Fri 12 Aug 2011
Eve’s Wine 101: Edward Sellers is Roussanne and Ready
Posted by admin under Eve Bushman , Food/Wine , Local , Opinion , Santa Clarita Valley [2] Comments
At a recent Grape of the Night event, that a dozen or more friends attend under the tutelage of Eve’s Wine 101 staff writer Rusty Sly, the assigned varietal was one none of us was overly familiar with: Roussanne. Grape of the Night, for those of you new to Eve’s Wine 101, is an event Rusty created with friends in Florida. Their wine shop, now sadly closed, organized an event where wine friends- both novice and expert- met every month over a different wine varietal. The idea being that dedicating the palate to one varietal guests would detect nuances more readily, learn and decide what they liked the most. In our west coast version, held at Valencia Wine Company usually on the first or second Monday each month, guests are asked to bring or buy a bottle to share. (One bottle per person or couple, and if you bring a bottle, our deal with the bar is to purchase one of theirs.) Lots of chatter, as each person is tasked with talking about the wine they brought. Our biggest challenge is usually finding the varietal, as Rusty often adds the caveat that it must be 85% or greater of the one we are studying. At the end of the evening, Rusty takes a general consensus as to what we will try the next month.
Now, back to Roussanne. Rusty said, “Some of the descriptors you will find will run from fruit to floral, look for things like herbal tea, apricot and honey. If the wine is aged in oak it will be decidedly more rich, and those aged in stainless will allow more floral and mineral notes to come forward.”
Tracy Sly, Rusty’s trusty note-taker-wife, receives all of the bottles poured at her table after we pour everyone a splash. Lucky for me, as I brought the Edward Sellers Roussanne, I was only tasked with the results for one. (You can go to http://evewine101.com and search “Grape of the Night” to see whichever varietal you want to see our results on.)
Edward Sellers Vineyard and Wines
I’d met Ed Sellers many years ago when he and his wife, Dani, traveled to Santa Clarita from Paso Robles, for a wine pairing dinner organized by Guy Lelarge, owner of Valencia Wine Company, and held at Maru Sushi. (Article: http://oldsite.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=49817&format=print) Suffice it to say, it was an awesome pairing.
Many other times since then I’d seen Ed Sellers, at Family Winemakers in Pasadena, and, most recently, with his full line-up at Rhone Rangers LA. (The story of that event is running today on my site: http://evewine101.com) Anyway, it was a good opportunity to taste all of Ed’s wines again, all receiving high marks from me, and decide that bringing his 100% Roussanne to Grape of the Night would be a stellar idea.
Tasting Edward Sellers 2008 Roussanne: Grape of the Night Group Consensus
Color – Clear, golden-hued, diamonds on surface, deeper honeyed edge.
Aroma – Lemon, pear, pineapple, all carried through to the taste.
Taste – Lemon-peel, pear, some nice minerality, acidity and a lovely viscosity over the mouth.
Finish – Medium length.
Conclusion – Of course I loved it. I think it may have been the only 100% Roussanne of the night. And though it was a great surprise to find that so many Roussanne ended up varying in taste, this one was a standout. Vic Herstein, newly ensconced at Valencia Wine Company, was a fan as well so I’m hoping that Guy will stock some soon!
At Harvest, this was a ripe Roussanne, with its characteristic russet skin and flawlessly balanced acid and sugar. The wine these grapes produced is complex and structured, with Grape- fruit, pear, and white plum aromas. In the mouth, candied fruit is perfectly weighted by subtle custard notes and echoes of vanilla, cashew, and meringue. Hints of brine and granite lead to a lingering finish that integrates all of the elements that mark this distinctive wine.
Roussanne Statistics:
Blend: 100% Roussanne
Appellation: Paso Robles
Alcohol: 12.8%
T.A.: 4.8 g/L
pH: 3.80
R.S.: 0.18%
Cooperage: 100% Barrel fermented
Bottle Date: April 2009
Release Date: March 2011
Production: 98 Cases
Edward Sellers Vineyard and Wines
1401 West Highway 46
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805-239-8915
Highlights from the SCV Wine Calendar:
From Roman Holiday: The $15 corkage is waived if you purchase a bottle during the same visit. Happy Hour prices reductions before 5pm: 661-799-7221.
Thursday wine classes at Vino 100 go through October. $25 per class, reserve: 661-294-6886.
Wine 661 Tastings: Caymus 8/25, Cakebread 9/13 – 9/15. 661-288-2980.
Now through 8/26, every Friday night is concert and picnic night in Paso‘s downtown city park.
Save the date for The Wine Affair: Sip, Stroll and Savor the Sounds on 10/16: TheWineAffair.org
Sunset in the Vineyard, the only event highlighting the efforts of local winemakers, will be 11/6 from 2-5 pm 661-297-7895.
Daily events can be viewed on the SCV Wine Calendar.
Eve Bushman
Eve Bushman is a local writer that specializes in writing about wine. You can find great articles by Eve on her blog at http://www.evewine101.com or email her at ebushman@earthlink.net. Her commentaries represent her own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization she may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon. Eve also writes at http://scvelitemagazine.com and you can follow Eve’s Wine 101 on Facebook and Twitter!
August 12th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Eve, I think all of the California wines that night were 100% Roussanne. I know for a fact that the 2004 and 2007 Qupe wines were 100%. In fact, the only wine that might have been blended was the French 2009 Chateau Val Joamis from the Luberon in the Loire Valley!
August 12th, 2011 at 10:00 am
Yes, I’m not surprised to have your correction. Rusty’s e-mail was on the blink all week so he and Tracy were unable to look over this detail. Thanks for reading Denise!