Tablas Creek

THE HISTORY 

Tablas Creek is a pioneer of California’s Rhône movement. Founded in 1989, it is the culmination of a friendship between two of the international wine community’s leading families dating back to 1967: the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. After a four-year search, the partners chose Paso Robles, California for its many similarities to the Southern Rhone and began the lengthy process of importing vine cuttings, building a grapevine nursery, and creating an estate vineyard from the ground up. In 2019 Tablas Creek celebrated 30 years of history, and continues to honor the winery’s pioneering spirit by working at the cutting edge of biodynamics and sustainability in both their farming and winemaking. 

THE FAMILIES 

Robert Haas played a leading role in the American wine industry for over half a century, as retailer, founder of Vineyard Brands, and proprietor of Tablas Creek. In the mid-1960s he met the Perrins of Château de Beaucastel and began a decades-long relationship as American importer for patriarch Jacques Perrin and his two sons Jean-Pierre and François. Decades of trips to the United States left the families convinced that Rhône grape varieties would thrive in California’s Mediterranean climate. The partnership, begun in 1985, is continued by the next generation, including Cesar and Marc Perrin, and Jason Haas. 

BIODYNAMICS 

The vineyards at Tablas Creek are proudly Biodynamic® and organic certified from Demeter USA. Practices include a mobile flock of 250+ sheep and alpacas to weed and fertilize the vineyard, interplantings of hundreds of fruit trees around and within the vineyards, compost made on-site from prunings and grape must, applications of compost tea, natural pest controls including 39 owl boxes around the vineyard and sections of native vegetation left to attract insects and predators, and hives of bees to support all these different plant species. Together these techniques produce healthy vines and grapes full of character of place. In 2019, Tablas Creek was the only winery to participate in the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) pilot program. As of 2020, Tablas Creek received ROC certification, demonstrating their commitment to the principles of regenerative agriculture, including maintaining the highest standards of soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness. 

THE WINES 

Tablas Creek Vineyard follows the centuries-old Châteauneuf du-Pape tradition of blending, to produce wines that balance richness and elegance, while ensuring complexity, freshness, and minerality. Winemaking techniques, including dry farming, hand-harvesting, native yeast fermentation, and the use of large, neutral French oak foudres for aging, allow the wines to reflect authentically the grapes, place, and vintage from which they come. Red wines, comprising about 50% of the vineyard’s production, are made principally from Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Counoise. White wines, comprising about 35% of production, are made from Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, Picpoul Blanc, and Grenache Blanc. Two rosés, one based on Grenache and the other on Mourvèdre, account for the final 15% of production. Total production averages between 25,000-30,000 cases per year.