2018 Roussanne

Light honey colored in appearance, the 2018 Roussanne shows aromas of cantaloupe, peach and nectarine, tempered by appealing savory notes of salinity and cucumber skin. Lively and bright on the palate, fruit flavors are dominated by pear and green apple, with key lime to add interest. Some extended lees contact contributes a hint of creamy brioche character, adding body and sweetness to the finish, all wrapped in firm tannin.

$35$52

93 – Vinous

— Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93 – Vinous

“Bright, pale yellow-gold. Very complex scents of stone fruits, fig and saline minerality. Wonderfully sweet and full on the palate, with flavors of apricot, citrus fruits and fig lifted by spices and peach blossom; the wine’s sweetness is nicely buffered by excellent acidity and firm minerality. Made from a low crop level in 2018. This wine got about three months of lees contact but winemaker Jason Gorski does not stir the lees. And it shows noteworthy acidity for a wine with 14% alcohol on the label: Gorski told me that the pH is 3.3 “at a maximum” (from Ciel du Cheval; fermented in 85% stainless steel and 15% neutral oak; this wine always goes through malolactic fermentation)”

December 2019

Additional Scores:

91

Wine Enthusiast

Behind the Wine

2018 Roussanne

Vineyards

Ciel du Cheval has been divided into thirty-six separate blocks, and each block is custom farmed to achieve the best results possible. Ciel has a reputation for growing red wine grapes that have intense character and dense but supple tannins.

Winemaking

Full cluster pressed, cold settled for 48 hours before fermentation. 15% Neutral French oak fermented. Alcohol 14%

SHOP / 2018 Roussanne

Varietal

Appellation

Aging

Vineyard

2018 Roussanne

$35$52

93 – Vinous

93 – Vinous

Additional Scores:

91

Wine Enthusiast

Behind the Wine

2018 Roussanne

Vineyards

Winemaking