TN: Tablas Creek 2006 Côtes de Tablas Blanc

I was shopping at my local Von's, just a typical weekend trip to load up for the week, when I decided to hit the restroom. Right across from the restroom, I noticed a rack with wines at 50% off. About half the wines on the rack were Tablas Creek, much to my surprise!

The Tablas Creek 2006 Côtes de Tablas Blanc is the first wine I've tried from this hidden stash. While the acidity isn't especially strong, there's a refined texture that belies the modest ambitions of this wine. Who would have thought a white wine built to drink young would be delicious at 4 years of age? Young CdT Blancs I've tasted have been very 'in your face' and somewhat imbalanced to my taste, so this was a mild surprise to say the least. This was listed at 13.5% ABV and sealed with a Stelvin closure (screw cap), by the way. My suspicion is these two factors in no small part helped this wine to evolve pleasantly in the near-term.

• 2006 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  
  
  
  This is one of those silly accidents--bought half price in a grocery store bargain bin. I was optimistic since this has a stelvin closure, and indeed there's no sign of oxidation. Dried apricots and an interesting petrol component I often associate with central coast Grenache Blanc on the nose. The palate is full, creamy and rounded, though there is no obvious oak--seems to be the viscosity of the Viognier and Roussanne at play. Very refined impression, no rough edges, seams or heat. Medium-low acidity. Seems like a baby Esprit Blanc more than anything else if you ask me, not a bombastic drink two years ago Viognier blend--go figure!
  
  
  59% Viognier, 32% Marsanne, 6% Grenache Blanc, 3% Roussanne
  

TN: Emergence 2009 White Wine

The Emergence 2009 White Wine just showed up at the local Trader Joe's, so I might even be scooping Jason's Wine Blog with this post. It's a blend of 33% Grenache Blanc, 29% Marsanne, 25% Viognier and 13% Roussanne, which are white Rhone varieties. The producer is Central Coast Wine Warehouse, a wine making facility that hosts winemakers without their own wineries. But they also seem to bottle a good bit of wine on their own judging by the various labels under their name that have shown up at TJ's. As far as I'm concerned, this is their most successful bottling. The only issue is that it's lacking somewhat in flavor concentration, which would be an issue if they were targeting a higher price point. But what really makes this special is that it's aromatically true to type and full bodied. More importantly, it is not flawed in any way: no VA, no spritz, no residual sugar. It's a cheap dry wine that shows typicity, a beast that is rare to glimpse must lest capture. If you want to know what's so intriguing about this style of wine, this is a great starting point for only $7.

• 2009 Central Coast Wine Warehouse Emergence - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  
  Excellent QPR. Floral and peach aromas. Full bodied and viscous on the palate. A bit light on flavor, but has minerality and a slight bitterness on the finish. Seems a little low in acidity. No flaws, drinks really well. At $7, back up the truck!