2015 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas

39% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 16% Counoise, 10% Mourvèdre. Pale colour with juicy red fruit and light spice on the nose. Powerful fruit intensity on the palate and finish. Has the muscle of California, but some basic complexity too. (RH)

Brilliant ruby. Smoke- and spice-accented red fruits and candied flowers on the highly perfumed nose. Silky and focused on the palate, offering juicy, appealingly sweet raspberry, cherry and spicecake flavors that deepen with aeration. Shows good energy and silky texture on a very long, spicy finish framed by supple, harmonious tannins. This graceful wine should show well on the young side but has the balance to age gracefully as well.

A blend of 39% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 16% Counoise and 10% Mourvèdre, the 2015 Cote de Tablas sports a pale to medium garnet-purple color and expressive black raspberry, blackberry and red currant nose with hints of Chinese five spice and Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, firm and chewy in the mouth, the palate is filled with red and black fruit layers and finishes with an herbal lift. 1,500 cases were made.