2006 Roussanne

Those of you — and may your names be legion and your tribes increase! — who have been reading me for years will remember that I’m a fan of Renaissance Vineyard and Winery in the North Yuba area of California’s Sierra Foothills. Snug in those rolling hills, the winery, under the guidance of winemaker Gideon Beinstock, produces ridiculously small quantities of superb wines. The Renaissance Roussanne 2006 is the radiant straw-gold color of Rapunzel’s hair; the entrancing bouquet unfolds a sequence of candle wax, bacon fat, camellia and peach with an infusion of lime tea. Roasted lemon, lemon curd and lemon balm dominate the palate, with a touch of pear in the background, an aspect of roasted honey — though the wine is bone-dry — and a touch of dried meadows and potpourri. The flare of keen acidity sings the wine’s honesty and integrity. The alcohol level is a gratifying and old-fashioned 12.8 percent. A seriously beautiful wine for drinking through 2014 or ‘15 (well-stored). Exceptional. About $35. The Rub? Beinstock only made 76 cases of this wine.

Of this trio of diverse white wines, the Renaissance Roussanne 2006 performed the best at bringing itself and the flavors and herbal-spicy notes of the beef salad together, though let’s face it, we’re talking basically about a red wine dish.
 

Renaissance's New Releases: Syrah and Roussanne

Looking down at Renaissance's roussanne vinesTransparency isn't just good for government and for financial institutions (cough, AIG, cough), it's good for wine. I like fruit as much as the next guy and don't usually take to truly austere wines, but my favorite wines show mineral energy and the stamp of place.

As I've explained ad nauseum, Sierra Foothills producer Renaissance makes terroir-driven wines: the grapes are organically farmed (they're now converting to biodynamics), harvested at roughly 24.5 Brix, fermented solely with native yeasts, and rarely aged in new oak. Because of these winemaking decisions, their wines are not just balanced and (often) elegant, they really show the rocky minerality that's unique to their steep, Hermitage-esque hill of decomposed granite, no matter how much ripe fruit the wines have.

This is certainly true of the newest Renaissance releases: the 2005 Syrah, the 2006 Roussanne Estate, and the 2006 Roussanne Vendanges Tardives.

I sampled the wines over two nights. The first night I made ravioli using fell-off-the-bone beef short ribs, steamed potato cubes dressed in cracked sea salt and pepper and olive oil, and a simple green salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. The second night I fixed roasted yellow pepper salad and broiled lamb chops that had been marinated in fresh meyer lemon juice, fresh rosemary, garlic, and cracked sea salt and pepper. Roquefort and grapes followed.

Speaking of transparency, you should know that I received these bottles as press samples (my first ever).

Roussanne Estate 2006
I was able to taste some 2006 reds from barrel during my visit to the winery last fall and was extremely impressed by the wines' balance and depth. As it turns out, the whites aren't so shabby, either.

The Roussanne Estate smelled a touch muted and musty when first popped, and I feared this was corked. All it took was a few minutes and a good vigorous swirl for the wine to unwind, and in fact this is hugely aromatic: the rich and intense aromas of tarragon, coriander, chai, baked fruit, and soy candle wax are lively and powerful. I also smell fresh rain on warm stone. The wine is wonderfully spicy on the palate and tastes of cardamom-dusted poached pears and lemon-splattered rock.

What's truly gobsmacking, though, is that for all the suggestions of richness, the wine is weightless. Ethereal is actually the better word. At the same time, the wine is persistent and focused. Certainly the relatively low (12.8%) alcohol level helps, but I think the bulk of the credit goes to the strong minerality. Whatever the cause, this paired well with even the meats, although it paired most majestically with the earthy, steamed potatoes.

The 2006 Roussanne, Renaissance Vineyard & Winery in Oregon House, Calif., takes us to the tastes of Yuba County fruit. A lovely pale gold in color, the aroma is tropical and herbal. There’s a bit of oakiness on the palate, but taste is strongly tropical with a good minerality. Winemaker Gideon Beinstock notes that this wine will age and transform over many years, possibly 10 to 15, and he suggests pairing it now with shellfish. Only 76 cases were produced. 12.8 percent alcohol. $35 by the bottle. Visit http://www.renaissancewinery.com.