In our continuing series of wine dinners being held at Jar, we offered the wines of Tablas Creek for our second event. An intimate experience yet again with some of the same faces in attendance. Excitement levels were high, especially for me since I had tasted all the food and wines already and knew how amazing the line-up was going to be.
As guests arrived, I was happy to pour a glass of the Patelin de Tablas Blanc 2010 as an aperitif. This is a brand new wine from the winery, designed for "By the Glass" programs in restaurants. The base varietal is Grenache Blanc on this crisp white that shows no oak and is an amazing food wine. This is decidedly my new favorite wine from Tablas Creek. We served Shanghai Noodles with Masago and Calamari to pair with the wine and the pairing was probably my favorite of the dinner. The refreshing acidity cleansed the palate of the heavier noodles and sauce, making me want more.
The first formal course was Softshell Crab with Fava Bean Salad. I poured both flagship whites: Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2009 and Esprit de Beaucastel 2008. The Cotes is based in Viognier, offering a more stone fruit-based flavor profile with the typical florality. As a pairing, it was okay, but reminded me of having fried chicken with cling peaches. The Esprit, on the other hand, was seamless on its own, but even better with the dish. The group agreed with me that the Esprit was the better fit and a great one at that!
Suzanne's delicious Braised Ribs came next, effusing aromas of cinnamon and star anise as the dishes hit the table. To match, the red counterparts were poured: the Cotes de Tablas 2009 and the Esprit de Beaucastel 2008. The red Cotes is Syrah-based and, while good, didn't seem to have enough ripe, juicy fruit components to really stand up to the slightly sweet sauce. And most of the interesting earthen/Syrah components were lost with the dish. The Esprit was banging! The meatiness inherent in its Mourvedre and the plush fruitiness of the Grenache were incredible matches and blended with the dish perfectly. Also, the spice of the oak worked well with the spices in the sauce. This was also a truly amazing pairing and I heartily recommend this style of food with the Esprit 2008.
Suzanne wanted to offer a Fig Salad with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto and Balsamic Reduction. Sadly, there was no real great match in the Tablas line-up for this dish, save the SacreRouge dessert wine which we were pouring for dessert. As a "least of all evils" pairing, I offered the Rose 2010, explaining to the group that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet when specific parameters are in place. I must admit that both the food and wine were both delicious individually, but not particularly suited for each other. Although, the plain prosciutto and the wine were nice together.
For dessert, Sandra prepared a Bread Pudding with a Cherry Port Compote. Tablas Creek was kind enough to provide us some of their SacreRouge from the winery. A 100% Mourvedre made in the style of a Vin de Paille (drying the grapes on straw mats to concentrate the sugars), it sports a lower alcohol than a Port, but offers much the same flavor profile. An interesting wine, it shows a good deal of savory components rather than just goopy fruit and also significant acidity. I was surprised how many people went in for seconds on the dessert wine.
The more I taste and use the wines of Tablas Creek, the more I realize what an amazing project it is. And furthermore, I would consider them a leader in the Renaissance of Paso Robles. The wines express balance and minerality in what would be considered a significantly warm region. The West side of Paso Robles has more to offer than many realize.
The first formal course was Softshell Crab with Fava Bean Salad. I poured both flagship whites: Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2009 and Esprit de Beaucastel 2008. The Cotes is based in Viognier, offering a more stone fruit-based flavor profile with the typical florality. As a pairing, it was okay, but reminded me of having fried chicken with cling peaches. The Esprit, on the other hand, was seamless on its own, but even better with the dish. The group agreed with me that the Esprit was the better fit and a great one at that!
Suzanne's delicious Braised Ribs came next, effusing aromas of cinnamon and star anise as the dishes hit the table. To match, the red counterparts were poured: the Cotes de Tablas 2009 and the Esprit de Beaucastel 2008. The red Cotes is Syrah-based and, while good, didn't seem to have enough ripe, juicy fruit components to really stand up to the slightly sweet sauce. And most of the interesting earthen/Syrah components were lost with the dish. The Esprit was banging! The meatiness inherent in its Mourvedre and the plush fruitiness of the Grenache were incredible matches and blended with the dish perfectly. Also, the spice of the oak worked well with the spices in the sauce. This was also a truly amazing pairing and I heartily recommend this style of food with the Esprit 2008.
Suzanne wanted to offer a Fig Salad with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto and Balsamic Reduction. Sadly, there was no real great match in the Tablas line-up for this dish, save the SacreRouge dessert wine which we were pouring for dessert. As a "least of all evils" pairing, I offered the Rose 2010, explaining to the group that sometimes you just have to bite the bullet when specific parameters are in place. I must admit that both the food and wine were both delicious individually, but not particularly suited for each other. Although, the plain prosciutto and the wine were nice together.
For dessert, Sandra prepared a Bread Pudding with a Cherry Port Compote. Tablas Creek was kind enough to provide us some of their SacreRouge from the winery. A 100% Mourvedre made in the style of a Vin de Paille (drying the grapes on straw mats to concentrate the sugars), it sports a lower alcohol than a Port, but offers much the same flavor profile. An interesting wine, it shows a good deal of savory components rather than just goopy fruit and also significant acidity. I was surprised how many people went in for seconds on the dessert wine.
The more I taste and use the wines of Tablas Creek, the more I realize what an amazing project it is. And furthermore, I would consider them a leader in the Renaissance of Paso Robles. The wines express balance and minerality in what would be considered a significantly warm region. The West side of Paso Robles has more to offer than many realize.
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