I have enjoyed Tablas Vineyards wines before but, until this event, I did not realize they had a tie to France and were a culmination of friendship between the Haas family and Perrin family who chose to open a winery in Paso Robles, Californa because of it's similarity to the Rhone region of France.
Cathie of Side Hustle Wino invited us to join her in this exploration. Cathie was then kind enough to provide a few New World wineries that were started by Old World winemakers in her invitation post.
First on her list was Tablas Creek. I jumped on that because I was already familiar with their wines and knew that I would enjoy any bottle I purchased.
I went to Tablas Creek Vineyards website and learned, not only about the winemakers who started the vineyard, but also that the vineyard is organic and regenerative. They have four different categories of wines. I went with the Patelin de Tablas that offers Whites, Reds and Roses in the Rhone style at a reasonable price.
I easily found a bottle of 2020 Patelin de Tablas Blanc for under $30. This wine is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne and Clairette Blanche. While researching this wine on the Tablas Creek website I saw that they recommended Fish with Fennel and provided a recipe to pair with this bottle. I was sold.
This is an easy, one pot meal, that took very little effort or time and turned out scrumptious. I served it with nothing more than some garlic toast. You could add a salad for a more complete meal if you choose.
I poured a glass of the Tablas Creek wine to sip while I prepped and cooked. It was full, smooth, and buttery in feel but not in taste. Light golden in hue. Well balance without an excess of acidity. The minerality lingered and it had a very light nose. I was hard put to describe the bouquet which just smelled "clean" to me. Perhaps this was because I was cooking and the wine was competing with my ingredients that I was prepping.
The fish is cooked in vegetables and white wine. I did not use this wine in the cooking....it was too good and I did not want to share it. I had a box of California Pinot Gris that I used for the recipe. The pairing was as amazing as the website promised.
We strive to have some time together for each event so that we can share our thoughts and opinions on the topic being covered. Here is a link to the articles written by the other Winophiles that you can enjoy. Perhaps you will pour yourself a New World wine made by an Old World winemaker to sip and savor while you read........
- For the Love of Pinot Noir: An American-French Partnership in Oregon by Always Ravenous
- French Roots in Dundee Hills: Drouhin Reds with Lacquered Baby Back Ribs by Culinary Cam
- La Crema Monterey Pinot Noir and Les Cadrans de Lassegue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru: Two Jackson Family Wines from Two Countries Paired with Pork Roast by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
- Maison Joseph Drouhin: From Beaune to the Dundee Hills by Food Wine Click!
- Southeast Asian Flavors Sizzle at Domaine Carneros by Wineivore
- Tablas Creek Patelin De Tablas Blanc + a Recipe by Tablas Creek Vineyard by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- The Sun Never Sets on Chandon by Side Hustle Wino
I was SO impressed with Tablas Creek. I still have to write my article about that visit.
ReplyDeleteWe will have to meet there next time I visit CA.
DeleteGreat article Wendy! I love that you didn’t want to share and used a boxed wine for cooking! Did you know that Tablas Creek puts this wine in a box and it sells out? Let’s get this Tablas Creek meetup going shall we ?
ReplyDeleteI did not know that. I will absolutely let everyone know the next time I travel west and we can plan an outing. Thanks for the info.
DeleteI love that you pour yourself a glass of wine while you cook, me too!! The wine blend is very reminiscent of the Rhône whites, thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteIf you like Rhones you will enjoy this wine Jane.
DeleteI really enjoy Tablas Creek wines and one pot fish meals too. So nice to see this pairing turned out so well!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deanna, it was a perfect summer meal.
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