2019 Lavender Ridge Vineyards Roussanne, A Must Try Wine!
The Winery
Lavender Ridge’s Roussanne has made my Best Wines Tasted for the last 3 years in the under $50 category. This week I sampled their 2019 and immediately bought a bottle to enhance our meal Friday night. Here is a previously written article on Rich and Siri, owners of Lavender Ridge located in the town of Murphys in the lower Sierra Nevada foothills.
The Wine
Roussanne is a white grape grown originally in the Rhone wine region in France. More recently it has done well in the United States in California, Washington and Texas. The berries are distinguished by their russet color when ripe. It can be a difficult grape to grow due to mildew and not flourishing in drought conditions. While this particular Roussanne is 100% Roussanne, often Marsanne is blended with this grape.
Roussanne is powerful with floral aromatics, with hints of peaches, pears and with a rich and silky smooth mouthful texture, almost creamy. Roussanne on the eyes is a light golden straw color with medium to medium heavy viscosity. On the nose floral aromatics, hints of pear, apricots waft into the senses. On the palate, you are treated to a silky smooth mouthful texture. The finish provides a soft nutty almond, compounded with a hint of honey and distinct minerality. This wine retails for $28.
The Food and Wine Pairing
Last evening our “informal Friday Night Wine & Dine Group” met at Vine18, which many partook in their weekly special catch of the week. Last night was a sesame crusted tuna with a winter salad (spinach, fennel, beets, chickpeas, carrots, pickled red onion with a ginger wasabi vinaigrette). The meal was spectacularly delicious. The Roussanne was an excellent choice to pair with the meal.
The Sous Chef by special request prepared a caramel bread pudding with pecans. What a great finish for the evening.
Sláinte,
Michael
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