2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Patelin de Tablas Paso Robles 750 ml

Sun-drenched California ripeness endowed with near-mythic Rhône Valley pedigree—that’s Tablas Creek Vineyard’s ethereal 2017 Patelin de Tablas, a gorgeous, raspberry-perfumed Côte du Rhône-style blend from a pillar of California's Central Coast.

Since our visit to the winery, we haven’t been able to get the lifted cherry tones and beaming purple fruit energy of this wine out of our heads. At just $24 a bottle, this cuvée consistently lands at the top of the value charts for structured, soulful reds.

Boosted by vinicultural DNA from one of the most legendary vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tablas Creek Vineyard is an “iconic Paso Robles producer, whose wines continue to set the pace for elegance in the region,” says Vinous. In 2017, perfectly timed rains snapped a five-year drought and provided the conditions for a Patelin de Tablas of graceful balance and impeccable limestone minerality.

Wine Enthusiast awarded 92 points while Wine Spectator called it “lithe and expressive, with elegantly layered raspberry, garrigue and pepper notes that glide on a long finish toward polished tannins.” When it comes to American wines modeled after the Rhône greats, it just doesn’t get better than this.

We make at least one or two trips a year to Tablas to taste through vintages and cuvées with winemaker Neil Collins. It’s one of those rare estates that’s shaped the winemaking legacy of Paso Robles even as it helps write this brilliant region’s future.

In the 1970s, like Christian Moueix of Petrus and Aubert De Villaine of Romanée-Conti, the Perrin family of Southern Rhône looked to California’s stellar terroir to expand their regal wine empire. They brought vine cuttings from Château de Beaucastel, their iconic Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate, directly to Paso Robles, and transformed Tablas Creek into one of the region’s leading lights. “These are fabulous wines that will certainly stand up to the best coming out of the Rhône Valley in France,” raves Jeb Dunnuck.

On our last visit, what was supposed to be a quick stop in the tasting room turned into a winding drive with Neil in his dusty Subaru, touring the rolling hills and vineyards that contribute to this special blend. Three of the four sub-regions sourced for this wine are rich in limestone, contributing to its vibrant acidity: the warm Adelaida Hills, the cooler Templeton Gap, and the hilly El Pomar. Syrah from the sandy loam soils of the Estrella District rounds out the mix with inky, juicy concentration.

The 2017 Patelin de Tablas is the total package, and at just $24, it’s a Paso Robles classic that shines next to competition from either side of the Atlantic.