While in Paso Robles over the weekend I had to make a stop in at one of my favorite wineries that being Tablas Creek. We had the opportunity to do a 3 year vertical of the Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc 2004, 2005 and the 2006 current release. I wont even try to describe how great this wine is Robert Parker says:

"The 2005 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc is a combination of 70% Roussanne and the rest mostly Grenache Blanc and a touch of Picpoul that sees no new oak. It reveals classic notes of honeyed marmalade, intense tropical fruits, impressive underlying minerality, and a chalky character in its big, dry, full-throttle personality that is bursting with character as well as intensity." WA 93

The barrel tasting was great for the 2007 not released again Parker:

"The 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, a blend of 68% Roussanne, 22% Grenache Blanc, and the balance other varietals. It exhibits abundant floral notes intermixed with notions of licorice, orange blossoms, lemon oil, white currants, and honeyed grapefruit, good fruit, medium to full body, and terrific acidity as well as freshness.

Readers would be hard pressed to find more French-like wines in the Paso Robles corridor than those produced by Tablas Creek. This is a partnership between renowned importer Robert Haas (Vineyard Brands), one of the pioneers of estate-bottled French wines, and Francois Perrin, one of the owners of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape. Haas and Perrin run a serious vineyard operation with vines planted on the steep hillsides in pure limestone soils, not far from the Pacific Ocean. All of these cuvees possess distinctive personalities, good acids, and striking minerality. Even though they make very good single varietal wines, I still believe their strength lies in their sensational blends. That said, my two favorite dry whites, other than the blended wines, are their Chablis-like, unwooded Antithesis Chardonnay and the tank-fermented and aged, exquisite Vermentino. The 2005 red wines have all been bottled. I tasted a handful of 2007 reds, which appears to be a superb vintage for Tablas Creek. (Production was down 15% for the red wine varietals and 30% for the whites, thus giving everything an extra degree of concentration.)
WA 92-94