2012 Sandlands Trousseau

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Sharon Bowman

Sharon Bowman
Hey, hey, this 2012 Sandlands Trousseau, clocking in at 13.2% avb (for those attentive to such matters), is rocking the rock of rock of rock, and rocking, as well. Such fine savory fruit.

As a friend mentions to me, Trousseau has a double cape: is it the oxidaty cooked Bastardo of Madeira, or is it the punchy red from the Jura?

ETA: This is spice-savory, akin to Jura wines, with a certain texture I am drinking more to put my thumb on.
 
Or does it throw aside its cape and reveal itself to be the Bastardo of Oporto, also made as a monovarietal occasionally? I had my first monocepage Bastardo/Trousseau in Lisbon in the late '90s, to celebrate my attendance of a meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. And you might think I'm kidding.

I think Port is what some of the original growers in CA had in mind for the Trousseau grapes, the Jura not yet having been invented.

But these vines, revealed in said podcast to be from the cold fringe of Sonoma, north of the mouth of the Russian River at Jenner, are a different beast. Not hot climate Madeira or Douro, certainly, but nor are they making grapes that taste like they come from the Jura.

Nor should they--this is unabashedly California wine, with good ripe fruit, but also relatively pale color, light but savory tannins, and refreshing acidity.

But damn, it's gone! Just like that, my glass and the bottle are empty.

What more can you say?
 
I tasted this last night at Cory's. It's certainly good. I would want to compare it to a Jurassic Trousseau side-by-side to see where the differences lie.

Hank Beckmeyer told me that Poulsard is now being grown in the Sierra Foothills. I just can't imagine that CA has the right microclimate to produce the grapes and wines with the same delicacy, and ethereal & aromatic qualities that one gets from Poulsard from the Jura.
 
it's (Poulsard) at Barsotti, and there's the very tiniest amount of it. My guess would be it will be quite good, and quite different. It's quite close to where we have Gamay.
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:
I just can't imagine that CA has the right microclimate to produce the grapes and wines with the same delicacy, and ethereal & aromatic qualities that one gets from Poulsard from the Jura.
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California is a very large and diverse Republic.
 
originally posted by Larry Stein:

I just can't imagine that CA has the right microclimate to produce the grapes and wines with the same delicacy, and ethereal & aromatic qualities that one gets from Poulsard from the Jura.
Click to expand...

Or possibly the reduction.
 
Last night we opened our first Sandlands, this very same 2012 Trousseau. Aroma appears carbonic and is quite delightful: strawberry, spices, and wet earth. Mouth is equally pleasing, with ideal weight, texture and balance. It vanished in no time, and left the glasses more than empty.

Having penned the paean, I must say that it was a dead ringer, in pleasure notes, for a 2010 Philippe Jambon Chiroubles Une Tranche tasted last August, which pushed the exact same buttons. Though it would be a stretch to claim they smell and taste the same, the memorial similarity seemed to say that vinification trumped variety and origin. If it seems ungrateful for me to bicker thusly in the face of such radiant beauty, then please vouchsafe me the indulgence.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Last night we opened our first Sandlands, this very same 2012 Trousseau. Aroma appears carbonic and is quite delightful: strawberry, spices, and wet earth. Mouth is equally pleasing, with ideal weight, texture and balance. It vanished in no time, and left the glasses more than empty.

Having penned the paean, I must say that it was a dead ringer, in pleasure notes, for a 2010 Philippe Jambon Chiroubles Une Tranche tasted last August, which pushed the exact same buttons. Though it would be a stretch to claim they smell and taste the same, the memorial similarity seemed to say that vinification trumped variety and origin. If it seems ungrateful for me to bicker thusly in the face of such radiant beauty, then please vouchsafe me the indulgence.
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You and Jonathan have the same English teacher?
BTW, if you can find it, try the Combe, Trosseau from Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara County. Perhaps, a bit fuller and a little more site specific but equally charming.
Best, Jim
 
BTW, if you can find it, try the Combe, Trosseau from Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara County. Perhaps, a bit fuller and a little more site specific but equally charming.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

Yes, I'll second this.
 
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