Adelaida District

White Rhone wines can be so hard to know where they are as they age.  This wine is very good, but much bigger, riper and blowsier at the moment (or at least this bottle was) than expected.   It is a blend of 70% Roussanne, 17% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Grenache Blanc, 2% Bourboulenc and 1% Clairette Blanche.  Medium golden with a few green swirls, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon, vanilla, baked apples and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Moderate acidity.  Nice texture.  On the palate, lemons, vanilla and spices.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own but would be better with the rig

Another very nice wine from Halter Ranch.  This rosé is a blend of 93% Grenache, 5% Picpoul Blanc, and 2% Syrah.  Salmon pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  The nose is "summertime" with strawberries, slight watermelon, slight rhubarb, and a touch of tangerine.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  flavors of strawberries, watermelons and slight bitter cherry (not in a bad way) notes.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own, but would work well with lighter dishes such as Tuna or Pasta Salad.  Drink now.  

This is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 27% Syrah, 23% Grenache, and 10% Counoise.  It is Tablas Creek's version of a Chateauneuf du Pape.  Garnet in color with some purple swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, plums, spice and slight floral notes.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is still young but drinking well with air.  Flavors of black raspberries, plums with spice and char.  Lovely texture.  Long finish.  This should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  It would be a great with with roasted fowl but also

From a 500ml size bottle.  The name translates to "The Sin".  This is a dessert wine from Paso Robles that is made from 78% Tannat and 22% Grenache grapes.  The grapes are air dried on wooden racks and then go thru a fermentation.  During that process the wine is infused with hand roasted coffee beans and cocoa nibs.  It is a really enjoyable wine, but let's talk about the wine.  First, the drying process is supposed to increase sugar levels by 40%.  It is unclear how ripe the grapes were at harvest.  The wine is listed at 15% abv, which seems very high for a dessert wine that is not fortif

This is a blend of 49% Tempranillo, 22% Grenache, 22% Graciano, and 7% Carignan from Paso Robles.  Deep garnet in color with purple swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries and black raspberries along with spice and coffee beans.  Full bodied.  Nice texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, there is juicy fruit; black cherries and cherries along with spices.  Some depth.  Young.  Nice finish.  This could use another five years of cellaring and then drink over the next eight to twelve.  Nice on its own, this will also work well with some not too spicy tacos.  

This is a blend of 57% Syrah, 24% grenache, and 19% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.  It lists 15.9%abv.   Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is deep with black raspberries, char, roasted meats and "purple" flowers.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Great energy.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is almost seamless with a plush texture but enough acidity to keep it lively.  Flavors of black raspberries, some black cherries with char and a bit of earthiness.  Long finish.  Despite the high alcohol, it is not evident on the nose or palate.  At age 10, this is ju

This is a mid level offering from the vast portfolio of Tablas Creek.  It is a blend of 43% Grenache, 33% Syrah, 19% Counoise, 5% Mourvedre and seems to be their counter-part to a high level Cotes du Rhone.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, char, plums and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium to firm tannins.  Lively acidity.  On the palate, black cherries and black raspberries with some char and spice.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own, i

This is a really interesting wine.  It is made from 100% Picpoul Blanc in the Methode Champenoise style.  Picpoul Blanc isn't all that common but is usually found in the Rhone Valley or the Languedoc in Southeastern France.  This is (to the best of my memory), the only time I have seen a sparkling Picpoul.  The grapes are grown using organic and sustainable methods in California's Central Coast.  The wine is silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  There is a nice mousse of tiny sized bubbles that are persistent in the glass.  Very pretty.  The nose starts out showing some tropica

This is a winery only release from this winery who makes quite a few different wines only sold as such.  It is cooler climate in style.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, smoked herbs, slight bacon fat and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, boysenberries with some char.  Nice finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  It went well with Indian food.  Drink over the next five to ten years.

From Magnum.  This is a blend of 65% Mourvedre, 28% Grenache, and 7% Syrah.  Basically, this is the top wine offered by Tablas Creek.  Especially from Magnum, but even by bottle, this wine is still young.  That said, it also drinks well young, so don't be deterred.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, raspberries, roasted meats and herbs and just a bit of spices.  Full bodied.  Lush texture.  On the palate, plenty of fruit; raspberries, black raspberries, and plums, along with spice and some earthiness.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is delicious