Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 The Wild Pixie is a blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Roussanne aged for 12 months in mostly seasoned French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an enticing perfume of cedar, smoke, game, bacon, and blueberry. Firm and flavorful on the palate (from fruit picked before the heat wave), this savory, lengthy wine will evolve for 2-3 years and deliver prime drinking from 2012 to 2020. Rating: 91+
Full and silky in body but also charmingly crisp, Roussanne is native to the Rhône Valley of France. It is responsible for some of the finest Northern Rhône white wines. Roussanne adds richness and acidity to Marsanne’s soft, fruitiness, making age worthy and highly respected whites. Somm Secret—Roussanne takes its name from the French word, roux, meaning rouge or red because of the berry’s pink glow. In California, virtually all of the 339 acres of Roussanne come from true clones brought over by Tablas Creek and John Alban.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.