Tranche Cellars Slice of Pape Blanc 2009
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
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Wine Enthusiast
Formerly labeled simply as a Roussanne-Viognier blend, this is now the companion wine to Tranche's Slice of Pape Red. Here is a wine with power, balance and concentration. It's a polished, focused, utterly seductive blend, dominated by the Roussanne, but with the Viognier contributing brightness and a floral top note. There's a riot of fruit flavors, from citrus to tangerine to Macintosh apple and spiced pear, with a slightly saline finish. Editors' Choice.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Roussanne-Viognier blend raised for 10 months in older barrel and tank and released only after two years in bottle, the Tranche 2009 Slice of Pape Blanc evinces decadent, musky, peony-like floral effusions along with more predictable scents of acacia, honeysuckle pear, citrus oils, and sea breeze.
Other Vintages
2012-
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
Throughout our Estate Vineyards, we cultivate a diverse collection of some of the world’s most interesting grape varietals. We practice only sustainable viticulture, meticulously hand farming each block, producing very low yields of intense fruit.
The grapes native to France’s Rhone Valley are destined to our "Slice of Pape" program, our homage to the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley. Slice of Pape, Slice of Pape Blanc, and Pink Pape (our dry rosé) are each blends from these traditional varietals and reflect our best effort to articulate these classic styles in the New World.
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.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.