Fausse Piste Roussanne L'Ortolan 2010

Review:

Fausse Piste winemaker Jesse Skiles calls this his "Ultimate Food Wine." This is Jesse's first Roussanne - a gorgeous, full bodied white wine with striking black pepper and pear aroma, apple, lime, peach and pear flavors, and citrus and mineral notes that extend and enhance the finish.

The Roussanne grape is originally from the Rhone Valley of France where it has been used as the backbone of white wine blends, including white Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

The Roussanne grapes for this wine come from a one acre block of the 105 acre Outlook Vineyard, located outside of Sunnyside, Washington in the Rattlesnake Hills of Washington State's Yakima Valley. The bulk of the fruit from Outlook Vineyard is used by owner Owen Roe for its signature bottlings. The vineyard was planted in 1982.

The Ortolan is a tiny "Bunting" - a bird ranging throughout Europe and Northern Africa. It is a controversial delicacy in France that is now protected as an endangered species.

Owner and winemaker Jesse Skiles has been on quite the chase this year- he "searched out six new vineyards each featuring a different expression of the famed grapes of the Northern Rhone, Syrah, Viognier and Roussanne- and one very special block of Grenache- from a vineyard that could be right out of the home of the new pope....."