Winemaker Notes
The rich texture and well-structured sugar/acid balance of Roussanne make it a food-friendly wine. The 2012 will complement thick and creamy dishes accented with butter, nuts and slow-cooked root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, roasted turnips, and rutabaga are lovely matches as are richer shellfish such as lobster, crab, and scallops.
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Qupé, one of my favorite wineries, has always been a pioneer—though they make more wines that I can keep track of and often leave me spending lots of time tasting and researching them. Of course, there are worse ways one can spend their time. The 2012 Qupé Roussanne is a compelling wine showing plenty of tropical fruits and a shading of earth and mineral; this wine finishes with a brightness that invites a pan-fried halibut steak. (Tasted: June 22, 2017, Paso Robles, CA)
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 lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.