TN: Qupe Roussanne Hillside '06....(short/boring)

WINE TALK
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Had this Qupe this last weekend:

  1. Qupe Roussanne BienNacido Hillside Estate/SantaMariaVlly (14.5%; EB) BobLindquist/SantaMaria 2006: Med.dark gold color; strong nutty/toasted hazelnuts Roussanne/bit floral strong pencilly/toasty/Fr.oak honeyed some old WRhone quite complex lovely nose; bit soft ripe/floral/honeyed/Rouss quite nutty/toasted hazelnuts strong toasty/Fr.oak very old WRhone very honeyed/honey grahams quite complex flavor; very long/lingering very honeyed/honey grahams pencilly/Fr.oak finish that mocks flavor; a splendid example of an old Calif WRhone/Roussanne.

More qupiedork from TheBloodyPulpit:

  1. An amazing fully mature Calif Rouss showing no signs of oxidation. Should go on for another 6-8 yrs.
    Tom
6 Likes
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Love this Wine and love what Bob does with both this variety and MARSANNE. Truly magical. He certainly are not varieties for everyone. They do not offer immediate gratification like some of the more acid driven RHONE varieties do. But in terms of complexity, these wines can be as complex as any red wine on the market.

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I remember when I first tasted Bob’s first Marsanne, my reaction was “Is this all there is??” I sorta blew off Marsanne as a grape of any interest. Then he served me at a RhoneRangers tasting a 10 yr old Marsanne. “Holy $hit… this stuff is good!!!”. Made me a believer. Still waiting for that to happen with Merlot!!
Tom

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I still remember the 93 Marsanne He poured at the woodshed dinner in Oakland. That was perhaps 2015 or so? One of the most memorable wines I’ve had, red or white.

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I was blinded on a 1995 Chateau St. Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Merlot last week. It was spectacular.

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Washington state Merlot can be exceptional.
Just drank a delicious one made by Robin Pollard

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Love this! Have a magnum of 2010 I’m saving (sons birth-year) so this makes me even more bullish :cheers:

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Thanks, great to read this note on aged Qupe Roussanne, Tom. My touchpoint has been the Beaucastel Vieilles Vignes and it does change–dramatically–with time in the bottle, for the better IMHO.

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Bob deserves his day in the sun.