Kent Rasmussen Esoterica 2009 Roussanne - 3 Pack

wish you and all the fellow wooters luck that it turns out better than the wellington.
Might go fast…only enough for 400 orders were made…

Pulled the trigger on this. I am a red guy, severely. However, I just met a young Tobin James chard I liked, and I just draink (tonight) a bottle of the 2007 Esoterica PS, so this will fit the collection, since I have (3) 2007 Eso PS and (3) 2008 Eso PS left in my cellar…I just wish it had been a true vertical :wink:

No Esoterica Late Harvest Viognier? That was the shizzit!

I liked the initiale taste of the Wellington but then I tasted a strong alcohol burn. The Esoterica is only .7% difference in alcohol. Would that be enough to cut back the burn? I really did like the taste of the wine just not the burn.

Two possibilities:

(1) A few Viognier vines accidentally got interplanted with Rousanne in the vineyard, so this became a “field blend”.

(2) More likely – they added just a little for Viognier’s incredible aromatics. Impact would be on the nose, not the flavor.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest, of course waiting for the correct answer from KR, that it might have had to do with coloring. Perhaps KR thought the wine a bit too clear for his liking. I say this because of an early wine lesson on viognier being used to darken RED wine. Anyway FWIW… :slight_smile:

Edit: I’ll bow to the aromatic theory.

I hung onto my last bottle of LV Viognier like it was money. Keep hoping to see it/something comparable again soon.

Not really familiar with Rousanne as a single varietal though. Anybody have any thoughts on a shelf life/drinking window for these?

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Oh hell yes. I will buy ANYTHING Kent makes. Add to that Peter Wellington’s recent experiment (what, about 18 months ago now?) about how well Roussanne ages, and this is an out-and-out no-brainer at any price, and an absolute steal at $14/bottle.

Plus, Rhone whites are awesome in general.

My only question is whether to go in for 2 or 3…

… ah, screw it. It’s Kent. 9 bottles it is.

If this doesn’t sell out, I’ll be both shocked and appalled.

The Syrah/Viognier blends in Cote Rotie and Australia actually has to do with co-pigmentation of the sometimes anthocyanically-challenged decrepit father of PS.

Agreed. I saw the name “Esoterica” and my heart jumped, then saw it wasn’t a dessert wine and it sank back down…
The late harvest Viognier was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Still have one bottle aging.

I NEED MORE! WOOT? ARE YOU LISTENING?

Soooo…that was like reading a letter from my Bio-physics, Phd seeking son…I need a nap. :wink:

But the point seemed to be this: “…possibility that certain white cultivars might be rich in cofactors and that when cofermented with red grapes deficient in cofactors, more copigmentation and capturing of the anthocyanins could occur, giving more color in the resultant wine.”

I guess that your take is that one wouldn’t use Viognier with a white that was deficient in cofactors…close enough, or were you agreeing it might be for color?

Edit: Damn the SIBWM…this is KR! In for one.

Thanks, when I was searching on FB there were a couple and I wasn’t sure which one. I can’t believe I was “missing out”!! :slight_smile:

Maybe WD is using the NYT crossword puzzle approach, so the clues on Monday are the easiest, while the Sunday ones are the most difficult.

I was agreeing that it’s used for color in reds. The percentage here seems to be much too small for any pigment reasons, especially as the anthocyanins are in the skin and thus not present in noticeable quantities in whites (aside from Pinot Gris, and other grapes with non yellow/green skin that also spend a non-trivial amount of time on the skins)

I wonder where Kent is. Anyone know? :slight_smile:
I’m betting if he had shown up this morning to “visit” us, this would already be sold out. :tongue:
Even though I’m already in for 3, I’d still love to hear what he has to say about the wine and all that jazz. Oh Kent, wherefore are thou?

Damn, apparently I missed that one! Aw man, and I actually do like viogniere. Crapple!

Could be, but I do know (because I bought a half case) that Kent put " a drop or two" into each glass, about the same we’re talking here, of Grenache into his Rose. I do wish Kent would show to answer a few of these posers.

http://picasaweb.google.com/100529646305929211131/ForWootEyesOnly#5506138633460489714

Hi there. This is Kent

Sorry to be late in coming into this conversation. Today has been an “odd” day in the world of viticulture. The 28th of June and it is pouring rain in St. Helena. Who ever heard of such stuff??? It is supposed to be bright, sunny, 80ish degrees. No, it is raining! and grapes don’t like rain this time of year! So much for the Mediterranean climate. All that said, one day won’t hurt…hopefully tomorrow is bright and clear. By this time of year however, we have long ago assumed that there would be no more rain, so all sort of equipment is out that should get wet, thus I am late in getting on-line this morning.

Enough complaining! On to wine…a better topic.

This Roussanne is a really good example of what the grape can be in the Central Coast. It is a very rich, very fruity wine and for those of you you have a good image of Roussanne should be like…it is very very varietally correct. We only made a little bit of it, so this will be a quick offering today I think…but those of you who get a chance to taste it are going to be pleased. Over the years I have occasionally made Roussanne. It is a grape that has always interested me, yet like so many of the “odd-ball” varieties, it is hard to sell just because there isn’t much a a knowledge base about it amongst consumers. Many times it is lumped together with Marssanne as a “Rhone white”, which is unfortunate, as the two varieties are quite different from each other and deserve to be seen in their own light. Of the two, I think that Roussanne is the more interesting when it comes to complexity. I think that any of you who get this wine will agree with this assessment…it is a very complex wine, yet has a nice bit of fruit too.

I noticed a question about the packaging. Well, here you have caught me in a bit of laziness. As you know, the lot size on these Esoterica wines is tiny. Rather than order special glass for this wine I put it in some bottles that I was using for a (really nice) Sauvignon Blanc (hint) that we were bottling at the same time. It is a pretty package, but fairly dark for a Roussannne, I agree. Don’t know how the two bottles got upside down in the picture however…that isn’t my part of this offering!

I hope that you guys enjoy this wine. It is a nice one. I will be online for a couple of hours this morning…any questions?

All the best, Kent

Heh, looks like my summoning of you half an hour ago worked. :slight_smile:
Sorry to hear about the rain giving you a crazy morning. Can’t wait to try this wine!