Tablas Creek

Farming like the world depends on it — this is the simple yet compelling mission statement of the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), a group of farmers and various experts that have come together to create a new agricultural certification based on three pillars: soil health, animal welfare and social welfare. In 2019, as Tablas Creek celebrated their 30th year, second-generation proprietor Jason Haas was approached by the ROA to participate in a pilot program for their new certification, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC). Applicable to food, textiles and even personal care products, the ROA incorporates some requirements of other certifications. Properties seeking the ROC designation must be certified organic and actively engaged in building soil health, the core philosophy of regenerative farming. Soils are rigorously apprised for their carbon sequestration, and growers are encouraged or required to employ other aspects of regenerative and biodynamic farming, including composting; no-till farming; habitat creation for beneficial insects and pollinators; and the grazing of livestock. A hugely important aspect of the ROC — and what sets it apart from other certifications — is the inclusion of social welfare as a third pillar. Unless you’ve participated in a grape or produce harvest, it's difficult to understand how critical farmworkers are for nourishing our country and how punishing agricultural work is at its core. ROC ensures that farmworkers are informed of their rights as workers; are paid a living wage whether they are employed or working as subcontractors; and that working conditions are clean and safe. As the first in the world to achieve the ROC designation, Tablas Creek continues to be a pioneer for viticulture in California. Critically, Jason has used his position to amplify sustainability initiatives and address critical issues in the wine industry. On the Tablas Creek blog, Jason regularly writes about a wide range of topics, including glass bottle weights, dry farming, the impact of organic and biodynamic viticulture and even legislation and regulation. He addresses a large audience of consumers and fellow winemakers, encouraging and enabling others to follow his example. Wine enthusiasts can look forward to the impacts of a new sustainability certification, as Tablas Creek leads the way.

Long-time advocates of sustainable farming, Tablas Creek received organic certification in 2003 and biodynamic certification in 2017, although they have farmed organically since the mid-1990s and biodynamically since 2010. In the 1970s, Robert Haas, founder of importer Vineyard Brands, became one of the first major importers of wines from the Rhône Valley’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape region. He became close with Jacques Perrin, proprietor of the historic Château de Beaucastel, and the two decided to invest in land in California where the warm, sunny climate mirrored the Mediterranean conditions of the Rhône. They purchased 120 acres in 1989 in what is now Paso Robles’s Adelaida District; Haas was fundamental in the creation of the region’s sub-appellations that delineated the cooler western areas of Paso from the warmer, sunnier areas further inland. Today, Tablas Creek is still owned and operated by the two families, and Haas’s son Jason runs the day-to-day operations of the estate as general manager. Since 1998, winemaker Neil Collins has overseen the vineyards and winery, crafting these now-iconic Rhône-inspired wines. Jason has committed to addressing climate change through farming and has taken a multi-pronged approach that includes seeking various sustainability certifications, dry farming and experimenting with new grape varieties that may be better suited to the increasingly warm, dry conditions of Paso Robles. In 2013, Tablas Creek completed a year's long project to plant all 13 varieties approved for use in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. “We are the first in the world to plant these varieties with the aim of making varietal wines from them,” Jason says, noting that some of the more esoteric varieties are very sparsely planted, even within the Rhône. Today, Tablas Creek is making around 25,000-30,000 cases per year, an impressive number for an estate committed to organic and biodynamic farming.