DESCRIPTION:
This Roussanne's structure is firm with supple acids, medium to full in body with exotic flavors of pear, apple and herbal tea trickle to a citrus peel finish. This vintage of Roussanne displays more robust flavors and a bit more weight on the palate.
WINE MAKING NOTES:
Grape Blend: 100% Roussanne
TA: 6.21 gm/L | PH: 3.32 | RS: 1.8 | Alcohol: 12.5%
Fermentation: stainless tank | Oak: N/A | Oak age: N/A | Harvest Brix: 24.2 (average) | Bottle Date: February 12 ,2023 | Cases Produced: 585 | Maturity: now until 2025
FLAVOR AND AROMA NOTES:
This Roussanne displays delicate floral and herbal tea aromas.
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Roussanne is an exceptionally food friendly wine. This is largely due to its fruit to acid balance. The aromas and flavors of the wine do not overwhelm the food but rather enhance them. Try our Roussanne with roasted chicken as well as seafood dishes.
VINEYARD NOTES: Roussanne is a white wine grape grown originally in the Rhone wine region of France, where it is often blended with Marsanne. It is a difficult variety to grow, with vulnerability to mildew, poor resistance to drought and wind, late and/or uneven ripening and irregular yields.
Roussanne makes a dry crisp fruity white wine. If you are looking for a Sauvignon Blanc alternative, Roussanne is a great choice. This grape is one of the last white grape varietals harvested each year. Roussanne does very well in Temecula, originating from the Rhone valley in France, a climate similar to what we have here.
Block 5- The Roussanne block was grafted on Cabernet is just above the Cabernet Block 4, located on the eastern edge of the vineyard. The block shares many characteristics of the Cabernet block below it. About 3 acres of Roussanne are grown yielding about 3 tons per acre. The eastern edge of the vineyard is relatively flat with the rows running northeast to southwest.
WINEMAKER - Kestutis Vizgirda
Kestutis "Gus" Vizgirda believes the secret to good winemaking begins in the vineyard. That's why throughout the growing season you will find him touring the rows of varietals and envisioning the kinds of wines he will produce from the harvest. For over two decades, Vizgirda has worked at several local wineries, working with some of the Valley's best winemakers to refine his craft. Today, he has developed his own unique approach to making wine and has won gold medals for several of his varietals.
In addition to serving as Wilson Creek's Winemaker, Vizgirda teaches wine classes at Mt. San Jacinto College and San Diego State University Extended Studies campus. He is also a judge at several local and international wine competition.
Kristina Filippi- WINEMAKER
A lifelong resident of Southern California, Kristina Filippi grew up in the cradle of California’s winegrowing origins, the Cucamonga Valley. While attending college Kristina was hired to work in the winery tasting room at Joseph Filippi Winery in Rancho Cucamonga while she simultaneously attended Cal Poly Pomona and received a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for wine and food pairing as well as the winemaking process. She soon enrolled in and graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts program and went on to work at The Mission Inn Restaurant and Duane’s Prime Steaks and Seafood at the Historic Mission Inn in downtown Riverside.
While following her culinary aspirations, Kristina continued to work part time at the winery, and began to help with harvest cellar tasks whenever she could. In 2008, she was invited by the Filippi family to learn the winemaking process from the ground up and she jumped at the opportunity to turn her passion for wine into a career. She trained with enologist Tish Cooper and was advised by consultants Dr. Fred S. Nury, Emeritus Professor of Enology and Food Science at Cal State University Fresno, as well as retired winemaker and vintner Rene Biane. In the 10 years that she served as winemaker for Joseph Filippi Winery, she enjoyed working with grapes from vines that were over 100 years old, including Alicante Bouschet, Mission, Palomino, Pedro Ximenez, and Zinfandel varieties, as well as various varietals from younger vineyards, including Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Sirah. Old-world winemaking traditions have greatly influenced her style, focusing on the idea of “less is more” while taking care to preserve the true character and expression of each varietal and its terroir. Kristina’s wines have earned gold medals and 90+ ratings, a couple of which include Double Gold and Best in Class for her Petite Sirah, and her Super Tuscan style red blend, Velluto which earned 91 pts from Wine Enthusiast.
Kristina’s own family has viticultural roots in Southern California related to the San Gabriel Valley that reach back to 1784, and she moved here to Temecula in 2019 with hopes of getting in touch with those roots by learning more about the viticultural side of winemaking. Prior to joining us here at Wilson Creek, she spent the last two years working in and managing vineyards in Temecula. We are extremely excited to have her as a part of our team and we know she will create some amazing wines for our winery.
REVIEWS:
Wine Club Member Patti Matz:
This wine takes me back to hiking in the tropical rain forests of Kauai, Hawaii. While trudging through the tropical fruits I take in the aromas of pineapple and honey. As I make my way to the beach, I am overwhelmed by mango. Surfing always brings pineapple notes to my mind, so does this wine.
Wine server Bryan's favorite Pick: "Now that the weather is warming up, the Roussanne is the perfect combination of citrus and floral notes which combine to make it a super refreshing choice for a glass...or bottle! Due to it being crisp but not overly sweet, I think this wine pairs well with a warm day on the porch or sitting poolside."
