The roots (literally) of this winery are in Château de Beaucastel, the celebrated winery of Châteauneuf du Pape. The owners there teamed up with, Robert Haas, an experienced importer and distributor and set out to find a California location similar to the Rhone Valley and follow the centuries-old Châteauneuf du Pape tradition of blending specific varietal wines.   

 

One of the “Far-Out” Paso Robles Wineries, Tablas Creek sits on the side of a hill just off Adelaida Road. Its shale rock walled entry and olive tree drive provides an attractive, rustic entrance to this modern, solar powered Rhone wine facility. The tiled roof winery has a veranda with tables and chairs looking over the vineyard and the mature oaks across the canyon. The moderate sized tasting room has six different tasting bars for busy weekends and special events. There are windows looking through to the barrel room and their 1200 gallon French oak

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The property’s elevation averages 1,500 feet, and the shallow, rocky limestone soils are of similar geologic origin as those at Beaucastel. Original cuttings were brought from France and propigated on the property. Grapes grown include Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Counoise for reds, and Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc for whites. The grapes are grown organically, like that of Château de Beaucastel, using no herbicides or systemic pesticides. The vineyard received its official organic certification in late 2002.

 

Grape Radio Audio Interview with Marc Perrin and Chateau Beaucastel

Each varietal is hand-harvested and fermented separately. The vineyard's signature wines, Esprit de Beaucastel and Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, are blended for age-ability. Other wines made include dessert wines and Chardonnay.