Community Tasting Note
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galewskj wrote: 90 points
November 10, 2022 - Pop and pour, followed 2 good sized glasses over 2 hours. There was a ton of sediment, so the last glass of the bottle was filtered. Other than some pruney qualities that blew off, this was little changed over 2 hours. The wine is smooth, easy drinking and harmonious. If this was a real 2008 Beaucastel, I'd be disappointed. Qualitatively, I think its up there with Carlisle syrahs, but (maybe) a different style. This is a charming wine but not exceptional, and I don't understand the $60 to $70 prices for current releases.
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3 Comments
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jasonchaas commented:
11/10/22, 10:26 AM - Thanks for the note. I've always liked the 2008, and think it's still getting better. I wanted to weigh in on the price question... when this was released, we sold it for $50/bottle. Our current release of the Esprit is $65. So definitely not 6x or 7x anything we've ever done. Thanks, Jason -- Jason Haas, Proprietor, Tablas Creek Vineyard
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galewskj commented:
11/10/22, 11:59 AM - Thank you for your comment. The x in $6x to $7x was meant to be a digit, not a multiplier. I have changed my note accordingly. I still have a half bottle of 2008 and that will be interesting. Since I have you here, when do you think the esprit shows best, assuming that you like old chateauneuf?
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jasonchaas commented:
11/10/22, 12:08 PM - Ah! That makes more sense. Thanks for clarifying. There are two windows in which I particularly like these Esprit wines. One is 4-7 years after vintage, where it's had a chance to calm down and doesn't taste like it's fresh out of barrel, but is still vibrant and youthful. Right now, I think our 2016 and 2017 vintages are singing in that phase. Then the wines get a little quieter for a while, and reopen in the 10-year range and drink well for another decade. So the 2008 is squarely in that second window for me, but the last time I opened one I felt like it still had some positive evolution to come. I've had 2003 and 2004 bottles recently that I thought were as good as they'll ever be, and a 2007 that I also thought was still improving. We keep a vintage chart on our website that might be helpful: https://assets.tablascreek.com/pos/fact-sheet/vintage_chart.pdf