Tried last night w/ dinner:
1. VIE Roussanne RoundRiverRanch/LakeCnty (14.7%; http://www.VieWinery.com; 100 cs) 2007: Med.gold color; lovely fragrant/perfumed floral/honeysuckle/carnations classic Roussanne bit honeydew/minerally/stoney slight mango some smokey/creme brulee nose; tart/rich spicy/honeydew floral/honeysuckle slight minerally/stoney perfumed flavor; very long tart spicy/cardammon very floral/honeysuckle/carnations slight minerally/stoney classic Roussanne finish; should go out 5-10 yrs. Beautiful Roussanne at a very fair price. $27.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Tried this right off the boat. It was easily the best LakeCnty white I've ever had. A classic Roussanne that can go toe-to-toe w/ any made in Calif. I found last yr's VIE Roussanne a bit on the overripe side. This one was not.
BryanKane is making some very good wines at VIE. I've not tried any of his SolRouge wines (made from LakeCnty grapes) yet, but should make an effort to do so.
I was mildly amused by this statement on the back label: "Roussanne remains a relatively undiscovered varietal in the new world". I guess "relatively" is the operational word here. I would guess there is more Roussanne grown in Calif than in the Rhone...but that's just a guess.
This case was shipped via DHL, which I understand is quitting the business. It took 11 days to get from PaloAlto to LosAlamos... via Fresno, Riverside, Phoenix, Waco, Phoenix, SaltLakeCity, Aurora, Wilmington OH, Aurora, Wilmington again, SantaFe, and (whew) finally LosAlamos. I should thank the guy up in Wilmington for finally looking at a map and figuring it out.
The box was a bit worse for the wear, but no breakage. First thing I did was check the capsules. None of them would spin, especially on this Roussanne, so I guess I should have sent 'em back. But I figured...what the hey...these wines have seen more of the countryside than any VIE wines ever had. If this Roussanne was showing any travel effects, then it's gonna be the world's greatest Roussanne once it recovers!!
Tom
