2020 Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge

The 2020 Esprit de Tablas is a barrel-sample blend of 40% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 5% Counoise, 3% Vacaresse and 1% Cinsaut—this is the first vintage to include Vacaresse and Cinsault. Medium garnet in color, it has muddled red and black berry aromas with touches of dried earth and woodsmoke. The palate is earthy and very juicy, with a spicy, woodsmoke-laced finish. 3,350 cases are expected to be made.

The 2020 Esprit de Tablas slowly unfolds in the glass with a mix of dusty black cherries, blood orange and sweet herbs. It’s lifted in feel with crisp mineral tones and rosy inner florals that perfectly complement its core of tart wild berry fruit. More lifted than the surrounding vintages yet excellently concentrated, the 2020 tapers off with exceptional length and crunchy tannins as hints of tart cranberry fade. The 2020 is the product of a warm, late season, with the added challenge of smoke from raging wildfires. While it comes across as quite docile, I find no issues with taint.