Donelan, 2009 Venus, Dry Stack Vineyard

Donelan

“Venus” is a refreshing, lovely blend of 90% Roussanne and 10% Viognier, once again primarily from Dry Stack Vineyard in Bennett Valley. 

Dry Stack Vineyard is a cool vineyard that ripens the Roussanne very slowly. The grapes were harvested at a potential alcohol of 12%. Viognier from Kobler Family Vineyard was added to bring a “lift” to the aromatics along with a touch more depth to the mouth feel. Those looking for low alcohol offerings will love the 2009 Venus. One would never believe that based on the intensity of flavor.  

Named after Venus, the goddess of both love and fragrance, this wine had a lot of great floral flavors.

This wine, with its aromas of beeswax, lily, and freesia, is complexly flavored but without the overbearing weight of a typical Roussanne. The 2009 Venus exhibits crisp, fresh, delicate but impressively intense notes of lychee nuts, caramelized citrus, spring flowers, fresh pears and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied with lively acidity as well as an exotic perfume and a dry, zesty style, I would recommend drinking it on the early side because of its exceptional aromatics. Great dry finish and a minerality on the back end.

The moderate 2009 season promoted freshness and structure, placing the fulcrum (point) of the mouth feel in the support of acidity. The Donelans’ describe their philosophy of tension in winemaking in the following way; “This season, more so than many recent vintages, allowed us to preserve tension without sacrificing substance. Tension is the wire from which all in wine is hung; tension without substance is tart, light, and wanting; substance with no tension can be obtrusive, if pleasurably broad. But tension with substance is structured, supple (even plush), and produces a more enticing wine than any other combination.” 

From QLI website: Not that it is a problem, but a winery in a business park in Santa Rosa really seems far far away from the multi-million dollar palaces of Napa. However, a walk into the "winery" makes you realize that there is actual work going on here. Its not just perfectly polished casks and shiny floors. People go about tasting and assembling wines and whatever else needs to be done. What you probably would not imagine is that these wines are some of the highest rated Rhone Rangers to come out of California.

However, things here started with a different name about 10 years ago. Pax was the name of the winery, named after Pax Mahle the previous winemaker. He made wines that were rather big, if not over the top and quite delicious. However, since around 2007 things have changed drastically. The name of the winery has changed to Donelan Wines, the owners' name and a new winemaker has come on board. The young man now in charge is Tyler Thomas, who makes wines that would astonish more than one of us. 

Bennett Valley & Dry Stack Vineyard

Bennett Valley's climate, soils and history, make it totally unique in California - and probably the entire new world. Bennett Valley is one of the newest and smallest AVA's in the US. The cool, marine climate, combined with volcanic soils, give the wines produced from Bennett Valley a unique personality not found anywhere else.

For 3,000 years Bennett Valley was occupied by the Miwok and Pomo Indian tribes. They lived and hunted in the area, collecting obsidian from Bennett Peak and used it to make tools or to trade with other tribes.

As European settlers grew in number (and the Native Americans were wiped out by European diseases) Bennett Valley became an important agricultural center for Sonoma County, growing a wide variety of crops- including wine grapes. it's hard to think of now of sleepy Bennett Valley as a thriving area, but in 1850's even Jack London was drawn to the area for its beauty - and its wine.

 Isak de Turk was the most famous of many vineyard and winery owners in Bennett Valley producing over 100,000 gallons of wine a year in 1900. There were twice as many acres of grapes in production in Bennett Valley in 1900 than there are now and at least 6 times as many wineries. Phyloxera and prohibition ended grape production. Most of the farming moved away as transportation improved to the point they could no longer compete with larger farms. Farm crops were replaced by cattle in the 50's and 60's and today all that is left of Bennett Valley vibrant past are the foundation of a winery, the Grange Hall, the post office building and a few other odds and ends.

Eventually grapes returned to Bennett Valley in the 1970's when Dave Steiner planted his ranch on Sonoma Mountain. though the late 70's and ealry 80's several vineyards were planted and Matanzas Creek Winery was established. There was a long lull in planting in until a mini-boom of planting occurred in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

Wellington 2008 Roussanne, Sonoma County

  Glen Ellen, CA - Wellington Vineyards is owned by the father and son team of John and Peter Wellington. John purchased the winery site in 1986. At the time, it consisted of 20 acres of old vines and a few decrepit old fruit and nut trees. Replanting of part of the old vineyard and orchard started in 1988. The winery was completed in time for the 1989 crush. We grow approximately half the grapes we use and purchase the remainder, primarily from small, unique vineyards.

Composition:  86.5% Roussanne, 13.5% Marsanne

Vineyard: 19% Estate, 81% Saralee’s Vineyard

Alcohol: 13.9%

pH: 3.6

Production: 341 cases

Release Date: October, 2009

The Roussanne grapes from the very cool Saralee’s Vineyard provide wonderful aromas reminiscent of apricot and tropical fruit.  Our estate Roussanne produced a big, fat wine with an almost honeyed character which nicely complements the complex floral and tropical fruit aromas and flavors of the Saralee’s portion. The texture is a bit leaner than the 2006 & 2007 vintages.  The balance is exquisite, neither watery nor cloying, neither sweet nor tart.  The flavors echo the aromas and lead to a long, fruity finish.

Roussanne is a variety that has been grown for centuries, in Northern Rhone locations like Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St. Joseph and St. Peray. These specific grapes carried the aroma of apricot and tropical fruit, ending in a big, fat wine, like honey, which goes well with the floral fruity flavors and the texture.

The Wellington Estate vineyards consist of 21 acres, 8 of which are 85 to 117 years old. There are 24 different varieties in the old vineyard, with the most common being Zinfandel, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet, Grenache and Syrah. In addition, there are 10 acres of eleven to sixteen year old vines that consist of Merlot, Chardonnay, Marsanne, and Syrah. Three more acres were replanted in 2001, predominantly to Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache.

Saralee's Vineyard - Russian River Valley

Two white varietals of France's northern Rhône, Marsanne and Roussanne have found surging popularity in California. Given the high demand for Rhône whites, it's extremely difficult to find top-quality fruit.  The vineyard is situated within two miles of the Russian River, with a soil composition of sandy-clay-loam that matches particularly well with these Pinot Noir vines. The vineyard has a Northern/Southern exposure and is at 150 ft. above sea level making for fog engulfed summer morning allowing for a slow maturation of the grapes.

The moderate temperatures and precision farming at this Russian River site make for a perfect match for these varietals. Planted in 2002 in well draining sandy-loam soils, Saralee's is a high density site, with vines spread just 4 feet apart. They're cropped to a single cluster per shoot, the same aggressive viticulture practices we use for the Russian River Viognier.  Detailed vine identification maps for each vine in the entire operation indicate all varietals, clones, and rootstocks, linking them to specific individual mother vines at UC Davis Foundation Blocks, thus helping vintners to make varietal selections and clonal blends. You will find no better source for grape industry needs than The Vineyards of Rich and Saralee.

 This is a plein air painting by Georgia Simons painted at Saralee Vineyards.

Alban Vineyards 2006 Roussanne, Edna Valley

Known for Rhone obsession, Alban Vineyards was the first winery in the U.S. to focus only on Rhone varietals and owner John Alban was one of the first proponents of Rhone varietals in California. Located in the Edna Valley AVA in San Louis Obispo County. Alban specializes in Syrah, Grenache, Marsanne, Viognier and Roussanne.


"John Alban of Alban Vineyards is by any and all measures a pioneer of Rhône-styled wines in California, particularly Viognier. He established his Alban Vineyards brand, the first in America to specialize in Rhône varietals, in 1989... Almost none of the Rhône varieties he wanted to plant existed in California. Alban spent years propagating vines and then planting them in Edna Valley, a cool appellation just outside of San Luis Obispo. He felt it was a great site, especially for Viognier. John Alban the pioneer, has become John Alban, the spiritual leader, and even the “Johnny Appleseed” of the movement. Rhône varieties are now flourishing in California, thanks in great part to a man who wouldn’t settle for only chocolate and vanilla...." Gregory Walter   See more from WineCountry.com

Nearly all Roussanne cuttings in California, Washington and Oregon are descendents of those brought in by John Alban or Tablas Creek.... Roussanne (in the words of John Alban) "tends to be a rollercoaster". It varies often widely depending on where it's grown and where it is in its life cycle. And it's a polarizing wine; different people will love and hate the same wine. This makes it more of a challenge.... The first large tasting of American Roussannes, in 1998 at the Hospice du Rhone, was notable ... as the wines were "as different as they were fascinating". Read more from the 2008 Roussanne Symposium
Varietal Roussanne is a much rarer beast; it is more typically an ingredient in a southern French blend. Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape has long favoured it and pioneered it as a varietal in a stunning oaked version from some particularly old vines. Roussanne is also scented, with something more akin to lime and blossom than richer fruits, but usually has much less body than Viognier. Blending it with the much plumper Marsanne, as has long been common in Hermitage, gives it ballast.
Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne all come from the Rhône Valley, but until the late 1980s Viognier was grown almost exclusively around the village of Condrieu in the northern Rhône. Roussanne is grown in the northern but especially southern Rhône and Provence.jancisrobinson.com

In 1989, John Alban began planting vineyards on his 250 acre property. From this fruit, John Alban makes aromatically complex and explosively rich wines. He works entirely with fruit from his own material planted on chalk-rich hillside vineyards open to cooling sea breezes. The wines have exotic yet varietaly accurate character and and creamy sweetness to provide immediate pleasure, but have the balance and structure to age.

Body:  Full 
Blend:  75% Roussanne, 25% Viognier
Case Production:  450 cases

POINTS
91 points Robert Parker: "The 2006 Roussanne Estate, which includes 25% Viognier in the blend, is a heavier, more waxy style of white wine that appears to possess some tannin. As this varietal often does, this full-bodied effort comes across as a “love it or leave it” wine. I happen to adore this style, but their aging curve is almost impossible to predict. I recommend drinking these Roussannes on the earlier rather than later side. This offering would drink beautifully with fatty fish or grilled chicken dishes as it almost has the weight, richness, and structure of a dry red wine. Alban’s decision to add 25% Viognier to the blend has given the wine more complexity as well as a slightly uplifting character." (06/08)

91 points Wine Spectator: "Wonderfully fragrant, with cedar and pine notes to the passion fruit, marmalade and floral honeysuckle flavors. Full-bodied and nicely juicy, with fantastic intensity. Drink now through 2012." (4.30.09)

Eat with: pan-roasted black cod, yellow corn, fingerling potatoes, savoy cabbage & black truffle emulsion.

Truchard 2007 Roussanne, Carneros

Truchard Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. Proprietors Tony and Jo Ann Truchard have managed a successful vineyard and grown exceptional grapes for over 30 years. Through their hard work and devotion to this unique property, they helped pioneer grape growing in the Carneros. In 1989, the Truchards established a winery and began producing wines using only their estate-grown fruit.

Truchard Vineyards, located it Sonoma’s Carneros District has been producing grapes for over 30 years on the site of an old prune orchard. While well known for many varietals, one of the most unusual is the 3 acre parcel planted to a the not so common Roussanne. Growing in soils composed of volcanic rock and ash, the vines benefit from the gently sloped terrain and cooler Carneros temperatures.

Roussanne, one of the white grape varietals of the Rhone is most often blended with Marsanne and rarely seen on it’s own. Truchard believes this challenging grape can achieve greatness when grown in the correct area and allowed to ripen to perfect maturity.

Rich flavors of green apple, honeydew melon and lychee are balanced by sweet aromas of nectarine, pears and pineapple all brought together with a citrus-mineral acidity which makes for an unctuous yet clean bright palate.


WINEMAKING: All of the fruit was whole cluster pressed and fermented in French oak barrels (20%) new. After fermentation the wine remains in barrel on the lees (sur lie) for 6 months. A partial malolactic fermentation (30% complete) allows the wine to retain its natural acidity, while regular stirring of the lees (battonage) gives added complexity and richness. 
This wine was bottled in May 2006.
Case Production: 969 cases

This wine lends itself to a number of dishes but has a special affinity to richer style fish preparations such as our local black cod with a black truffle emulsion.

2006 Zaca Mesa Roussanne, Santa Ynez Valley

From their website: Roussanne is a richly complex, white grape variety indigenous to the Rhône Valley of France. It is a difficult grape to grow because it is very susceptible to rot and mildew and ripens late.

After being hand harvested, this Roussanne was gently pressed and placed in French oak barrels to ferment. The wine was then aged “sur lie” or on the lees (yeast and solids) for 10 months, stirring each barrel regularly to enhance the rich, creamy mouth feel. Zaca Mesa Vineyards BLOCK: Foxen C

Aromas: apricots, figs, honey, spice
Body: medium
Color: yellow

There are only 200 acres of Roussanne planted in California and Zaca Mesa owns 8 of them.

Tasting Notes: On the nose, aromas of apricots, figs, honey and spice fill the glass. Alingering finish has a touch of minerality, a signature characteristic of our vineyard. Enjoy with grilled halibut, lobster risotto or rosemary roasted chicken over the next five years. — Clay Brock, Winemaker

Eat with: sautéed Pacific rock cod, fennel purée, baby summer squash, niçoise olives, garlic confit & sundried tomato vinaigrette

2007 Wellington Roussanne, Sonoma Valley

In the vineyard Wellington practices sustainable agriculture. They use a blend of organic and traditional farming practices that promote healthy vines and a healthy environment. Their new, irrigated vineyard blocks have permanent cover crops in order to help replenish the soil and to provide habitat for beneficial insects and spiders. The old, dry-farmed blocks are still cultivated (with a pre-W.W.II Allis-Chalmers model M crawler), in order to retain soil moisture. Sulfur dust, used for millennia to control powdery mildew, is the only thing that we ever put on the vines; fortunately they never need insecticides.

Winemaking is custom tailored to each small lot of grapes (typical lot size is less than four tons). There are no standard practices other than utilization of the utmost care in handling grapes and wine. All wines are aged in small oak barrels, clarified by racking and are bottled either unfiltered or with minimal filtration. Their oak barrels are currently 90% French, 10% American.

Aromas: white flowers, almonds, green apple, and a burst of lemon on the midpalate.
Body: Medium
Color: Straw Yellow

From their website: Roussanne is a variety that has been grown in the Northern Rhône appellations of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St. Joseph and St. Peray for centuries. A century ago, White Hermitage was considered the best white wine in France. Many producers of Rhone variety whites are making “Chardonnay wannabees” – big, fat wines with lots of new oak. At Wellington Vineyards we produce Marsanne, Roussanne, and Sauvignon blanc with minimal new oak, so that the true character of the grape variety shines through.

Eat with: goat cheese sampler, selections of local & imported artisan goat cheese, seasonal fruit & baguette

Website: http://www.wellingtonvineyards.com/

2006 Copain Roussanne, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles

From their website: Bees wax, lemon curd and fennel pollen aromas are pure and full on the nose. Crisp acidity buttresses the waxy roussanne character and keeps the zesty pear and lychee flavors lively on the palate. A beautifully seamless finish is long and pure with long lingering honeycomb like flavors.

The vineyard is located in Westside Paso Robles out Hwy 46 about 12 miles from the ocean and Hearst Castle, as a crow flies. The proximity to the ocean helps regulate the high temperatures often associated with Paso Robles and is further aided by tremendous diurnal temperature variations. Peak temperatures can reach the low 100-degree range yet dive into the low 50s at night, allowing for the vines to recover. These large temperature fluctuations between high and low create a very desirable "sugar to acid ratio". This, coupled with the high-lime, calcareous soils which do not allow for a lot of potassium absorption, keep pHs lower, even at elevated sugar levels, resulting in ripe fruity wines with a balanced underlying acidity. This vineyard's attributes aid in my syrah winemaking technique of including 50% to 100% whole cluster, dependant on vintage.Very small production winery in Paso dedicated to making organic single vineyard wines that are true to the varietal characteristics.

Aromas: lemon cream pie, white flowers, orange dreamsicle, fennel, beeswax
Body: Medium
Color: Straw Yellow

Eat with: spring pea pancakes, shaved carrots, yellow beets, pea shoots & carrot-ginger beurre blanc

http://www.copainwines.com/alt/Copain_Wine_Cellars/Home.html

2007 Parmalee Hill "Darcy", Sonoma Valley

The heart of the Parmelee-Hill property sits on a knoll that faces the Sonoma Valley to the East and San Pablo Bay to the South. The climate is typical of coastal influenced areas. Morning fog retreats during warming midday hours. The warmth is commonly broken however by intense afternoon ocean winds that quickly drop the temperature. The fog sometimes retreats only as far as the Western hills until it blows back overhead fairly early in the afternoon. This type of climate tends to be self-restricting, resulting in naturally low-yielding vines producing fruit with intense flavor.

Aromas: perfume, floral, honeysuckle, citrus
Body: full
Color: pale gold

From their website: What a wonderful wine. This may be our finest accomplishment to date. Named after our daughter, Darcy Hill Merritt, who you will often see at tastings.

Winemaker comments: Rich and pale gold in color with green highlights. The nose is perfumey and floral with honeysuckle and a hint of lemon lime plus pear and stone fruit, slightly mineral or stony. A floral and lively palate, rich tropical fruit including nectarine and melon, full bodied, balanced, lush fruit finish. 125 cases produced.

Our fruit is hand-picked at night for better quality; Experienced crews are the backbone of the success at Parmelee-Hill. Nothing other than the cleanest, ripest fruit will make it from the field to the winery. We attempt to harvest as much as possible at night when the fruit is colder and is both truer in sugar content and more resistant to being battered and split during harvest. The boxes are stacked and hauled to the winery where they are dumped and sorted by hand. The end results are whole intact clusters that look much the same as when they were hanging on the vine.

We only crush about 10 tons of fruit for our own use. The largest lot crushed is 2.5 tons, and most lots are harvested in one ton increments. This technique is tough on the farmer (us) however allows Don to source fruit from different blocks to come up with the ultimate field blend for our finished product. We also now have the advantage of experimenting in the vineyard with different practices and tasting the end product to continue to try and increase the quality of the fruit we grow.

Eat with: goat cheese sampler, three selections of local & imported artisan goat cheese, seasonal fruit & baguette

http://www.sonomasyrah.com/

2007 Sobon Estate Roussanne, Amador County

This winery was started in 1989 by Leon and Shirley Sobon. It was a 30th wedding anniversary present to each other. Paul Sobon is the second generation of the Sobon family to lead the winemaking team. Paul’s previous experience in Australia and Bordeaux, France; his on the job training; and his "can-do" attitude makes him extremely well qualified for the position.

In 1989, our family made the decision to start farming sustainably. After a winter of much research, we began using as few chemicals as possible. Our growing practices have evolved over the years, and today we employ complimentary plantings, beneficial bugs, and other natural growing techniques that we believe encourage healthier grapes and better tasting wines.

From their website: We now farm 160 acres of wine grapes, olives, prunes and walnuts. The wines are made by conventional means using a minimum of sulfites to preserve freshness and color. At bottling, our wine contains between 15-20 parts per million free sulfites, which diminish after several months in the bottle. (for informational purposes, wines with no added sulfites can contain 8-12 parts per million of sulfites, a natural product of fermentation). We believe the small amounts of sulfites we use are necessary to maintain the freshness, stability, ageability, and enjoyment of our wines.

Aroma: floral, butterscotch, pears, hint of minerality
Body: Medium
Color: Yellow

Eat With: salad of the season, radish & carrot julienne, spring onions, garlic croutons & carrot vinaigrette.

http://sobonwine.com/

Truchard 2005 Roussanne Botrytis

Truchard 2005 Roussanne Botrytis

Vintage:
Near perfect conditions throughout the spring of 2005 resulted in excellent berry set and a very large crop. Mild summer temperatures gradually ripened the fruit, allowing for extremely long “hang time”. The 2005 vintage produced elegant wines; with intense aromas, rich flavors, and bright acidity.

Vineyard:
This exotic dessert wine was made from Roussanne that was left to hang on the vine until mid November. Ideal conditions of high humidity and moderate temperatures allowed for the growth of botrytis cinera, an unusual mold that can grow on the grape clusters. Botrytis causes the fruit to dehydrate and become extremely sweet, it also produces unique aromas and flavors. It is rare and highly prized when making a “late harvest” wine; for this reason Botrytis is often referred to as the “noble rot”.

Winemaking:
All of the fruit was whole cluster pressed. The fermentation was carried out in French oak barrels (25%) new, using a special Sauterne yeast. The fermentation was halted when the proper balance of sugar and alcohol was achieved. The wine was aged in barrels for 10 months and bottled in August 2006.

Truchard Winemaker Profile:
Sal de Ianni worked his first harvest in 1994 at Hess Collection Winery. He spent 6 months in the cellar, and then returned to school. During the 1995 vintage, he worked at Cuvaison Winery, in both the cellar and the lab. After six months, he went back to Davis to finish my thesis: “Investigating Methods of Detecting Urea in Wine.” In the summer of 1996, he received his MS in Enology and returned to Cuvaison for the upcoming harvest, as the enologist. Immediately after harvest he was offered the opportunity work in Margaret River, Western Australia. He would be the “temporary” winemaker at a small ultra-premium winery – Pierro Margaret River Vineyards. He left for Australia in January 1997 and returned to Cuvaison in August, just in time for the 1997 harvest there in California.

After his winemaking experience in Australia, He felt that it was hard to go back to being an enologist; so he began searching for a winemaking position in the Napa Valley. He answered a help-wanted ad the local paper which read “small, family-owned winery looking for a hands-on winemaker.” He joined Tony and Jo Ann Truchard at Truchard Vineyards in January 1998 and is still there ten years later.

Tasting Notes:
A floral nose of dried apricots, mango, and honeysuckle. The mouth is bright and viscous - with the flavors of ripe pear, nectarine, and wild flower honey. Firm acidity provides a clean, crisp finish of citrus and peach. 200 cases produced.