2005 Tablas Creek - Esprit de Beaucastel Proprietary Blend - USA - California - San Luis Obispo - Paso Robles - Red

nice nose of cherry and currant. amazing mouthfeel, tannins are integrated but give decent structure. flavors of black fruit with short but sweet lingering.

excellent.

From memory. The bouquet showed earthiness, berries, minerals (what I like to call "soda rock") and a hint of oak. The midpalate was full, round and rather heavy. It was multi-layered, with ripe Grenache fruit and plenty of acidity and tannin. The finish was longer than average, but had a medicinal twinge at the end. This wine still has plenty of structure and weight, and could age for at least five more years.

Opened young to see where things are going. I echo Steve Tanzer's notes on this wine. If you're interested in a better description than I can give it, Tablas' blog has recent tasting notes. Great stuff at this price point and I'm glad I have more- this winery is one to watch though I'm afraid to see what happens when people find out Parker gave the most recent Panoplie upwards of 98 points... Will let my other bottles rest a few more years and develop. Scored lower b/c I opened it young (not the wine's fault).

WOTN for most people..great fruit and zippy acidity...I thought the finish too short but otherwise excellent...a little too young

Nice rhone ranger with good fruit. Not as smoke flavored or woodsy as past bottles, which was the reason I love this wine and a great value.

Wow, does this ever need to breathe. First impression is nothing but road tar. The second day it was open you could taste the smoky fruit. Finally softened and became reasonably pleasant on the third day. Give it some more time.

Dark garnet in color, this wine has an alluring nose of cassis, wet earth, and mushrooms. In the mouth it is rich with flavors of cassis, cherry, and leather that hang on a framework of leather and iron that rings with a clarity of a perfectly forged bell. The finish extends these resonant flavors as long as you have the patience to pay attention. Drinking this wine not only provokes intense pleasure, it begs the question as to why more people are not making similarly styled southern Rhone blends this well. Undoubtedly ageworthy.

Tasted at Tablas Creek Dinner at Niche on 10/16/07. Very full bodied and smooth red. Pair with lamb or beef. Big bold $40 calif red.