2004 Roussanne

The Tablas Creek Vineyard, owned by former importer Robert Haas and the brothers Jean-Pierre and Francois Perrin, from Chateau du Beaucastel, in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, is growing what is certainly among the very finest Roussanne in California, at their site far to the west of the town of Paso Robles, in clay-limestone soil very much like that found in Chateauneuf itself. The opportunity to work with a few tons of their organically farmed Roussanne is something a lot of winemakers may have fantasized about for any number of years, and last year we were lucky enough to really do it.

FRUIT SOURCE:

The vines that produced these grapes are planted on the most western side of the Tablas property, on a gentle slope to the west. The vines are trained on a vertical, shoot-positioned trellis, and thinned to a bunch per shoot.

WINEMAKING NOTES:

Whole cluster pressed directly into 20 year old French puncheons. Inoculation occurred only after Brix had dropped to roughly 16 degrees. Wine stayed on gross lees until the end of January, when it was transferred to stainless. After cross-flow filtering, the wine was sterile-bottled on Valentine's Day. 185 cases produced. (Because of low pH, the Roussanne never quite completed ml fermentation, so bottling when we did required filtering to ensure stability.) It was felt that there was everything to gain and nothing to lose by bottling the wine when we did; it preserved aromatic freshness in the wine, and should ensure long, slow development in bottle.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTES:

Pale green-gold. Aromas include white flowers, mint, truffle, butter and honey, and rock. Great density and depth on entry; honey, suggestion of candied lime, and strong minerality in the flavors. Length, structure, and texture are most impressive.

• Production: 185 cases
• Suggested Retail: $30.00
• Release Date: September 1, 2005

Produced and Bottled by Intuition and Blind Luck Under the direction of Steve Edmunds, winemaker.