March 11, 2010: “One sip of this utterly remarkable wine will prove itself. It’s hard to stop sipping. There is a succulence to this wine that calls for case purchases. Best on warm days or any time you want to sip an unforgettable wine.” (read more)
Y Rousseau 2008 Colombard scores
89 points and Editor's Choice!
Almost nobody in California makes a Colombard, especially in a high-rent
district like Russian River, but this white wine deserves your
attention. It’s dry and very crisp in acidity, with flavors of citrus
fruits, peaches, pears, honeysuckle flowers and spices. Great as
an interesting alternative to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.
Editors’ Choice.
2008 Y. Rousseau Colombard, Russian River Valley ($18): Striking aroma of juniper, fresh pears, under-ripe melon, and a spice note I can't describe. The wine seems a tad sweet on the entry, but it is bone dry(!), offset by a slightly higher pH so the wine is still amazingly succulent. Simply not to be believed. A “concept wine” without a flaw in it.
A Great Wine
Great wine is where you find the grapes. But it also takes someone with vision and courage to make it. Yannick Rousseau is that man. He decided, after finding a grape variety he loved, that he simply had to make the wine. It is our Wine of the Week, and it is one of the finest white wines I have ever tasted. I am not joking.
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The grape, French Colombard, gets no respect, but don't chortle until you've tasted it. I suspect few of our readers will ever try this amazing wine. That's their loss.
Rousseau earned a winemaking degree from Toulouse in France and worked at Newton in St. Helena before working as assistant winemaker at Chateau Potelle in Napa.
"I'm from Gascony," Rousseau said. "In 1996, the first wine I made was a Colombard, so when I found that fruit, I had to make it again. You can make a good wine from it and it doesn't have to be sweet."
Rousseau found the 30-year-old Colombard vines growing on Butch Cameron's vineyards on River Road in the Russian River Valley.
Numbers don't tell the tale of this wine, but it has almost no sugar, an acid of .72 and a pH of 3.51. Only 275 cases were made.
I have long championed this grape as one that has far more charm than its reputation indicates. There is nothing like the Rousseau wine!
Colombard Old Vines 2009 Russian River
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