2007 Roussanne

Production Notes

The 2007 Tablas Creek Vineyard Roussanne is Tablas Creek’s seventh release of its 100% Roussanne. The wine is exuberantly and elegantly in character of the Roussanne grape, with honey, honeysuckle, and pear aromatics, a rich, viscous mouthfeel with just a hint of oak, and a long, lingering finish.

We use most of our Roussanne in our Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc each year. However, we often have some Roussanne lots in the cellar that are so powerfully characteristic of the varietal that we feel it would be a shame to lose them in a blend. In these cases, we reserve a small quantity of this Roussanne for a single-varietal bottling.

Our Roussanne grapes were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

The 2007 vintage was shaped by the cold, dry winter preceding it. The lack of ground water produced small, intensely flavored berries, and a very light crop. Yields on some varietals were down as much as 30%. The light yields and the consistent, moderate summer led to a harvest that produced wines with tremendous color and flavor intensity but good balance and structure. The Roussanne was harvested between September 6th and October 24th.

The Roussanne grapes were whole cluster pressed, and fermented using native yeasts half in stainless steel and half in small French oak barrels. The wine was left on its lees for 6 months, and allowed to complete malolactic fermentation. After fermentation the wines were blended, and bottled in May 2008. The wines underwent only a light cold stabilization before bottling.

Tasting Notes

The 2007 Roussanne is a vibrant expression of the Roussanne grape. Aromas of pear, honeysuckle and hazelnut and spice are followed by a wine of rich texture, honey, pear and lemon zest flavors, moderate acidity and a long minerally finish.

Reviews

[...more recent Tablas Creek press]

Recipe Suggestions

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Food Pairings

  • Rich shellfish (lobster and crab)
  • Sea Bass
  • Mildly spicy foods (curries, gumbo)
  • Stir-fries in garlic and olive oil
  • Salmon
Roussanne

Not Available for Purchase

Blend

  • 100% Roussanne

Technical Notes

  • 14.3% Alcohol by Volume
  • 525 Cases Produced

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Upcoming Events

Celebrate Paso Robles Wine Festival with Tablas Creek

Join us for the Paso Robles Wine Community's biggest celebration! We'll pour Esprit de Beaucastel at Friday's Reserve Event and a range of new releases at Saturday's Grand Tasting. And all weekend we'll have special wines open at the winery and will be taking tours to visit our herd of sheep, alpacas and donkeys. Sunday 11am to 1:30pm enjoy Chef Jacob Lovejoy's small plates, free with a tasting. Details & more events »

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On the Blog: When Terroir Was a Dirty Word

May 15, 2013

Take a look at the seven-line entry of Frank Schoonmaker, America’s foremost wine expert and author in 1964, about terroir. His association, rather than the "somewhereness" the wine exhibits, is more of a taste of dirt, neither elegant nor elevated: "somewhat unpleasant, common, persistent”. My, how things have changed. More »