The wines of Hermitage (Blanc) are intriguing and distinctive, ranking with White Burgundies as some of the greatest and most age-worthy white wines in the world. Taking a non-traditional route in attempting to express the characters I love in white Hermitage was a real leap of faith. Having tasted a few bottlings of pure Roussanne here and in France, and not preferring the ripening profile of Marsanne in California, I decided to focus on Roussanne and accent it with a combination of Viognier and Dijon clone Chardonnay. The year over year goal is to develop a level of intensity, complexity, and balance in both the fruit and the winemaking to yield Santa Lucia Highlands' first truly great and age-worthy white wine.
The 2007 "Les Tournesols" Roussanne blend offers an intriguing range of apple and asian pear aromas and flavors accented by subtle notes of jasmine, vanillin and roasted almonds. The texture is very finely balanced - with the focused and fruitful characters interwoven with the broader and richer notes - culminating in a distinctive and lasting finish reminiscent of fresh lime, honey and ginger.