2010 Villa Creek White

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/