October 1, 2023 - Enjoyable Paso Rhône blend. More extraction than the regular bottling, I think more time will show improvement.
April 17, 2023 - Penultimate of 3 bottles, last consumed this wine about 2.5 yrs ago.
Tasted alongside the 2009 Tardieu Laurent CdP, the Tablas Creek Panoplie held it's own, showing a little darker fruit profile and a slightly less complex and more fruit-driven wine. Made very well and at a good point in the drinking window, the Panoplie will easily drink nicely another handful of years.
October 17, 2022 - Lovely wine. Maybe needs more time. A bit alcoholic at first opening. Blew off. Give this wine more time.
September 25, 2022 - Corked…
June 2, 2022 - Translucent garnet color with very aromatic, dark fruit, bramble, leather, iron, eucalyptus, dried herb and, a hint of smoked meat aromas. On the palate, it's between light and medium-bodied, and very harmonious with velvety tannins and mouth-watering acidity. It shows black cherry, ripe black raspberry, dried herb and spice flavors that offer a very appealing savory character. Long earthy finish. At 13 y.o. still quite youthful and fresh!
It's a barrel select blend of 65% Mourvedre, 26% Grenache, and 9% Syrah modeled after Château de Beaucastel’s Hommage á Jacques Perrin. All organic estate fruit, fermented on native yeast in either upright oak casks or stainless steel fermenters. After pressing, the wines were moved into barrel, blended, and aged in one 1200-gallon French oak foudre before being bottled in July 2011. 14.5% abv|SRP - $130|530 cases produced
August 21, 2021 - Had dusty dark red fruit on the nose, with some minerals, earthy leather, and a herbal sage/thyme component. The palate was medium bodied with a noticeable tannic structure. More dark red fruit, and a touch of blackberries followed. The finish was a tad short, but there was a consistent acidity that kept the finish from being overly so. TBH, I think I’ve had better Tablas Esprits that were not the Panoplie iteration like this one. I liked it, but not “wowed”.
April 1, 2021 - Nose was a little raisiny & medicinal with 2 hours of air. Didn’t decant but I’m not sure if that would have done much. Was better with smoked pork loin to complement the fresher palate that still had acidity & tart berry combined with more advanced/ripe cherry and plum/prune.
March 13, 2021 - This is now hitting its stride. Fantastic. Thanks to other TNs advising to decant, which I did for several hours. Yes, it's ripe, but in that style perfectly so. Meaty minty earthy gamey with touches of dark chocolate, fennel pollen, garrigue, plum, and liquorice. What a great paring with herb dusted slow roasted pork shoulder.
November 27, 2020 - Double decant and a filtering. Decant 3 hours. At first, still too young with significant tannin. Then with food, the tannins softened and took a back seat to a really balanced and lovely with. By no means, a "big" wine, but rather complex and full bodied. Plenty of life left.
November 2, 2020 - Decanted. Intensity and balance indeed (that's what the bottle says). Full frontal fruit--boysenberry and pomegranate and red currant, but so much more, too--cocoa, graphite, truffle.