San Francisco Chronicle, 7 decembre 2008: Top 100 wines 2008

2007 Clos Solene Paso Robles Essence de Roussanne ($60)
Don't worry if that price tag prompted a double take; it did for us, too.
It's an ambitious gamble for a first vintage, but Guillaume Fabre and his wife,
Solene, have found a fantastic parcel in the Booker Vineyard in western
Paso Robles for a powerful white wine that evokes names
like Manfred Krankl's Sine Qua Non.

Bordeaux native Fabre interned with L'Aventure's Stephan Asseo,
and this follows in Asseo's power-driven style: Low yields and new barrels
yielded a wine almost shocking in its floral punch and nerve.
White rose, apricot blossom and sweet peach burst forth,
reined in by taut minerality to cut the unctuous palate,
plus hints of chervil and lavender.
A captivating, unique expression of this Rhone grape, and one heck of a debut.

Previous