When you think of wineries that really changed the game in California, Tablas Creek Vineyard should be one of the first to come to mind. A partnership between a wine importer, Robert Haas, and winegrowers in the south of France, Jean-Pierre Perrin and Francois Perrin, Tablas Creek has been a pioneering producer of Rhone-varietal wines in Paso Robles since it opened in 1989. I spoke with Jason Haas, the second-generation proprietor of Tablas Creek Vineyard who has continued the work set out by his father and the Perrin family: to establish Paso Robles as a premier appellation for Rhone varieties, and to do so with rigorous attention to sustainability and regenerative agriculture. In these ways, Tablas Creek has been one of the first if not the very first to approach winemaking this way in Paso Robles, and well ahead of their time. Jason and I talk about his beginnings in the tech industry, his affection for ultimate frisbee, and the accolades he’s won for his writing on the Tablas Creek blog at tablascreek.typepad.com.

Website: tablascreekvineyard.com

Instagram: @tablascreek