2019 Big Basin Homestead Block Roussanne [V92]

Producer: Big Basin Vineyards  
Region: Santa Cruz Mountains, California 
Varietal: Roussanne 
Year: 2019 

Retail Price: $48.00 
Our Price: $12.99* 

Roussanne isn't a grape you hear too much about.  That's probably because it's extremely difficult to grow and it often plays second fiddle to other grapes.  But Roussanne is one of the most elegant white grape varieties in the world.  It's best known in France as a blending grape in the Rhone or particulalry in Chateauneuf-du-Pape where it's made into single-varietal wines by renowned producers like Chateau de Beaucastel and Domaine Raymond Usseglio.  Roussanne has begun a new life in California where the climate lets it take the lead with a richer, rounder feel along the lines of Chardonnay.  Roussanne is fuller bodied and bold with honeyed richness and excellent longevity.  The wines produced from this grape are rich and complex with distinct honey, floral and apricot flavors.  Roussanne is floral and fruity with notes of fresh flowers, peaches, apricot, herbs and pears.  The wines are balanced, harmonious and food friendly.  Big Basin Vineyards has been on a 20 year quest to produce beautiful and soulful wines.  Winemaker, Bradley Brown, is a rising star producing wines that compete with some of today's biggest names.  Vinous has raved that Brown, "crafts some of the most compelling, small-production artisan wines in California's Central Coast."  The 2019 Big Basin Homestead Block Roussanne is a nuanced, savory wine with a ton to offer.  It has exceptional finesse, floral aromatics and body.  On the palate there are notes of white flowers, Meyer lemon zest, tangerine oil, mint, crushed rocks, spice and a distinctive wet stone minerality.  This wine is very well delineated with an amplified sense of pure fruit and stone.  Enjoy!

Vinous, 92 Points 

"The 2019 Roussanne Homestead Block is starting to sow a touch of exotic character that has developed in bottle.  White flowers, tangerine oil, mint, crushed rocks and spice are all very well delineated.  This nuanced, savory Roussanne has a ton to offer." 

Winemaker Notes: 

"Our single acre of Certified Organic Estate Roussanne is unique in the Santa Cruz Mountains and produces of wine of exceptional finesse, floral aromatics and body.  White flowers, Meyer lemon zest and a distinctive wet stone minerality tease the nose. All of these flavors are echoed on the palate with not a hint of oak barrel coming through. In this vintage, the clay amphora fermentation and aging definitely amplifies this sense of pure fruit and stone." 

Alcohol: 13.2% 

*Price and availability in store may vary. Discounts do not apply to wines like this one currently on sale.