Tablas Creek Vineyard

Wow. Showed up with a group and were turned away. They said they couldn’t accommodate 20 people… with a completely empty patio. Oh well. Spent our money at halter ranch next door (it was great and actually friendly).

2^nd visit: En Gobelet remains my top rhone based blend («based» in the Tannat component makes it non-​traditional) from the Paso region, possibly from any region. but also enjoyed their whites and other blends, the 100% Mourvedre & Tannat were also delicious. Jumped into their club.
Charlie was a great tasting host!

This was the first winery my boyfriend and I (now married) stopped into on our wine tour of paso. The grounds are really beautiful and we couldn’t wait to try the wine. The lady took one look at a «young couple» and I suppose figured we didn’t have any money to buy wine. Throughout the tasting she was incredibly rude and very snobby. We had a mission to purchase at least one bottle from every location we visited, but I refused to give money to an establishment that bases service of discriminating views.
When we left we were really sad that wine tasting wasn’t nearly what we thought it would be. Luckily we went down the street and found whale bone and oso, and quickly found out what the real paso robles wine culture is like.
Don’t waste your money or time on this discriminating winery, there are so many better ones out there.

I was instantly drawn into this tasting room when I walked up. Just to the right of the door was a large cooler with Tablas Creek labeled canteens filled with cooled water. Even before I tasted any wines, I was turned on. What a novel idea!
My wife and I very much enjoyed ourselves here. The tasting room personalities were very knowledgeable, and furthermore, recommended where else to taste! Not many places are confident enough to leave the description of their own wines, and instead tell of a nearby competitor. Wow.
The wines here were enjoyable. The whites and reds were both very fruit forward, but we were told that the reds would evolve into more earthy tones. I’m excited to let the bottles we purchased age.

First stop on our Paso trip and Sandra was wonderful! She was so helpful, attentive and knowledgeable. Amazing wines, great service and beautiful scenery.

Amazing wines, bought 4 of the 5 I tasted. Beautiful grounds. The lady helping us was helpful as to which wineries to try in the area, although I wish she did spend a little more time as to the wines I was tasting. Nevertheless, I’m sure I’ll be back, solely because their wines are so so so good.

The wine may be great, but unfortunately this was the only bad experience we had during our short trip to Paso Robles!
The grounds are beautiful and we were looking forward to tastings, but after standing around for about 10 minutes without being welcomed or acknowledged, we walked up to a lady at a register and inquired. She didn’t even say a word to us, just pointed snobbishly to a bar area. I swear, I am not exaggerating, she even stuck her nose up a bit. My husband and I looked at each other and said, «Are you feelin’ this? Nope? Alright.» and walked out. Spent our money elsewhere.
It’s a shame that their employees are so snobbish. Everywhere else we went, we were greeted with friendly and genuine customer service… Oh well! Won’t be back.

Sometimes if you really like a place or a person you want them never to change. You want that first flush of love to warm your cheeks and race your pulse weeks, months, and years after that initial thrill of discovery. And you feel cheated with things change, when the person starts to age, or the place begins to grow and attract new admirer to its charms.
But the truth is that if you love something or someone, you want them to be alive and ever-​changing, not encased in amber-​crusted memory. You may love that winter wonderland trip to Yellowstone or that September weekend in Paso when you first tasted Tablas, but you must let these places be themselves and appreciate the changes of attitude and seasonal shifts of style that are bound in a lifetime to take place.
My first visit to Tablas really was kind of magical; a perfect fall day, a 3-​hour long visit, a picnic lunch, a tour of the vineyards, and a wine club membership that we cherished and that has left our cellar stocked with a few prized 2007 bottles of Esprit de Beaucastel and Panoplie. A second visit a few years later was marred by an overcrowded and understaffed tasting room, with time spent only to buy a half case of Cote de Tablas reds and whites before moving on to Justin, where the atmosphere was far more amenable to tasting, picnicking, and admiring a well-​made wine (a half bottle of Isosceles, in that case). But that was before Justin was sold to a multinational and before Tablas dramatically expanded their tasting room and outdoor seating facilities, before they added their pitch-​perfect Patelin line of exquisite under $ 20 table wines by sourcing Rhone grapes from other Paso growers.
These changes greeted us on our third visit, one we took with a wine club friend and committed Tablas enthusiast. The tasting room style is well thought out, with small rooms set up for accommodating groups of 2 – 10 tasters rather than one gigantic bar or interior space; it’s like dining at a restaurant with your own pourer preparing the meal. Our pourer went out of his way to helps us, opening a few extra bottles of whites not on the menu, chatting about the effects of the drought on wine yields and grape quality (small crops, great concentration of flavor), and helping us arrange purchase of a superb single varietal Marsanne and a Patelin de Tables red blend, which we liked even better than the estate-​only bottling from that same vintage year (2013), although the older vintage Esprit reds (2011 and 2012) were outstanding; I prefer the lean, less exuberant 2011s than the full-​flavored, ebullient 2012s, but it was great to have both side-​by-​side in the tasting as a kind of litmus test for one’s taste buds and wine preferences. Complimentary ice-​chilled metal water bottles were available at the front entrance, for use during one’s visit, and left behind in a basket upon departure. The gift shop and barrel rooms were beautifully designed and the noise levels were cathedral-​like, soft tones, clinking glasses, very fine ambiance and well shielded from the 90 degree sunlight outside.
This third visit to Tablas sealed the 5-​star deal that we made in 2009 — the same high quality, just not the same wines or place. The Westside wine trail is extremely attractive for the adventurous traveler, with sinuous backroads, superb wineries, and sensational landscapes, but Tablas retains its pole position in the growing Formula 1 line-​up. Justin’s sale to Fuji water makes it less appealing to me than it was before, and the Swiss billionaire backing behind Halter Ranch still puts me off until the on-​site operators have carved out their own niche for those unspoiled acres and those well-​tended vines. Kukkula is so full of potential to outshine even Tablas at the small-​production, artisan level that one’s mind trembles at the possibility; should its winemaker add to the Rhone-​heavy lineup of highly extracted wines by branching out into Italian, South American, and Iberian varietals, like Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Tanat, or something out there like Nero d’Avola, then his Chimney Rock, walnut and olive tree studded outpost will make the perfect expressionistic pairing to the classical lines and Old World heritage wines proffered by Neil C. and the Haas family at Tablas. All told, reasons enough to put the Paso Robles westside in that rare category of must-​see microclimates, alongside the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Rita Hills, or excellent hillside vineyards in the Dry Creek, Edna, and Anderson valleys. See what you think — Tablas is clearly part of the new California wine royalty, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be one of your friends: a friend who is constantly changing with the tasting times, but one you won’t be able or willing to forget.

Second time in Paso, first time in Tablas Creek after having some great wine form this winery in Sonoma (out of all places).
Once of the best experiences form the weekend, came in on Sat (Labor Day weekend), very friendly and knowledgeable staff, lovely grounds and fantastic reds– they tend to grow very different variety– Rhone styles.
It is a must visit if you love big reds.

So my husband has this hypothesis that if a winery has nice roads that the wine isn’t as good, and If the road is dirt then it means that they’re not big or snooty and their wines are probably better as they’re not mass produced. With tablas creek vineyard this hypothesis was proven correct for us. The wines weren’t our favorites. My husband didn’t like the style of them very much, especially of their reds. I liked just one of the white ones, so we bought one bottom of vignette, mostly to waive the wine tasting fee (if you buy a bottle, wine tasting is complementary then).
I am rating it a 4 though because the customer service was great and the lady that took care of us was great.

Tablas Creek, I hardly recognized you!
It was back in 2010 when we stumbled across the beautifully windy Adelaida Rd. and all the delicious Rhone wines. Tablas came highly recommended by a friend, as well as a pourer at Halter Ranch, and we’re always game to trying new wines.
Fast forward five years and Tablas Creek continues to put out some amazing and unique wines. All of which are Rhone style blends.
Not familiar with Rhones? Don’t worry! Rhone is simply a region in France. You’ll commonly find GSM (Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre) blends. Viognier’s are typically found as well.
You won’t find full bodied velvety Cabernet’s here. Instead, Tannat’s and Mouvedre’s reign.
Tasting is $ 10/​pp and the glass is complimentary. Your fee is waived with purchase.
What I especially liked was the beautiful newly constructed outdoor patio. Complete with umbrella’s to shade you from the often hot sun. This is a great place to bring a picnic lunch. The water dispenser outside is especially nice. With over 300 wineries in the area, having water available is absolutely wonderful. And those reusable bottles? Very cool!
Check out their gigantic limestone counter which was pulled straight from the vineyard. It’s truly an artistic masterpiece!
Tablas was recently ranked the best winery in America by the Daily Meal.

The more and more wineries we visit the more i appreciate what a great winery TC is. Our favorite. Every wine seems to have a smoothness and a flavor that makes drinking their wine so enjoyable, with or without food.
We drove up from vacationing in Pismo to take advantage of their monthly featured wine Dianthus Rose which for members was 35% off. Nothing like it.
Love being a member, getting their e-​newsletter and keeping up with on FB with events, recipes, pairings with food, what is picking or bottling and the effects of the weather.

Loved this winery so much that I became a member. Attended the annual pig roast last August. Wonderful vineyard… worth the visit and membership

New world terroir, Old world cuttings and style… Thanks, Jay! Very informative tasting – I was just staying above Lake Nacimiento for the weekend, and I spied that this famous winery was truly just about :35 min away, down the hill and into the lovely vale shaded by the most perfect, meandering lanes.
The patio strikes one right off the bat after making the final turn. Not only very large and sprawling, this area is full sun with umbrella shades, whereby one can fill a canteen for offer with water and enjoy the countryside. Love
Tasting fee was PR’s standard $ 10, refundable with purchase. Bob Haas, 1967 when the story with the Perrin family began. Fascinating!
The flight of 6 were also interesting. The mineral rich, earthy red (4^th) was my least favorite. Could not finish that one. Rousanne gives a nice citrus long linger and marsanne the mouth fullness, filling the cheeks nicely
GSM versions here and French style Chateauneuf du pape here, especially the Beaucastel. Nabbed a bottle of 2012 and preparing myself to drink it around 2019!!!
Tasting counter has at least 5 stations, broken up. $ 40 separate tasting offered which has pairings of food and the reserve, exclusive stuff.
Learned about halter and LeCuvier here, but went off to gorgeous Denner next.

Not to boast, but I have visited no less than 75 different wineries in the last ten years. This is when the winemakers or their staff are allowed to exhibit the product that has required buckets of blood, sweat and tears.
We had been to Tablas Creek a few times in the past during festivals which normally generated LARGE crowds at this well known vineyard. I mean, when I ask other winemakers who we should investigate Tablas Creek comes up often. With all the bodies and lack of face time my prior visits had me wondering what all the hubbub was about.
Sunday we arrived right at 10am. We had a small window for tastings on this day so we figured an early start would make things easier. Evelyn was the staff member that took care of us. Man, this French lady has knowledge, passion and charisma. For most of the tasting I believed we were being handled by one of the owners.
We must have run through twelve different varietals including both red & white. The background about Tablas Creek and the grapes they have introduced to this area was AMAZING information. We were the only group enjoying our time with her and she most likely felt that our interest was present. This was a special treat.
In all the years I have been supporting our California wine crop I have never had such an experience with a staff member. The winemakers are different when they are promoting their own baby and the history of the fight is shared. In this case, Evelyn went through each wine and the regions from where they came in France.
Oh, and the wines were EXCELLENT to drink. We walked out of there with a couple cases of wine and a t-​shirt. The weather was grand and this was a very memorable experience. I would recommend an early tasting with this fine lady the next time you visit Paso Robles. Two HUGE THUMBS UP.

Sunday was wine-​tasting day for us… we had a couple vineyards in mind based on Unilocal reviews; however, our hotel front desk recommended some other favorite vineyards in the area for us to check out. Tablas happened to be one of them.
We had visited Adelaida first… and then swung by Tablas Creek Vineyard in time for their 10:30 am vineyard tour. You have to call beforehand to give them a heads up re: how many people are you in your party. It’s a complimentary tour (that lasts approximately 40 – 45 minutes) with a wine tasting afterwards. If you buy 1 bottle of wine, then your tasting is free (per person).
The FREE vineyard tours are 10:30 am or 2:00 pm daily.
The cellar opens at 10:00 am.
Upon arrival, I noticed there was a large tin bucket full of «water canteens» or ‘water bottles” that you can use to fill up with water, and take it with you to drink while you are on site. They request that you return it after you’re done with it. That’s their way of being eco-​concious, especially useful on hot hot days! We didn’t use one since we brought our own water bottles already.
This winery is also pet friendly, they let us walk our pup around the grounds while we did the tour. The tasting room was also very modern and chic. We liked that very much.
The tour was fun for us, as we got to learn so much about their unique way of growing grapes to harvest. This vineyard is v