DATE CONSUMED
Sunday, May 5, 2013
VINTAGE
2010
WINERY/PRODUCER
Villa Creek
WINE NAME
White
TYPE OF WINE
White blend
COMPOSITION
65% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne, 5% Picpoul Blanc
SUBNAME/NICKNAME
N/A
VINEYARD DESIGNATION
N/A
REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)
Paso Robles, California
ALCOHOL CONTENT
13.9%
PRICE PAID
$26
WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED
We bought this bottle at the winery’s tasting room in June
2011 during a wine trip through Paso Robles to attend the Pinot & Paella
Festival.
BOUQUET
This wine has a minerally and floral bouquet, like most
Rhone white blends, with an emphasis on stony elements. There’s even a hint of a rumor of a
suggestion of butterscotch on the nose as well. Based on the varietals used in the blend and the wine’s bouquet,
I’m guessing this wine will taste mostly like tropical fruits and pears/apples
that have commingled with tons of granite rocks and boulders for a while. Let’s see………
TASTING NOTES
I wasn’t too far off!
This wine has a serious stony/minerally core running through its essence
that’s impossible to ignore. The
Grenache Blanc is mostly responsible for that stoniness and the Roussanne
contributes a waxy, rich, creamy undertone as well. There are indeed some tropical fruits in the mix (especially
pineapple), along with pears, apples, and quince as well.
This is a crisp, brisk, delicious white blend with fantastic
acidity, meaning it will pair beautifully with food (see below). We’ve had quite a few white Southern Rhone
blends out of Paso and this is easily one of the best. It’s terrifically well-balanced, has layers
of delicious flavors, is crisp and clean almost to a fault (if that’s
possible), has the perfect amount of alcohol, acidity, ripeness, earthiness,
fruitiness, stoniness, and balance.
Quite frankly, this is one of the best (if not THEE best) white blends
we’ve had all year!
PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
We had this wine before dinner with roasted pine nut hummus
with seven grain and flax seed crackers.
While the wine went well with the hummus, it was almost a waste of such
a wonderful wine. This wine would pair
brilliantly with real food, i.e. a slow-roasted pork roast smothered in
sauerkraut, roasted/broiled/fried chicken, and practically ANY seafood dish
(especially rich seafood like salmon or just about any shellfish like clams,
oysters, or scallops). A seriously good
wine like this should be paired with a seriously good food.
AGING POTENTIAL
This wine is drinking beautifully right now and will
probably continue to evolve and mature gorgeously for another five to ten
years.
SCORE (on a 100-point scale)
92
Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD,
EXCELLENT)
GOOD - EXCELLENT
WINERY WEBSITE
http://www.villacreekwine.com/
