VINsider News & Updates

Tablas Creek > Wine Clubs > VINsider Wine Club > VINsider News & Updates

Spring 2012 Shipment

We are proud to announce the spring 2012 VINsider club shipment, highlighted by the 2009 Panoplie, the 2010 Cotes de Tablas, and the 2010 Antithesis Chardonnay. The shipment includes:

  • 1 bottle of Panoplie 2009 (Our elite red wine from our lowest-yielding vintage ever, available only to VINsiders. 95 Tanzer's IWC; 94-96 Rhone Report)
  • 1 bottle of Grenache 2009 (Powerful Grenache fruit balanced by bright acids and chalky tannins; 90+ Wine Advocate, 91 Tanzer's IWC)
  • 1 bottle of Cotes de Tablas 2010 (The follow-up to our Wine Spectator "Top 100" 2009, showing the bright spiciness of Grenache balanced by the cool restraint of the 2010 vintage.)
  • 1 bottle of Antithesis 2010 (Crisp, minerally Chardonnay from an exceptionally cool vintage; 90-92 Wine Advocate; 90 Tanzer's IWC)
  • 1 bottle of Grenache Blanc 2010 (A varietal bottling of the zesty white Rhone grape that we introduced to California; 91 Tanzer's IWC)
  • 1 bottle of Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2010 (Our showcase for Viognier, balanced by Grenache Blanc's acids and mineral; 90 Wine Advocate; 90 Tanzer's IWC; 92 James Suckling)

The spring 2012 shipment will ship from the winery Tuesday, March 20th. Will-call customers will be able to pick up their shipments at the winery starting Friday, March 16th. Now is the time to make any updates needed to your information so the shipment can be delivered properly.  You can update your membership information online, or if you have any questions about your membership please contact our wine club team at 805.237.1231 x39 or vinsider@tablascreek.com.

The shipment’s cost of $203.20, plus applicable shipping and taxes, reflects as always a 20% VINsider discount off the retail prices of the wines in the shipment.  Club members should expect to see this charge in early March.

Spring 2012 VINsider Shipment Tasting Party Sunday, April 1st

One benefit of the VINsider Wine Club is the opportunity, after each semi-annual shipment, to taste the wines that the shipment contains, learn what new projects we've been working on, and spend some unhurried time with the Tablas Creek winemakers and management. On Sunday, April 1st we'll be closing the tasting room to the public and dedicating it to our wine club members. VINsiders will reserve one of four visit time slots (10:30am, 12noon, 1:30pm, or 3pm) and we'll take each group through the results of the 2011 harvest, the our new Biodynamic efforts, including our animal barn, and a tasting through the wines in the spring VINsider shipment, including the remarkable 2009 Panoplie.  We will serve a small dish to pair with the whites and another with the reds.

Attendees also receive a day-of-the-event only extra 5% discount on the wines in the shipment.  This tasting is open to VINsiders only (free) and their invited guests ($15/person). Contact us at 805.237.1231 x34 or events@tablascreek.com for reservations or more information.  Want more details?  Check out other upcoming vineyard and winery events!

VINsider Wine Club Collector’s Edition registration full for 2011

We have reached our capacity for the 2011 VINsider Wine Club Collector’s Edition. Collector’s Edition members have exclusive access to library vintages of Esprit de Beaucastel wines that we have aged in ideal conditions in our own cellars since the 2003 vintage. Members also receive an increased allocation of our newest Esprit de Beaucastel wines.

The Collector’s Edition is full. VINsiders interested in the Collector’s Edition for 2012 should register; we plan to increase membership slightly next year and members will be added to the club in the order in which their registrations are received.

En Primeur Offering on 2010 Esprit de Beaucastel and 2010 Panoplie

Offering wine en primeur is a time-honored French tradition most often associated with first-growth Bordeaux estates. In outstanding vintages, valued customers are offered the opportunity to secure a limited quantity of sought-after wines at a futures-only 30% discount in advance of bottling and subsequent general release. On December 3rd, VINsiders were invited to join Tablas Creek's winemakers at one of two sessions (10:30am or 1:00pm) to taste the 2010 Esprit de Beaucastel and 2010 Panoplie, to discuss the vintage, and to enjoy a seasonal dish created to pair with the wines. The $30 cost to attend the event was refundable on any en primeur purchase.

Whether or not they joined us on December 3rd, all VINsiders were eligible to order futures. The deadline to order futures en primeur was December 5th, 2011. If you missed the deadline, it may be possible to squeeze in an order.  Contact us.

Residents of Maryland, Hawaii and Maine Eligible for VINsider membership; New Jersey Next

We’re thrilled that Maryland, Hawaii and Maine have permitted the direct shipment of wine. Residents are now eligible to order wine or sign up for VINsider Wine Club membership. New Jersey, which passed a direct shipping bill in January 2012, expects to have the licenses and other paperwork ready for us by early summer.  Finally, other states, including Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, are debating shipping legislation. We encourage you to get involved. Learn more on our direct shipping news page.

Other Wine Club-Related Information:

Upcoming Events

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 »