Winemaker Notes
Blend: 48% Roussanne, 35% Marsanne, 15% Viognier.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cuvee Luke Saralee’s Vineyard is a wonderful Rhône Ranger blend of 48% Roussanne, 35% Marsanne and 17% Viognier. It is an outstanding effort, perfumed with notes of rose petals, honeysuckle, apricot and peach. This complex, dry white is medium to full-bodied and elegant. Something about this wine is vaguely reminiscent of Beaucastel’s Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc, made largely from Roussanne.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a floral blend of 48% Roussanne, 35% Marsanne and 17% Viognier. The Roussanne speaks loudest, while the whole offers a mix of dried and fresh apricot and creamy vanilla wafer that's light bodied and fresh with acidity.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.