Winemaker Notes
Inviting lavender and milky earl grey tea ride a rhubarb bridge over surging ruby red grapefruit. All the while, Combe Trousseau’s steadfast savory undertone - dried herbs and soil – gives a layer of seriousness. Bursting firm cherries and a bright sun-kissed playful mouthfeel carry through the crusading citrus undercarriage before being washed over in the crunchy, high-acid finish.
Indigenous to the Jura region of France, Trousseau is an intensely hued red wine grape that can make powerful wines with aging potential. Parentage analysis shows that it is related to Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Savagnin. Though no one is certain how or why, Trousseau made a long journey west across France and the Iberian Peninsula well over 200 years ago to take a second home under the alias, Bastardo, in Portugal. It is also permitted in the production of Port. Somm Secret—Trousseau also goes by the names, Maturana Tinta, Merenzao and Verdejo Negro.
Accounting for only ten percent of the greater Santa Ynez AVA, Ballard Canyon’s north-south orientation provides an ideal pattern of sunshine and martime fog for producing excellent Syrah. While Syrah is planted to half of the total AVA acreage, an additional third is dedicated to other Rhône varieties, red and white.