1. TablasCreekVnyd Vermentino AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (12.5%; Frmtd: SS) PasoRobles 2020: Med.yellow color; very fragrant Verm/carnations slight chalky/mineral/spicy very aromatic lovely nose; fairly tart almost grapefruity quite floral/carnations/Verm light chalky/mineral very aromatic balanced lively flavor; very long/lingering lightly tart/tangy light-bodied very Verm/floral/carnations light stony/mineral finish; a very lovely very perfumed Verm almost R-like in character; not the minerality of Liguria or Piemonte Verm/Pigato but a very pretty easy-drinking white that should put on weight over the next yr or so; great price at $27.00/$21.60 (VINSider)
__________
2. TablasCreekVnyd Roussanne AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.5%; Frmtd/Aged: 9 mo. in small wood/large foudres/SS) 2019: Med.light gold color; bit quiet rather floral/honeysuckle/gardenias/tropical fruit slight mineral bit closed/shy nose; fairly tart fairly rich closed/tight/quiet some floral/Rouss/honeysuckle/light tropical fruit slight mineral/chalky flavor; long lightly floral/honeysuckle/Rouss lightly tart bit rich/well-bodied light mineral finish; a bit on the shy/closed side right now but should put on weight over the next yr & greatly improve. $40.00/$32.00 (VINSider)
__________
3. TablasCreekVnyd Dianthus Rose AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (14.0%; 48% Mourv/37% Grenache/15% Counoise; Frmtd dry in SS) 2020: Med. watermelon/bit orange color; rather fragrant/strawberry/cranberry bit floral/rose petal very pretty nose; lightly tart fairly strong strawberry/cranberry/bit plummy somewhat rich rather floral flavor; very long strong cranberry/plummy/floral/strawberry lightly tart finish; the Mourv gives it a strong/richer character than most Grenache roses; an easy-drinking rose. $30.00/$24.00 (VINSider)
__________
4. TablasCreekVnyd LeComplice AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (13.5%; 60% Syrah/25% Grenache/15% TerretNoir) 2018: Rather dark color; strong blackberry/plummy/bit strawberry/spicy slight earthy quite aromatic nose; lightly tart blackberry/plummy/Syrah/slightly floral light oak bit earthy flavor w/ light soft tannins; very long bit tart slightly hard/tannic some Rhonish/smokey fairly blackberry/Syrah/spicy/slight strawberry bit aromatic/floral finish w/ modest hard tannins; speaks mostly of Syrah w/ a floral/spicy perfume; the Grenache seems pretty quiet; needs a few yrs of age yet; a bit pricey for what it is. $55.00/$44.00 (VINSider)
__________
5. TablasCreekVnyd Tannat AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (13.5%) 2018: Very dark/near black color; very strong blackberry/boysenberry/licorice/plummy/pungent some toasty/smokey/oak very intense nose; slightly tart quite big/structured/tannic intense blackberry/boysenberry/pungent/licorice huge fruit slight earthy light toasty/oak flavor w/ strong chewey tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/Tannat/licorice/pungent slight earthy some toasty/oak bit complex finish w/ ample hard tannins; badly needs age; blows away any Uruguay Tannats and better than any Madiran Tannat I can recall; an atypically huge wine for TCV; this is how TCV would make Saxum red in PasoRobles if they could; terrific expression of Tannat w/o the rustic character they often show. $40.00/$32.00 (VINSider)
__________
6. TablasCreekVnyd Panoplie AdelaideDist/PasoRobles (64% Mourv/24% Syrah/12% Grenache; 13.5%) 2018: Very dark color; very fragrant strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/Syrah light pencilly/toasty/oak rather complex some Rhonish/roasted/smokey lovely nose; lightly tart strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/Syrah bit floral/violets light pencilly/oak some complex flavor w/ modest smooth tannins; very long/lingering very strong plummy/Mourv/blackberry/Syrah/slight earthy/dusty rather fragrant/perfumed/floral light pencilly/oak slight Rhonish/smokey some complex finish w/ modest smooth tannins; a lovely well-made complex Rhone; doesn't show the Grenache as much as the Esprit Rouge; not sure it's worth the premium over the Esprit, which ages beautifully. $95.00/$76.00 (VINSider)
_________________
And tasted earlier:
Tom 3/17 wrote: My latest TablasCreek shipment arrived ystrday, so cracked:
1. TablasCreekVnyd Marsanne Estate/AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.0%) 2018: Light gold color; strong apple/bit pear/Marsanne slight floral/apple blossom some stony/chalky/perfumed talc rather fragrant fairly classic young Marsanne nose; quite tart some lean/chalky/stony/mineral light floral/apple blossom/appley/Marsanne/slight spicy flavor; very long appley/Marsanne/bit floral/apple blossom bit austere/earthy/stony/chalky rather tart finish; a pretty classic bit closed/tight young Marsanne that needs 5-10 yrs to really get interesting; will certainly put on weight; great price for an ageable white. $22.75 (VIN)
____________Tom 2/25 wrote:My TCV shipment arrived ystrdy, so Pobega'd last night:
1. TablasCreekVnyds Roussanne EB/AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (12.4%) 2018: Med.gold color; very strong honeyed/honeysuckle/Rouss/floral/jasmine light pencilly/oak quite spicy some complex beautiful nose; lightly tart very rich/lush/mouthfilling very strong Rouss/floral/honeysuckle/honeyed/honeycomb light pencilly/oak quite spicy/bit nutmeg some complex beautiful flavor; very long/lingering very rich/lush/but not DollyParton intense Rouss/honeyed/honeysuckle/floral/honeycomb light pencilly/oak quite spicy/nutmeg/cardamon beautiful finish that goes on&on; not yet showing any of that nutty/toasted hazelnuts character that a mature Rouss shows; a beautiful Rouss that will only get better over the next 10-15 yrs; even though the wine is wonderfully rich & luxurious, it's a fur piece from being a DollyParton white; an absolute steal at $26.00 (VIN)/$40.00
_____________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I don't remember tasting this Rouss upon release. The last TCV Rouss I had was the '17 & it seemed a bit tight & closed. This '18 may not have been included in the last VinSidersClub release, so I may not have actually tasted it. I usually taste their new VIN releases just as soon as they come out and sometimes they seem a bit tight/closed, but they usually put on weight & really blossom.
The TCV VINSiderClub is one of the tasting clubs that I continue my membership in. Probably one of the best tasting clubs around in terms of value. I sometimes feel guilty for drinking such good wines at such a cheap price. A club worth joining.
Every month, TCV offers to their VINSiderClub at a 30% discount. Oftentimes, if you catch the special on a shipping deal month, you can get a fabulous deal. This Rouss '18 was in the January VIN special, I suspected it would be quite good, so my group ordered 2 cs worth. Whatta deal this was. One of the best Calif Rouss I've had in a number of yrs.
__________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This was the Feb TCV special offer. Like most young Marsannes, it badly needs some age to develop that honeyed/nutty character of an aged Marsanne.
When I first started trying BobLindquist's Marsannes back in the '80's, I was singularly underwhelemed by them. It wasn't until Bob served me a 10 yr old Qupe Marsanne that I finally saw the light. He's served me 25-yr old Marsanne that are absolutely amazing.
In the late '90's (I believe), Bob started adding a bit of Roussanne to his Marsanne. That was sufficient to give it a bit of an aromatic lift & make them much more attractive upon release, without affecting their ageability. I think this TCV Marsanne would benefit from a bit of Roussanne or GrenacheBlanc to make it more attractive in its youth.
___________________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Roussanne: The '18 Rouss was released last Fall but not a VINSider shipment I don't believe. TCV put it on special in Feb, we tried it, and was blown away by it. Ordered two more cases of it. This just-released '19 is a lot quieter than the '18 and seems a bit tight/closed. Jason is big on their '19's, and I suspect by next Fall this was be another outstanding TCV Rouss.
___________
2. Another very good/solid TCV release. The Vermentino and the Tannat were the big hits.
The TCV VINSider Club is one of my favorite clubs I belong to. Every month, they offer a monthly special that is heavily discounted. Several times a yr they offer $10 flat-rate shipping (as in April here), so you can make out like a bandit. Every night when I go to bed and "Now I Lamy down to sleep...", I am overwhelmed by guilt for continuing to rip off TCV for such good wines at great prices.
Tom
