50% Grenache Blanc, 23% Viognier, 10% Roussanne, 8% Marsanne, 8% Vermentino, 1% Bourboulenc

Food pairings: Seafood cooked with garlic and white wine, moules marinières, light fish with fennel or a tropical salsa, scallops, lemon chicken, and green salads with avocado and citrus.

Winemaking: Every variety was whole-cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts only, to emphasize clean, crisp flavors and preserve the aromatics. After fermentation the wines were racked and blended, and the wine was bottled in May 2024. Grenache Blanc gives the blend its crisp acids and rich mouthfeel, Viognier adds floral, tropical aromatics and luscious stone fruit, Roussanne and Marsanne bring structure and spice, and Vermentino and Bourboulenc add brightness and texture.

Vineyards and terroir: The fruit comes from eight top Rhône-variety vineyards across Paso Robles, each chosen for its quality: New Creations, Derby, Summerwood, Duas Terras, Templeton Preserve, Nevarez and Creston Ridge, plus a little Bourboulenc from Tablas Creek's own Regenerative Organic Certified estate. The 2023 vintage began with the wettest winter on record at Tablas Creek, followed by the coolest growing season in more than a decade; harvest ran about a month later than usual, from mid-September to mid-November, and the long, gradual ripening gave fruit of remarkable intensity and vibrancy.

Family and history: Tablas Creek grew out of a friendship between two leading wine families: the Perrins, proprietors of Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Robert Haas, the American importer who introduced Beaucastel to the United States in the 1960s. Convinced that Rhône grapes would thrive in California's Mediterranean climate, the two families formed a partnership in 1987, bought their land in Paso Robles in 1989 and released their first wines in 1997. Still equally owned and run by both families, with the next generation of Haases and Perrins now in leadership roles, Tablas Creek is a pioneer of Rhône varieties in California and the world's first Regenerative Organic Certified vineyard.

In the pictures: César Perrin, Jason Haas and François Perrin in the vineyard; the Tablas Creek tasting room; and dry-farmed, head-trained vines on the estate (photos courtesy of Tablas Creek Vineyard).