Grape Tales: Rousanne

Dear fellow wine nerds, I have made a terrible discovery.

I think I finally found a grape that I do not like. Sure, it's really not a shocking discovery, nor particularly newsworthy but, it saddens mean nonetheless. Before this discovery, I prided myself as an "all-inclusive wine drinker," who loved all wines (well, except port/sherry, but I never counted them). Yet, my palette has proved me wrong. No worries I will still try anything once and keep trying to find a style of Rousanne that I enjoy. 

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Now, for those of you that are thinking, "what is Rousanne anyway?" Let me fill you in! Rousanne is the name of a grape. I first came in contact with it while making wine at home - it was used in a white blend. That is when I discovered that it is traditionally grown in the Rhone wine region of France and is typically blended with another white grape called Marsanne. (The names sound pretty, right?) You may also see Rousanne blended with several other grapes in the white wine styles made in Chateauneuf-de-Pape, a region of southern Rhone. At this point, it seemed Rousanne was used in some big names in France, so I was definitely interested to try it on its own.

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According to my usual wine references, Rousanne is a interesting grape. The grape skins are not clearly white or red, but a reddish brown color. It is known for its herbal tea aroma. When grown in warm regions, it can e full-bodied with rich honey flavors. When brown in cooler regions, it can have a lighter-body and higher acidity. Most commentaries suggest that the flavor mimics it's herbal aroma. Luckily, I had the opportunity to tasted a wine that featured Rousanne at my Benchmark Wine Tasting event back in January. Unluckily, however, the wine was corked. So when I saw a bottle in the store, I eagerly grabbed it once and for all to confirm he typically flavors of Rousanne - like I said above the results were mostly negative.

SABON ESTATE ROUSANNE 2012.

Where it's from. Amador County, California.

My Thougts. This wine did not taste good. But I am not sure it was undrinkable or corked -- it smelled nice. It had a strong aroma of smooth butterscotch, plus it just smelled heavy, no citrus or minerality. But it just tasted oily, maybe even like petroleum -- which may be how it is supposed to taste -- but it just wasn't for me. (I couldn't even finish the glass). I would be interested in hear if someone had a Rousanne and thought something different. Overall, I was not a fan.

Until next time, Cheers!

Grape Tales: Gamay

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Gamay

.

If you have heard of it, you are probably thinking Beaujolais. Now before you judge this grape as a less-than desirable red grape whose most memorable quality is the likely headache you will have the next day - read the history and give this grape a chance!

When I think Gamay, I think young, fun, the life of the party - and with good reason - because Gamay is the star of the show in Beaujolais. Some wine writer's consider Beaujolais a joke, not even worth a full paragraph of discussion. But I think there is something to be said for a mass produced wine, quickly bottled as a sample, basically just opened to celebrate a new vintage. (Stay tuned on a post discussing the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration in France).

Gamay based Beaujolais Nouveau is produced primarily in the Burgundy region of France. It is known as an easy drinker that can take a chill. Even more exciting, it is usually not very expensive (I have found a lot of decent bottles at TJs - Trader Joe's for you newbies). And a fun fact, this grape is rumored to wine over even the most devout white wine drinkers.

Growing Profile.

Where it's grown:

 Beaujolais Villages, Burgundy, France; Loire Valley, France; Niagra Falls, Canada and Oregon

Common characteristics:

"Peardrop" aromas, fresh fruit, strawberry, raspberry, fresh

Acidity:

Medium to high (acidity in grapes softened by carbonic maceration*)

Tannin:

 Low, light bodied wine.

Alcohol:

 Average

Labels to try:

 Jadot or Duboeuf

So get out there, grab a bottle and remember to drink it young. This grape is known as party-er that does not benefit from arriving fashionably late. (Think Ke$ha around 4 a.m., no one really needs to see that...)

Cheers!

*Carbonic Maceration - wine making technique where whole grapes are fermented in a carbon dioxide rich environment prior to crushing. This allows the grape juice to start fermenting while it's still within the skins, resulting in fruity wine with low tannins.

Grape Tales: Syrah

Syrah: "It's a sexy beast of a wine, that warms the mortal soul with ripe, rich fruit and manageably moderate tannins." - Mark Oldman

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Could not have put it better myself! When I saw the above quote, it reminded me how much I love the "sexy beast" that is Syrah, how I can't wait for cooler nights to open some and that I need to write a post completely dedicated to Syrah. If you are watching the news, listening to NPR or basically being an active participant in society... you know there has been a bit of drama going down in D.C. What better way to celebrate the government dysfunction than with a lovely glass of Syrah?

Introduction.

  The blog has introduced the Syrah grape

before.

 But as a reminder, Syrah and Shiraz are actually the same grape! (And actually one of my favorites!) The grape originated in Southern France and is known for it's intense flavor. Thus, Syrah is commonly a blending grape.

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Growing Profile.

  Now for the details on the production of Syrah.

Where it's grown:

  Rh

ône 

Valley, France and Austrailia (under Shiraz).

Common Characteristics:

Blackberry, tar, leather, anise, black pepper, smoke and earth. (Totally deserving of it's "sexy beast" nickname, right?!)

Acidity:

 Low to medium

Tannin:

 High

Alcohol:

 High

Now that we have covered the basics, time to delve deeper into the details. First, remember that Petite Syrah and Syrah are actually 

different grapes.

 Syrah (aka Shiraz) is considered one of the noble grapes. While, Petite Syrah is a humble French grape also known as Durif. The difference tends not to matter in the end because both grapes made intense red wine. If you are wondering what type of food to pair with Syrah, it goes great with heavier foods like stews, steak, lamb or anything charred or served with a pepper sauce. (yum!)

Producers to look for: Chateau St. Michelle, Rabbit Ridge, or Columbia Crest.

Cheers!