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The last (?) winter storm of 2009-2010

Take a look at this radar map, taken from the terrific site Weather Underground. Clicking on the map will make it much better resolution: Tablas Creek is situated just south of the Lake Nacimiento marker on the map, right underneath the area of bright red that signifies the most action.

All Things Consumed: Taking A Closer Look at Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc

Each spring we release our flagship white wine, the Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, to the wholesale market. In advance of its arrival, and in an effort to further celebrate its release, the wine is typically introduced to individual states via a presale, where it is offered to restaurants and retailers

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Roussanne

Roussanne, with its honeyed richness and excellent longevity, forms the backbone of our Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc. In addition, it has the balance and character to make a compelling single varietal wine, as in our varietal Roussanne that we've made each year since 2001. The varietal takes its

Whither inexpensive, artisanal California wine?

In early March I was interviewed by Jordan Mackay for an article in the New York Times called "Local Versions of Europe's Everyday Wines". In it, Jordan explored why so few California winemakers were attempting to make inexpensive but artisanal wines that can compete with the

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Mourvèdre

Mourvèdre (more-vehd-ruh), with its meaty richness and wonderful longevity, forms the backbone of our Esprit de Beaucastel. Twenty-one acres of our vineyard are devoted to Mourvèdre, representing the largest acreage of any of our grapes and over a third of our red Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties. Early History Mourvèdre is native to

Photo of the Day: Wildflowers at Tablas Creek

When I got to work today, the fog was just lifting, and I spent an hour or so looking for some good shots of it retreating to the east (to find out why that's so remarkable, check out this old post from 2006). But it was on my

An Update on Spring: Green, Green, Green

We're thrilled with the winter that we've received so far. We're near 35 inches of rain since October, which is the most we've received in four years. We've had periods of extended cold, which got the vineyard fully dormant. For

One from the Vaults: a September 1988 Wine Spectator article on Robert Haas

I was back in Vermont last week visiting my sister and my new nephew, and spent the night in my old room in the house I grew up in. I was browsing through old papers late one night when I uncovered a 1988 issue of the Wine Spectator in which

Grapes of the Rhone Valley: Picpoul Blanc

Picpoul Blanc (also spelled Piquepoul Blanc) is one of the lesser-known Rhône varietals, but one that we think has a tremendous future in California. It is one of the thirteen permitted varietals in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where it is used primarily as a blending component to take advantage of its acidity. Like

A skeptic's move toward biodynamics

by Robert Haas Tablas Creek Vineyard, following the practices of our partners at Château de Beaucastel, had always intended to farm our Paso Robles property organically. That is to say, farming our vineyard without the use of systemic chemicals and relying on compost, cover crops and mineral amendments to improve