Winemaker Notes
Constrained petrichor and wet stone accompany fresh nectarine, green apple and dried apricot on the nose of this 2017 Roussanne. Lightly honeyed beeswax is tempered by bracing acidity on the palate, with Meyer lemon and lime zest, all providing great balance upon a wonderful phenolic structure.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming from the oldest Roussane vines in the state, the 2017 Doyenne Roussanne is scented of fresh yellow apples with a waxy lemon core and soft mineral tones. Clean and correct on the palate, the wine has a rich and full-bodied mouthfeel, along with citrus blossoms and a generous heart of yuzu and apple butter. There is a soft phenolic bitterness that lifts the wine's natural expression on the long, lingering finish. It's a lovely wine. 750 cases produced.
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.
A coveted source of top quality red grapes among premier Washington producers, the Red Mountain AVA is actually the smallest appellation in the state. As its name might suggest, it is actually neither a mountain nor is it composed of red earth. Instead the appellation is an anticline of the Yakima fold belt, a series of geologic folds that define a number of viticultural regions in the surrounding area. It is on the eastern edge of Yakima Valley with slopes facing southwest towards the Yakima River, ideal for the ripening of grapes. The area’s springtime proliferation of cheatgrass, which has a reddish color, actually gives the area the name, "Red" Mountain.
Red Mountain produces some of the most mineral-driven, tannic and age-worthy red wines of Washington and there are a few reasons for this. It is just about the hottest appellation with normal growing season temperatures commonly reaching above 90F. The soil is particularly poor in nutrients and has a high pH, which results in significantly smaller berry sizes compared to varietal norms. The low juice to skin ratio in smaller berries combined with the strong, dry summer winds, leads to higher tannin levels in Red Mountain grapes.
The most common red grape varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, among others. Limited white varieties are grown, namely Sauvignon blanc.
The reds of the area tend to express dark black and blue fruit, deep concentration, complex textures, high levels of tannins and as previously noted, have good aging capabilities.