Jaffurs Grenache Blanc Thompson Vineyard

PnP, chilled. Clear straw-yellow in color. Lemon and minerality on the nose. The medium bodied palate is a bit more rounded than some other Grenache Blancs (like Tablas Creek) as it showed some cantaloupe and pear along with the lemon, minerality and a touch of grapefruit. Nicely juicy acidity as expected and desired. Could hold for another couple of years but showing well now.

From the venerable Stolpman Vineyard in Santa Barbara County, the 2016 Jaffur's Roussanne could be near perfect expression of California Roussanne. With strong aromas of peach, apricot, stone fruit, honeydew and a hint of jasmine. This medium to full-bodied Roussanne is smooth with moderate acidity with extraordinary balanced and seductive mouth-coating viscosity without syrupiness and flavors of honeydew, melon, and baked apple. This Roussanne finishes long and is incredibly enjoyable as the consensus of four of us enjoying it with …

Maybe the best vintage from Jaffurs of this label yet, and there have been some great ones. This may be the best Grenache Blanc we've ever enjoyed, showing intensity and depth of the fruit, a fairly rich mouthfeel, and a tasty finish, with a nice lip-smacking acidity keeping everything in balance. Terrific.

Beautiful and balanced example of this grape, showing potential for mid-term ageing as well. Bright flavors of stone fruit and Crenshaw melon, with just enough density for intensity without cloying, and a snappy acidity that offers perfect balance on the medium+ finish. Another terrific effort from this Rhone-varietal master winery.