Two things to celebrate: 2025 frost season ends with no damage and flowering begins under ideal conditions

This past weekend was the Paso Robles Wine Festival, our unofficial end to frost season. For the second consecutive year, it was a picture-perfect day, in the 70s and breezy, with both winter's below-freezing nights and summer's hundred-degree days feeling comfortably far away. And yet, as

An appreciation of one of the most ambitious and exciting wine dinners I've hosted... and the remarkable Master Sommelier behind it

I just got back from two weeks on the east coast. This most recent week I was in Washington DC representing the members of WineAmerica, meeting with the offices of our senators and representatives, advocating for policies that will help American wineries. The week before, I was in New York,

A Picture Worth 1,000 Words, Limestone Edition

Every now and then I stumble upon a photograph that illustrates something essential about the place we live and farm. I had that experience over the weekend. It was on a run not far from my house in the Templeton Gap. Running up a hill where the road builders had

Celebrating the amazing 2025 wildflower season

I was hopeful that the conditions that have been so good for our cover crop growth and which helped keep our vines dormant until a couple of weeks ago would make for an amazing wildflower season. I'm happy to report that this is proving to be true. Witness

Social media used to be a lousy way to promote wine events. Then we started thinking of it like we were a band on tour.

Last year I started thinking differently about one of the ways that we use social media at Tablas Creek. What spurred it was my own effort to get out and see more live music now that our kids are getting older and are mobile on their own or out of

Budbreak 2025 Arrives a Week Later than 2024, Showing the Impact of Our Late Rain

As the last few sprinkles of what may be the last serious rain from the 2024-25 winter wind down this afternoon, it feels like an appropriate moment to highlight that the vineyard is also making a visible transition from winter to spring. After last week's warm, sunny days,

Creating a New Legacy (Tasting) at Tablas Creek

By John Morris Wine can feel complicated a lot of the time. So when we can, here at Tablas Creek, we’ve tried to keep things simple. Remember the days of elbowing up to a crowded, standing bar with just one tasting list available? That was the experience anyone visiting

200% tariffs on European wines would be extremely dangerous for California wineries

In 2019, I wrote a blog explaining why proposed 100% tariffs on European wines would create a cascade of negative impacts on American wineries, and shared the letter I submitted to the Office of the US Trade Representative in opposition to the plan. In the end, the tariffs didn'

Is the biggest story in our 2024 white blending that it's even scarcer than we thought? Or that we made a white version of Panoplie?

We spent three days last week around our blending table, working to turn the 32 different lots we made from our white grapes in 2024 into the blends and varietal bottlings we'll be releasing to you in coming months. There is good news, and bad. The good news

Why our glorious February weather is making us nervous

The past week has seen some of the nicest winter weather imaginable. Days in the 70s. Nights dropping into the 30s but warming up quickly. Ample sun. Combine that with the lovely rain we've received since the beginning of February (8+ inches in all) and it's