This looks like an interesting wine with enough barrel-aged Viognier in the mix to add fruit, roundness and ageability to the overall blend. I also like the bakery flavors that I associate with a typical Roussanne/Marsanne.
I’m guessing this is drinking very well right about now, five years from vintage but how long will it last?
[winenotes]
A few nights ago, bahwm and I had an opportunity to taste the Derby Wine Estates 2010 Fifteen 10 White. One glance at the varietals, and I expected to be in for a treat. I wasn’t disappointed. Upon opening, despite the wine being a bit too cold, it had a very complex nose. I had a tough time singling out components except for citrus and some floral notes. There’s some kind of earthiness there that is very appealing, but I can’t describe it better. First sip is citrus, jasmine, white flowers, some flinty minerals. Smooth and steady on the palate, with a nice finish.
We had deliberately challenged the wine with a flavor-filled meal: swordfish sauced with lime juice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and shallots; Swiss chard with pine nuts, a touch of hot pepper flakes, truffle oil and lavender vinegar; snow peas with lemon-infused EVOO; jasmine rice. Each dish brought out another flavor sensation in the wine. I got more citrus, green apples, ripe Bartlett pears, pineapple. The wine was more than a match for a meal with plenty of sweet, hot, and savory flavors. I could enjoy this delightful wine as a porch sipper, but we’re more likely to pair it with a wide variety of summer meals, including picnics in the park. I guessed a price in the mid-$20s. The winery website wasn’t showing this vintage, but has the 2011 at $24.
At this price, it’s irresistible.
Last week ddeuddeg and I had the pleasure of tasting the 2010 Derby Wine Estates Derby Vineyard Fifteen 10 White Wine at 13.2% alc. I put it in the freezer for an hour to do a quick chill. Then, we put it in the fridge while we did dinner prep. This time we remembered to take it out before we got into the fragrant aspect of our prep and cooking!
Upon first pour, I just sat and appreciated the beautiful nose on this wine. It had so many wonderful aromas that I was in no hurry to taste. On the nose, I was getting a lot of floral, some honey suckle, rich stone fruit, perhaps nectarine and pear.
I was really intrigued by the blend of grapes used in this wine: 34% Rousanne, 27% Viognier, 21% Marsanne, 9% Grenache Blanc and 9% Picpoul Blanc. Upon first tasting, this wine was much more crisp on the palate than I expected, but not too crisp. It may have been a bit too cold. As the wine warmed, it developed a smoother finish. There was a certain minerality evident. It paired beautifully with the swordfish prep that ddeuddeg did and also worked well with the other accompaniments. (See ddeuddeg’s post for details.) When I add the oils and vinegars to our accompaniments, I try to select them so that they compliment the main portion of the entrée, each other and the wine.
This is a well-made, well-balanced wine. I believe that we will have to add some of this to our cellar–especially at today’s price! (Oooo, I see that my DH has already done that! )
Thanks to ddeuddeg and bahwm for the tasting notes! Like cortot, I would be willing to take 2-3 bottles to split locally (NE Ohio). Too bad we’re not in the same locality to share a heaping helping of this hospitality.
Maybe I should re-phrase my question to get some guidance before I purchase.
Is this wine reaching the end of it’s prime drinking time? Under the right storage conditions, will it still have good flavor for a couple more years? My white fridge is kept in the low 50’s degrees.
I live alone and have a bottle or two of wine per month, so this 6 pack will last quite a while since I won’t be drinking these one after another, week after week. Perhaps 6 is too many for just me…
Heavier whites like Rhone whites tend to have more bottle life than a lot of lighter white wines. I would guess they are at peak but should be very drinkable for a couple of years.
Hi danekurb, this is Tiffinee chiming in from Derby over here. I’m the winemaker so take it from me, this wine will hold up well into 2016. I’ve been making a variation of this wine since 2006 so I’ve got some history with the shelf life. The 2011 was a cooler year which meant higher acids in the grapes. We were able to achieve great ripeness of flavor with lower alcohols and higher acidity. This translates to a wine that ages very well.
Tiffinee here, winemaker for Derby. This wine is definitely tasting great right now but I would not be afraid to hold on to the wine for another year or two. The wine is plenty fresh, showing lots of white peach, Meyer lemon and gingerbread aromas and flavors at the moment. I popped a few older vintages of this blend recently (2008, 2009) and not only was the acid still present, the wine was showing marzipan, hazelnut, and custard-like aromatics - just what I expect in a older white. I wasn’t disappointed.
Hey chipgreen, my apologies…I’m as slow as molasses on these boards. The 2010 is very similar in terms of age. 2010 marked the first vintage we added Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc to this rhone white blend (GB adds a cool waxy component and PB adds incredible acidity & freshness) AND it was also a cooler growing season. I haven’t tasted it lately but it should still have at least another year.
Info post:
All tasting notes for this wine have been cross posted into CT under user name wine.woot_taster. User names have been removed to protect the guilty. PM me if you want your tasting note removed or user name added back.
