Robles. Event tickets, including the seminar, lunch and grand tasting are $75, and tickets for the Grand Tasting alone are just $25. Details & More Events »
Tablas Creek News
February Featured Wine: 2009 Tannat
Each month, we feature a wine that we feel is showing particularly well, and offer that wine at a 10% discount. The 2009 Tannat is dark and smoky, rich with fruit yet powerfully structured. The Wine Advocate gave it 90-93 points and called it "absolutely fabulous...with an opulent, full-bodied personality graced with exquisite inner perfume". Read more » or order online »
On the Blog: Mapping out Tablas Creek's future
February 1, 2012
It's been a busy couple of years for us. We expanded our winery, launched the Patelin de Tablas wines, and dove into Biodynamics. But perhaps the biggest investment we've made in the long-term success of Tablas Creek is the purchase of the 150-acre parcel to our south. Read more »