Our Most Memorable Wines of 2025

As I have done the last few years, I asked our team to share a wine or two that stuck with them from all the ones they'd tried in 2025, and a little of why. This is always one of my favorite blogs to put together. I love seeing the breadth of wine interests of the Tablas Creek team. More than that, I love seeing what inspired them. If you don't work at a winery, you might expect that those of us who do spend most of our time drinking our own wines, but in my experience, that's far from the case. Most people who find a career in wine do so because they find it fascinating, and that interest doesn't go away just because they've landed at a particular winery, even a winery that they love. And most people who work at wineries look at exploring other wines as an enjoyable form of continuing education.

Each time I put this list together, I'm reminded of the degree to which the memorableness of a wine is tied to the occasion for which and the company with whom it was opened. That's one of the magical things about wine. It comes in a serving size that is meant to be shared. Most of the best wines shine particularly brightly with food. So opening a bottle of wine is a shared experience that unfolds over time. It fosters conversation and connection. In a year when wine – and community – have both felt like they're under threat, it's reaffirming to be reminded that one can help reinforce the other, bringing people together.

Here's everyone's submission, in their own words and only very lightly edited, in alphabetical order (except mine, which is at the end, with some concluding thoughts):

Charlie Chester, Senior Assistant Tasting Room Manager
Amber and I flew into Frankfurt a few days early to explore the city before heading over to Bad Orb last July for the Alea Fornia Weinfest. The goal was to bring a slice of Paso Robles culture to Germany so we were there pouring for Lone Madrone alongside a solid crew from Steinbeck, Royal Nonesuch Farm, Cass, Eberle, Giornata, Hope Family Wines, and L'Aventure.

I have to say Henning Strauss and his team were absolute legends. They rolled out the red carpet for us and you really couldn't ask for better hosts.

The night before the event kicked off Henning’s wine coordinator Amanda Barnes MW pulled the industry crew together for a proper tasting. We went through a lineup of unique wines and even had a German beer expert guide us through a tasting. During the flight she opened this bottle of Baettig Los Parientes Chardonnay from Chile. It was a crisp cool climate white with good acid and mineral notes. It reminded me of a Chablis and was a nice change of pace. The wine and the whole experience definitely made for some great memories. 

PS As a Central Coast native I have a hard time admitting how great their tri-tip was at the festival but they really nailed it.

Neil Collins, Director of Production
Perhaps a few less wines this year than in the past! As I scoured my brain for which was truly memorable, there were in fact a few candidates but there is one wine that stands out, one that surprised me and even stunned me. We poured the 2000 Tablas Creek Panoplie at our annual employee Christmas party, the very first version of that wine. I have consistently been a fan of the 2000 Esprit but had all but forgotten the Panoplie. Boom mind blown and years more left in it I think, wish I had some in my cellar. I generally try to pick outside of the house, but this wine deserves it. Happy New Year all.

Terrence Crowe, Tasting Room
The freshest in one’s memory happens to be the most memorable wine consumed this calendar year. Last evening during the holiday celebration we enjoyed a 2012 Chateau de Beaucastel release and it was spectacular. The wine translated so fresh and youthful even with the time in cellar. Most importantly, everyone at the table enjoyed the wine immensely and it’s always fun opening a bottle with some age that everyone gets a kick out of. Happy holidays!

Darren Delmore, National Sales Manager
My most memorable wine was the Hitching Post 2001 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley. At 24 years old, I couldn't believe how incredible it was showing, chock full of dusty, Santa Maria Valley strawberry and spice, subtle leather, all wrapped up by a perfect finish. The bottle was gifted to me by second generation Hitching Post winemaker Weston Hartley. Hitching Post was producing some of the finest single vineyard Pinot Noirs on the Central Coast when I became interested in wine. Then the film Sideways put them on a whole other stage, and their county cuvée Highliner became the most sought after wine to most. 

I snuck this bottle into a blind tasting I hosted of four Pinot Noirs from around the world, where the multiple choice possible answers were California, Oregon, Burgundy, or Australia. Since the other three Pinots were younger, most of the harvest cellar team table pinged the HP as the Burgundy. Lo and behold it was not, and upon the reveal, an enologist at the table confessed that it was the first birth year wine she'd ever had, which brought me a medium bodied blend of joy and depression. 

Chelsea Franchi, Director of Winemaking
Back in February, we headed down to Orange County to visit family. On Saturday night, the boys went lobstering, and my sister-in-law told me to be ready at 6 p.m. for a surprise. She drove us into Long Beach and pulled up in front of Heritage Restaurant. Tucked into a century-old Craftsman house, the restaurant felt like a warm hug the moment we stepped through the front door.

We started with a glass of Schramsberg bubbles, their effervescence perfectly matching our giddiness over the meal to come. We then ordered a bottle of Slamdance Koöperatieve Red Blend, made by my friend Daniel Callan here in Paso Robles. The wine perfectly and effortlessly reflected the experience at the restaurant: both unfolded with quiet precision, toeing the line between freshness and deep, rich texture, all while maintaining a comforting, unpretentious feel.

The wine seamlessly wove itself between the courses, pairing beautifully with the hen of the woods mushrooms with sunchoke stew, the rainbow trout, the dry-aged rib chop, and all the surprises in between. In the moment, I couldn’t have imagined a better wine to enjoy with a loved one—something bright, warm, nuanced, and utterly lovely to accompany conversation of the same ilk.

Ray King, Tasting Room
It was a difficult choice to make, but I have five that stood out.
- Tablas Creek Vineyard, 2021 Mourvèdre, 13.0%
- Lone Madrone, 2024 Rodnick Farm, Melon de Bourgogne, 13.%
- La Bicicleta Voladora, 2024 Tempranillo Blanco, 12.5%
- Domaine Marie Berenice, 2020 Bandol, 14.5%
- Bodegas El Nido, 2021 Clio, Jumilla, Monastrell/Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5%
Happy Holidays

Erin Mason, Regenerative Specialist
As is often the case, the most compelling wines of 2025 for me happened on the same night. The first was a beautifully expressive and elegant Sangiovese from Le Boncie—a biodynamic producer in the Chianti region. Second was from the Sadie Family in South Africa—a high-altitude, dry-farmed, old vine Grenache aged in concrete with a generous amount of whole cluster. Totally stunning wine and an expression of the variety and terroir less familiar to me.

John Morris, Tasting Room Manager
A wine can be memorable for myriad reasons. Its singular quality or character.  Its unique make-up or varietal distinction. For how it pairs with a meal.  Or in this case, aside from being delicious, for whom it was shared with.

In the midst of the always welcome but somewhat untimely November storms, my three sisters flew in to help me celebrate a milestone birthday.  After a couple of blustery days the skies parted and allowed us to traipse about the vineyard a bit, and head to Morro Bay for a bracing walk on the beach. Afterward we headed to The Galley for a terrific dinner overlooking the bay, as the sun began to set. On the way I stopped at Absolution Cellars and picked up a bottle of their 2023 The Balance. I'll let their website do the talking here: "A field blend of Marsanne and Roussanne from a tiny 1-acre parcel of ultra-rare Hermitage-clones grown in the Michaud Vineyard in the legendary Chalone AVA - a gift to vineyard owner Michael Michaud by the head of a very famous 16th-generation winemaking family from the Hermitage A.O.C. in the Northern Rhone." If you aren't familiar with them, you owe it to yourself to stop in at their tasting room on the Embarcadero and check out their small-production gems.

As for this wine, it was lovely, layered, true to variety, and perfect with the meal. And made even more memorable by a perfect day in a perfect setting with far-flung family I don't see often enough.

Matthieu Perrin, 5th Generation Proprietor at Famille Perrin and Partner at Tablas Creek
My most memorable wine this year was Trevallon Baux de Provence 1988. It carries deep meaning for our family because of our longtime friendship with Eloi Durbach, who passed away in 2021. His daughter now runs the estate. Eloi had a clear, almost rebellious vision. He ignored the rules of Provence and created a wine built on Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, a blend that was completely unconventional at the time. The result is a wine that ages with remarkable grace and quiet elegance.

Bonnes fêtes!

Francois Perrin, 4th Generation Proprietor at Famille Perrin and Co-Founder at Tablas Creek
A tasting at Boni De Oliveira in Rio de Janeiro called drops of God. A mythical wine the Vosne Romanée Cros Parantoux 1989 by Henry Jayer, a rare elegance and a very delicate touch. Bonnes fêtes de fin d’année à tous!

Gustavo Prieto, Biodynamicist
There were a few great wines I had the pleasure to try this year, but it was the 2019 Erasmo that my wife and I enjoyed drinking together paired with a lamb ragú pasta (Tablas lamb, of course). Erasmo is a blend of Barbera/Grenache from the heart of the Maule Valley in central-south Chile. A unique blend from one of the only two Barbera vineyards in Chile, dry farmed and Regenerative Organic Certified.

Enjoying a good bottle of wine in the company of family and friends is one of my great pleasures in life. Cheers Everyone!

And As for Me...
I'm not sure I have a favorite wine this year, but I do have a favorite wine evening. I've had the honor for the last several years of attending the must! charities gala, a charity auction that raises millions of dollars for the local community. We have been a supporter of must! since its inception in 2012, and have written about it here on this blog. The work that must! does is truly transformational, aggregating many small to medium sized donations to allow those dollars to make a real difference while providing management and organizational support for charities that have included the Food Bank, local Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, the Juan Neverez Scholarship Fund, ECHO Homeless Shelter, Youth Arts, CASA, and the Lumina Alliance.

The gala brings in roughly half the group's budget most years, and local winery proprietors who are also supporters of must! are invited to come and host tables. I've decided that if there is ever a time to go deep into my own cellar, this is it. The long tables include some of the local community's greatest wines, and you can count on the bottles making their way down to dozens of wine lovers. Because of that, I decided this year to bring only magnums. I chose five: two from Tablas Creek (the 2003 Panoplie, a vintage I've always thought magical, and the 2017 Esprit de Tablas Blanc), two Burgundies from the amazing 2005 vintage that my dad was thoughtful enough to give us to commemorate our son Eli's birth, and the oldest Ridge Monte Bello magnum I had, from 2007:

All five of the wines were amazing. The Sauzet Puligny Montrachet was perhaps my favorite of them all, rich and luscious but still vibrant and lifted, with preserved lemon and mineral notes providing contrast to the caramel and baked apple richness. Still, just as exciting to me was the realization that among these unicorn wines, the Tablas Creek bottles stood proudly. I got a bunch of comments about both the Panoplie and the Esprit Blanc, and had a few of the luminaries at the table tell be that one of those Tablas Creek wines was their wine of the night.

A concluding thought:
If there's one thing that I've learned from writing these end-of-year appreciations for a decade now, it's that it really is the confluence of wine and occasion that makes for the most memorable experiences. Wine, after all, is the ultimate social beverage. The size of a bottle means it's something that you share with others. The fact that wine is ephemeral, that each bottle is a reflection of particular grapes grown in a particular place in a particular vintage, means that each one is different and also a unique reflection of time and place. Add in the human element, where the winemaker or winemakers are taking (or not taking) actions based on what they see, smell, and taste, and you have what is in essence a time capsule that comes with the added benefit of helping you enjoy a meal and bring insight into the flavors it contains. It's the perfect starting point for a meaningful evening, and helps bring the food and the people together.

I wish you all memorable food and wine experiences in 2026, and even more than that, the opportunity to share them with people you love.