Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Roussanne shows an impeccable balance between elegant textures and bright acidity. Its complex layers consist of spiced pear, bruised apples, pear skin, golden fig, beeswax, dried honey, mineral, and brown spices.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Crisp aromas of key lime pith, nectarine, lemon blossom and chalk show on the restrained, tightly woven nose of this bottling by Eric Mohseni. The palate offers a texturally tight feel, with supple flavors of grapefruit rind, cherimoya, honeysuckle and Gravenstein apple.
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.
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.