2013 Roussanne Ciel de Cheval, Red Mountain AVA

Roussanne is one of the great white wine grapes from the Northern Rhone region.  After great success with Viognier at the site, Ciel du Cheval decided to plant five acres of Roussanne in 2000. Since then Roussanne from Ciel has exemplified the characteristics that make this a fabulous and distinctive variety. Typically, there are intense aromatics with tropical and citrus notes. While the palate is broad with a high-level of acid that gives the wine a long finish.

The 2013 season was warmer than normal, especially in the last half of August. This resulted in rapid ripening. of the Roussanne. Rather than harvesting early, based only on the sugar level, the decision to harvest was based on the flavor profile of the grapes. As a result, harvesting was delayed until the grapes were extremely ripe, resulting in intense flavors. The fruit was then whole cluster pressed to minimize bitterness due to phenolic extraction. Fermentation was conducted in stainless steel at low temperatures to preserve the fruitiness of the wine.