January 2007 Tasting Notes:
2004 William James Cellars Roussanne, Santa Barbara County.
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This wine is brilliant golden yellow in the glass. The nose is dominated by honey, with pear and gardenia notes. The honey continues on the palate with mineral and buttery oak notes. Creamy, viscous mouthfeel with big but reasonably appropriate alcohol for this variety. The finish is also honey-dominant with nuances of dried tropical fruit. |
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RWB Score: 88 breakdown 15.3% Alcohol $24.00 Retail (from winery); 160 cases produced |
This big, mature 2004 Roussanne is definitely food-friendly. Full malolactic fermentation and 10 months in barrel make for an excellent companion to BBQ and grilled meats. Should support and integrate with those types of dishes well without overpowering. This wine is at its peak and should be enjoyed within the next 2-3 years. |
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More William James Cellars reviews. More on Santa Barbara County |
100% Roussanne, Westerly Vineyard. Aged 10 months in neutral oak barrels.
Following in the footsteps of Viognier whose popularity has risen recently, this rust-colored grape is coming to some considerable attention in California’s Central Coast despite being planted to only some 200 acres. Thought originate from the Rhône Valley and the Isere Valley (in eastern France), the grape all but became extinct as it fell by the wayside because it is so difficult to grow. It is prone to many diseases and vagaries of the climate and gives irregular yields. Dedicated vintners selected more sturdy and consistent clones to breed the weak traits out of the variety. It maintains its place in the Rhône region a part of many white blends with Marsanne and Viognier. At its best, it has high acidity and potential for longevity. It gives rich wines that, with increasing temperature of the growing season or year, gain in alcohol and drop in acidity. At its best, Roussanne can have considerable longevity. Roussanne expresses floral aromas and apricot, honey, pear as well as mineral qualities.
Westerly Vineyard was founded in 1995 with the purchase of the property by Neil and Francine Afromsky. It lies in the Happy Canyon area - the southeastern most corner of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. By report of the owners, theirs was the first vineyard planted in the area. The sustainably farmed vineyard is situated on shallow, low-nutrient soils with small, heat-retaining stones. A layer of dense clay just below the topsoil prevents the vines’ roots from penetrating deeper, in search of moisture. This stresses the vines reducing vine and fruit size but not extraction. As the farthest part of the Santa Ynez Valley from the Pacific Ocean, Happy Canyon (soon to be an official AVA) experiences the highest daytime temperatures in the entire valley while still receiving a cooling marine influence in the evening and at night. This makes the area suitable to Rhône and Bordeaux varieties. The latter do very well in Happy Canyon, making it one of the most desirable sources of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Central Coast. The 85 acre vineyard produces eight varieties: Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier as well as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvedre, and Syrah.
The hot 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. Statewide reports of light to normal yields of excellent quality fruit with superb extraction raised anticipation of the wines to come. However, red wines from this vintage are proving variable by our experience. While this "crop of crops" was lauded as producing highly extracted fruit, some wines have been rather unbalanced while others were stunning an memorable. This seems to depend more on the combination of AVA and vineyard management, rather than winemaking techniques. Each offering from this vintage should be judged individually and not by virtue of vintage alone since the shortened growing season affected different varietals in different AVAs and even vineyards.
In 2003, winemaker Jim Porter entered the commercial wine making scene in Santa Barbara County. Jim started making home wine with “with kitchen utensils, strainers and trash cans”. Spurred by his successes in home wine competitions, and aided by his connections with various vineyards made through his agricultural irrigation business over the past eight years, Jim was able to put together a winery operation at Fess Parker’s Wine Center in Santa Maria as an alternating proprietor. William James Cellars currently offers Chardonnay, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Roussanne, and Syrah Sourced from all over the Central Coast. With an annual production of 4,000 cases, Jim is moving to an independent wine making facility to be be announced. Their tasting room is located at 113 S. College Avenue in Santa Maria at the corner of Main St. and College Ave.
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5 points |
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Nose |
3 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
2 points |
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Astringency/Minerality |
5 points |
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Acidity |
4 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
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