January 2007 Wine Tasting Notes:.
2005 Rusack Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County.
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This wine is a smoky ruby color. The nose starts with strong notes of caraway and coffee that diminish over the course of the bottle. Prominent strawberry and cherry are backed by light floral notes. The palate shows greater breadth of fruit: medium intensity cherry and strawberry embellished by rosehip notes. An appropriate combination of lean and toned tannins, clean, bright acidity and medium extraction along with well-restrained alcohol levels make for a lighter body and delicate mouthfeel. A modest finish consists of strawberry and cherry flavors. |
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RWB Score: 89 breakdown 14.2% Alcohol $26.00 Retail (from winery); 1304 cases produced |
Delicate and balanced, this is a focused and well proportioned wine with and egalitarian marriage of fruit and spice. Shy at first, this wine benefits from decanting which coaxes out its red fruit and rosy notes. Broadly straddling the social-to-food-friendly spectrum, this wine will pair well with many earthy, traditional dishes for up to 4 years. |
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More Rusack reviews. More on Santa Barbara County AVA |
Sourced from the Garey, Solomon Hills, Fiddlestix, Huber and Rancho Santa Rosa vineyards for a 54% Santa Maria Valley and 46% Santa Rita Hills fruit. Fermented in 1-ton bins and aged for 10 months in 100% French Oak (34% new barrels).
For those that have not seen “Sideways”, Pinot Noir, the noble Burgundian grape, is often described as "difficult" to grow but the wine is beautiful and complex when circumstances are favorable. It is one of the oldest grape varieties to be vinified. Pinot Noir is, in fact, genetically unstable and its spontaneous mutations have given 46 identified clones in France alone. Worldwide estimates range from 200 to 1000 clones. Additionally, Pinot Noir is very susceptible to frost at budbreak, pests, fungal and viral infections. The tiny (~60 square miles) Côte d'Or in Burgundy, France has been the benchmark for Pinot Noir for centuries. It is believed that the east-facing slopes of Burgundy make for optimal sun exposure without excessive heat and the chalky, well draining soils retain heat – all of which assist in ripening. In California, it does well in Carneros and the Russian River Valley regions of the Sonoma AVA in the north. In the Central Coast, Monterey County (the Pinnacles and the Santa Lucia Highlands) and the Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills produce outstanding Pinot Noir. It is often described as delicate and light bodied and having a soft texture. The aromas and flavors are the most distinct and identifiable and most complex of all varieties. Common fruit aromas are: cherry, raspberry, ripe tomato and strawberry. It can express floral notes of rose or violet. Spice is a big element of Pinot Noir: cardamom, caraway, cinnamon, cola, clove, nutmeg, pepper, rosemary and sassafras. Some also describe a peppermint quality. It can also show aromas and flavors that some sources place in the herbal category: beet, black olive, green tomato, green tea, oregano and rhubarb. Other elements found in Pinot Noir are earth (moist earth), barnyard, mushroom and truffle. In addition leather, meat (raw or grilled) can also be seen. Pinot Noirs rarely have the make up to last past a decade but with age they can show oak characteristics as well as tobacco and smoke.
The Garey Ranch Vineyard was planted in the late 1990’s as part of the Byron estate under the auspices of Jonathan and Clarissa Nagy. The roughly 360 acre vineyard is named after the Garey township in the mid-western part of the Santa Maria Valley AVA – near the confluence of the Santa Maria, Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers and northwest of the current Byron estate. The sandy-loam soils of the vineyard were deposited by shifting water ways related to the three rivers. Only 305 acres are planted to Chardonnay (95, 76, 15, 17 & Wente clones), Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir (including the popular 667, 777 clones as well as 115 and 05).
Situated across the road from the historic Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, at mile marker 7.28 of Santa Rosa Road in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, the slightly sloping Fiddlestix estate replaced a flower farm in 1998. Growing Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, Kathy Joseph has been cultivating her passion on 97 acres on varying combinations of clones, rootstocks and various soils in this Climate Region I growing area.
Norman and Traudl Huber made their way from German to their current 29-acre estate 10 miles west of Buellton, across the road from the Melville and Babcock estates in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. 24 acres of the property are under vine: 11 acres of Chardonnay, 10 acres of Pinot Noir and 3 acres of Dornfelder make up the vineyard. The Huber vineyard was developed starting in 1987, with the oldest Pinot Noir vines dating back to 1988. The Dornfelder vines were a gift in the form of certified vines sent from Germany and planted in 1995. The cool climate with a strong marine influence makes an excellent environment for Burgundian varieties. Brewer-Clifton now manage the vineyard (one of the oldest in the AVA) in close consultation with Francisco Ramirez. Because the sandy, almost granular soils of the estate need close attention, and Brewer-Clifton brought in soil consultant Stan Kadota to get the Huber Vineyard soils into best shape.
The 230-acre Rancho Santa Rosa estate is home to the Foley estate. In the northeastern portion of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, the estate rests against the foot of the Purisima Hills. 118 acres are planted to Pinot Noir, 97 acres are planted to Chardonnay, 8 acres to Syrah (Clone Noir and Clone 01 in one block and Clone 01 in the other) and 1.24 acres to Pinot Gris. Emulating Burgundian farming practices, the Pinot Noir is planted in 31 blocks - each matching clone to soil type and harvested and vinified separately.
The 2005 year saw an increase in crops over the preceding years. The year is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage because of a very long and generally cool growing season without heat spikes. This long season resulted in extended hang times in even temperatures which gave the fruit good extraction but lower sugar levels. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage. Another cause of buzz in the wine world has been the promise of lower alcohol levels. However, the finished wines reflect wine making skill and style as much as they do quality of the raw materials. While some 2005 offerings tasted to date display beauty and grace, others show dizzying (litterally) alcohol levels.
The 48-acre property has 17 acres under vine. Much of those wines were put in between 2001 and 2003. In 1994, Geoff Rusack and wife Alison Wrigley Rusack purchased the Ballard Canyon Winery and established the Rusack label. Over the course the next few years, they upgraded the winery and replanted much of the vineyard in pursuit of their goal of creating a world-class winery. Small lots were planted in a north-south direction for even sun exposure to both sides of the canopy. The vineyard sits on 11-degree slope and is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Syrah.
In addition to estate-grown fruit, Rusack sources fruit from local growers. From the Ballard Canyon area, they purchase Stolpman, Tierra Alta and Windmill Ranch fruit. Their Burgundian wines are sourced from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, in particular: the Fiddlestix, Huber and Foley's Rancho Santa Rosa properties as well as the Santa Maria Valley AVA: Bien Nacido, Goodchild and Solomon Hills vineyards.
Making wine at Rusack are husband and wife team: John and Helen Falcone. John began his career in The Monterey Vineyards - which was owned by his uncle. He went on to make wine for a number of Napa Valley labels, most notably as head winemaker for Atlas Peak Vineyards. Helen's roots are also in Napa: she worked as assistant winemaker at Chimney Rock Winery and Codorniu Napa wineries. In joining Rusack, John and Helen want to make hand crafted wines. In general, Rusack wines are complex, showing finesse but not over-extraction.
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5 points |
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Nose |
4 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
2 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 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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