McCrea Cellars Roussanne 09

This is the seventh vintage. Orange and peach blossom aromas, flavors of pear and apricot.

Previous Vintage Tasting Notes

Orange and peach blossom aromas and flavors are characteristic of the variety. After gentle whole-cluster press, the juice was fermented in stainless tank. A small portion of Viognier was added to lift and brighten the blend.

Wine & Spirits 88 points: "Doug McCrea's Roussanne from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard has blunt, tutti-frutti flavors and coconut aromas giving way to more subtle passion fruit scents. The texture is spot on; the wine may just need time to show up. Roussanne is notorious for being obtuse in its youth; check on this when it's six years old."

From the winery:

2004 was a year of many challenges. It began with a devastating freeze in January that permanently damaged many Washington vineyards, particularly in the Walla Walla valley. Fortunately, Rhone varietals are far more winter hardy than anyone would have imagined. Most of our fruit was not affected. The summer was one of the hottest on record, suggesting a very early harvest. But late August cooled and even brought some rain, which slowed sugar development while promoting good acidity and proper physiological maturity. We had a relatively normal harvest from mid-September through late October. The '04 wines are very promising; the fruit characteristics are similar to 2002 and 2003. We anticipate good complexity and intensity, with even better acid and pH ratios than prior vintages.

A pioneer of Rhone varietals in Washington State, winemaker Doug McCrea transforms grapes from the finest Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Columbia Valley vineyards into wines of extraordinary depth, balance, complexity and finesse. Annual Production: 4000 cases of Syrah, Viognier, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne and Counoise.