2018 Paso Robles Mourvèdre, Tablas Creek

• Style: Structured, mineral-driven Mourvèdre
• Taste: Blackberry, plum, spice, dried herbs, chalky mineral grip
• Food: Grilled lamb, game, roasts, aged cheese, stews
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night, cellaring
• Serve: Decant; 13% ABV; drink now or age 5 years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

This muscular Californian red arrives with savoury intensity—blackberry and plum wrapped in spice and dried-herb leather, underpinned by a mineral, almost chalky grip. West Paso Robles, perched twelve miles from the Pacific, gives this Rhône-born variety hot days tempered by cool coastal nights and shallow limestone soils that concentrate flavour while preserving acidity. The result is a wine with real structure and backbone, neither overripe nor soft.

The Winery — Tablas Creek

Founded in 1987 by the Perrin family—architects of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône—and the Haas family, Tablas Creek recognised that California's Mediterranean climate suited Rhône grape varieties perfectly. They planted fifty hectares in west Paso Robles with cuttings imported directly from Beaucastel, establishing their own nursery to propagate the vines. The estate has been certified organic since 2003 and biodynamic since 2017, becoming the first winery to attain Regenerative Organic Certification in 2020. For the 2018, native yeasts fermented destemmed fruit in large wooden vessels before maturation for a full year in large oak foudres, developing layered character without oak dominance. At a modest 13% alcohol, restraint and cool-climate farming create wines of genuine refinement.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Decant this wine with grilled lamb, slow-cooked game, roast dinners, or hard cheese; better still, lay it down for five years and taste how the tannins meld and the fruit deepens. Few producers in the United States match Tablas Creek's provenance or land commitment. If you're exploring Mourvèdre or discovering what Paso Robles achieves beyond bombast, this is essential. Browse our Paso Robles selection to experience how varied and rewarding the region truly is.