2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
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The Tablas Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is Tablas Creek's second varietal bottling of this renowned grape, famous for the wines in makes in Bordeaux and many regions around the New World.
Tasting Notes
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon has a classic Cabernet nose of eucalyptus, iodine, cassis, green peppercorns, and black licorice. The mouth is rich with flavors of blackberry, juniper, clove and teriyaki, a chewy texture framed by big but ripe tannins, and a lingering finish that balances sweet fruit, firm tannins and spice. We suggest a short-term rest in the cellar, and expect the wine to drink well for the next two decades.
Updated tasting notes from a January 2023 vertical tasting can be found on the Tablas Creek blog.
Technical Details
Appellation
- Adelaida District Paso Robles
Technical Notes
- 14.1 % Alcohol by Volume
- 50 Cases Produced
Blend
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Recipes & Pairings
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Game
- Dark Fowl (i.e., duck)
- Richly flavored stews
- Lamb
- Pasta puttanesca
- Asian preparation of red meats (i.e., beef stir fry)
Production Notes
After importing our Châteauneuf du Pape clones, we brought in selections of a few other high quality (non-Rhone) clones as part of an effort to expand our nursery business. Although we eventually decided that our nursery should remain focused solely on the Rhone grape varieties we grow, we had already planted a few small increase blocks of these other grapes. The Cabernet Sauvignon we've harvested has in past years been co-fermented with our Tannat (a traditional partner in the Basque country where it is from) but in 2013 we were so taken with our Cabernet that we kept separate the two barrels we had and bottled 50 cases.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are grown on our certified organic estate vineyard.
The 2013 vintage was a classic California vintage, warm and sunny, with added intensity from the low yields produced by our second consecutive drought year. The summer was consistently warm, without the heat spikes or cold stretches that can delay ripening, and resulted in an early harvest under near-perfect conditions. The net result was a blockbuster vintage, with excellent concentration and good freshness, that should offer both early appeal and the capacity to age. Harvest started in early September and finished in late October. Our tiny block of Cabernet was harvested on September 19th.
The grapes were fermented in a one-ton microfermenter using native yeasts. After pressing, the wine was moved into two 60-gallon barrels: one new American oak barrel and one three-year-old French oak barrel, for a balance of oak characteristics and elegance. The wines stayed on their lees, stirred occasionally, for a year and a half before they were blended and bottled in June 2015.