Winemaker Notes
Bursting with floral aromas of honeysuckle, pear and just a hint of citrus zest. This
big, rich expression of Roussanne is a creamy, mouthcoating white balanced by
great acidity. This wine is ready to enjoy now and will continue to age beautifully
for another ten to fifteen years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A full-bodied, oily white with aromas of poached pears, spiced apples, cashews, grilled hazelnuts and buttercups. Rich, bold and fragrant with a round and deliciously buttery palate. Drink now or hold for even more intensity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Roussanne Bien Nacido Hillside Estate comes all from the hillside parcels of Bien Nacido and was whole cluster pressed into neutral oak. Medium gold-hued, with beautiful stone fruits, caramelized quince, toasted nuts, and almond paste-like aromas and flavors, it's medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, with good acidity and a great finish. It's a terrific example of Roussanne from California to enjoy over the coming decade.
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.