How Tablas Creek went on a quest to bottle Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s hidden grapes

Is Tablas Creek’s Muscardin the only pure varietal bottling of this grape produced in the world?

Muscardin comes from the Rhône Valley, but I’m not aware of any single-variety bottlings produced there. Or anywhere else for that matter.

Matt’s notes for the Tablas Creek varietal Châteauneuf wines listed below

In fact, before tasting Tablas Creek’s 2023 Muscardin, aside from a few barrel samples in the Rhône, I’d never encountered a pure example of this intriguing red grape.

This bottling represents the culmination of Tablas Creek’s 20-year mission to plant all 16 varieties grown at its sister winery Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

In doing so, it’s shone a light on some esoteric grape varieties that deserve to be better known – some of which are rapidly gaining popularity both in their natural home and abroad.

Tablas Creek’s quest

It all started when Jean-Pierre and François Perrin of Château de Beaucastel got to know Robert Haas, owner of US importer Vineyards Brands.

They spent two decades travelling the US and promoting their wine together, and would often discuss how the hot, dry Californian climate was a good match for the grape varieties of Châteauneuf.

They were so convinced that together they bought a 49ha site in Paso Robles, 12km from the Pacific Ocean in what is now the Adelaida District. They named it Tablas Creek, after the little stream that ran through it. Since Robert’s passing, the estate is now managed by his son, Jason Haas.

When comparing the two terroirs of Châteauneuf and Paso Robles, Haas says: ‘There are more similarities than differences – that’s why we picked this spot’.

Although there are no pudding stones (galets roulés) in Paso, both terroirs have a limestone bedrock.

The way the two properties work is also aligned: both estates are farmed biodynamically and are not irrigated.

But when it comes to the climate in Paso, ‘almost everything is more extreme,’ says Haas.

The difference between summer and winter temperatures, the difference between day and night temperatures, and the rainfall patterns – particularly the harsh drought conditions in Paso between April and November.

Importing the cultivars

To ensure top-quality plant material, the collaborators imported cuttings directly from Beaucastel, the first vines arriving at Tablas Creek in 1990. After a mandatory three-year quarantine period, planting began in 1994.

They started with a handful of key red varieties: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Counoise. The initial white grapes were Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Piquepoul Blanc.

In 2003, they decided to bring over the remaining cultivars found at Beaucastel: Cinsault, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Vaccarèse in red; Picardan, Clairette Blanche and Bourboulenc in white.

Fellow Châteauneuf geeks will have noticed the two interlopers: neither Marsanne nor Viognier are permitted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They are grown at Beaucastel for use in its white Côtes du Rhône Le Coudoulet.

Beaucastel only grows 14 of the 18 permitted Châteauneuf grapes. So what about those remaining four varieties – would Tablas Creek ever consider planting Clairette Rose, Grenache Gris, Piquepoul Gris or Piquepoul Noir?

‘It would be fun… but we have no plans to,’ says Haas.

Why pure?

Given that Beaucastel’s classic Châteauneuf bottlings are blends, and Tablas Creek’s top bottlings are too, you might ask yourself – why are they bottling all these grapes pure?

Firstly, as ‘one of the standard bearers of the Rhône movement in America,’ Haas felt it was important for Tablas Creek to grow the full Beaucastel collection.

And while he admits he ‘wasn’t always expecting greatness,’ he was often amazed at how good some of the more unusual grapes could be.

‘We kept getting surprised,’ he says. Some of them surprised me too.

The tasting

The winemaking style here is all about clarity and precision, so the characteristics of each grape can be easily discerned – there’s no excessive new oak or reductive winemaking to cover up the details.

This range puts a spotlight on classic varietal character – they could even be used in a classroom to illustrate the personality of these different grapes.

Possible exceptions are the lean Viognier and pretty Mourvèdre, both of which are made in a different style to most French examples.

In red, the Grenache and Syrah really show their natural class. Cinsault and Counoise are both seeing something of a reappraisal in the Rhône currently, and these bottlings from Tablas Creek prove that they can do brilliantly elsewhere too.

The Muscardin and Terret Noir shared certain similarities: they are more light and smashable, more about flowers and herbs than generous fruits.

The whites if anything were even more consistent. Marsanne, Roussanne, Clairette and Grenache Blanc are responsible for some of the best whites in the Rhône Valley, and they didn’t disappoint here either.

What surprised me was how well some of the lesser-known varieties performed – the Bourboulenc, Piquepoul and Picardan were also excellent. All three have relatively high acidity, and Haas rightly states that in a warming climate, ‘acid is more valuable than it’s ever been’.

On the back of this tasting, I hope Haas changes his mind about planting those other unsung grapes.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the true value of something that locals take for granted. Hopefully Tablas Creek’s embrace of these more unusual Châteauneuf grapes might encourage more winemakers to give them a chance – both in California and back home in the Rhône.

Pure varietal Châteauneuf

While most Châteauneuf-du-Papes are blends, making single variety wines from any of the 18 permitted grapes is allowed by the appellation.

Here are some examples:

Grenache – pure bottlings are quite common, such as Domaine la Barroche’s Pure, Domaine de la Janasse’s Chaupin and Domaine de Cristia’s Vieilles Vignes

Syrah – Domaine Saint-Paul’s L’Insolite

Mourvèdre – Mas de Boislauzon’s Tintot

Cinsault – Famille Isabel Ferrando’s F601

Vaccarèse – Château des Fines Roches’ Forget me Not is 90% Vaccarèse

Grenache Blanc – Château de Vaudieu’s Clos du Belvédère

Clairette Blanche – Domaine André Mathieu’s Vin di Felibre

Clairette Rose – La Bastide St-Dominique’s Chapelle

Roussanne – Domaine Raymond Usseglio’s Pure Roussanne

Bourboulenc – Domaine de Saint Siffrein’s Le Berlou

Picardan – Château de Vaudieu’s Le Picardan

The Châteauneuf single variety collection at Tablas Creek:

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