Y. Rousseau Son of a Butcher 2017
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Son Of a Butcher shows the softer side of Yannick's favorite red grape - Tannat - and its amazing potential as a blending variety. The deep, dark, spicy bouquet revolves around blackberries, white pepper, plums, violets, dry leaves with notes of licorice and roasted coffee. Supple and full-bodied, it's an unmistakable California resident, rich and with youthful vibe, but the one who doesn't forget its French heritage. Aged for 18 months in 15% new and 85% neutral French oak barrels.
Blend: 45% Tannat 25% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Wonderfully focused black-fruit flavors light up this full-bodied but agile wine based on Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Fresh blackberry, blueberry and black-currant notes wake up the palate while mild tannins and a hint of lively acidity keep them singing through a lingering finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Y. Rousseau Son of a Butcher Red Wine reminds me of rusticity I would find in southeastern France. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits attractive and active aromas and flavors of red fruit, mineral notes, and chalk. Serve it with a grilled rosemary-accented leg of lamb. (Tasted: November 18, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2014-
Wine
Enthusiast
Yannick was born in the Gascony region in the South-West of France known for its delicious, rich food, daily wine consumption and impressive longevity of the inhabitants. His life-long journey in wine started when he was 5 years old and drank his first glass of homemade wine with Pépé, his grandpa. Pépé hunted his own food, made his own wine, and was an artisan butcher.
The first wine Yannick ever made was Colombard, a white variety native to Gascony. Yannick was then studying for his winemaking degree at Toulouse University and interning in Côtes de Gascogne. Not surprisingly, Colombard became Yannick’s ‘founding wine’ when he established Y. Rousseau Wines in Napa in 2008. Yannick was elated to find older Colombard vines in a small Russian River Valley vineyard. The dry, refreshing Colombard has been one of Yannick's most popular wines since.
Tannat is another wine that Yannick first made in France. He was truly fortunate to work side-by-side with the French Tannat guru Alain Brumont, who enlightened Yannick on the art of blending and a perfectionist approach to winemaking. At Y. Rousseau Wines Yannick now makes not one, but two award-winning Tannats!
In 2008, Yannick and his Texas-born wife and accomplice Susan started Y. Rousseau Wines. Before getting there, Yannick honed his winemaking skills as an assistant winemaker at Newton Vineyards and later as a winemaker at Chateau Potelle Winery.
Yannick hadn't planned to stay in California for a long time when he moved here from France. But he fell in love - first, with Napa Valley terroir and then, with his wife Susan. Together, they have put all their knowledge, experience, and passion in the Y. Rousseau project, crafting small-lot, artisanal wines.
Yannick stays deeply connected to his French roots. He will always remain the son and grandson of a farmer, home winemaker, and country butcher. His down-to-earth, respectful approach to the vineyard is obvious when you taste his wine.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.