Winemaker Notes
Blend: 70% Roussanne, 30% Marsanne
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A decadent, full-throttle white, Cohn's 2012 The First Date is a terrific blend of 70% Roussanne and 30% Marsanne that's brought up in concrete eggs. It exhibits massive notes of tangerine oil, buttered citrus, honeysuckle and marmalade to go with full-bodied richness, terrific purity of fruit and a clean, dry finish. Reminding me of one of the whites from Chateau Beaucastel in the Southern Rhone, it should drink nicely for 3-4 years, if not longer.
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.