I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; rosé isn’t just a warm weather libation here at Adams-Heritier & Associates, because we drink the stuff the whole year round. Spring IS the time of year when many producers, importers and distributors like to roll out their fresh pink products, and that makes good business sense. We received a nice package from our friends at Tablas Creek Vineyard a few weeks ago, and the hot Memorial Day weekend seemed like the perfect time to twist the Stelvins off of their two rosés and taste what they have to offer. Not surprisingly (we’ve tried several successive vintages now), they did not disappoint in the least.

2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas Rosé Paso Robles, 64% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah, 2% Counoise, 13.0% alc., $25.00: Not too pale, and peachy pink in color, with with attractive strawberry and sea air aromatics; straightforward strawberry watermelon flavors shaded with some chalky mineral. Medium bodied, but not lightweight, with good acids and length, and there’s a subtle creamy undertone here in character and texture. Hits all the right buttons for this taster when it comes to dry rosé, so let’s have another glass! 3770 cases produced. Find this wine

2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Dianthus Paso Robles, 49% Mourvedre, 39% Grenache, 12% Counoise, 14.1% alc., $30.00: This shows an intense strawberry pink color, and while it’s not as generous aromatically as the Patelin, it’s more fruit forward than the paler selection. It’s also a little thicker and more dense than the Patelin; rich and intense, with raspberry, strawberry and cherry characteristics, laced with some mineral. Medium bodied, and maybe a little more, with ample acids and good length. Bold, baby, bold. 1625 cases produced. Find this wine

True to form with previous vintages, the Patelin is more Euro in style, while the Dianthus is more new world, and while I slightly prefer the first for those reasons, both offer plenty of pleasurable drinking. We enjoyed them while reminiscing fondly about our 2010 visit with Jason Haas at Tablas Creek. As we were finishing up our lunch that day, Jason called his father Bob over from an adjacent table and we had a pleasant chat with the venerable founder of Vineyard Brands and co-founder of Tablas Creek. Robert Haas passed away on March 18 at his home in Paso Robles. We drank a toast to his life, his illustrious career and his many achievements.

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

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