2016 DeLille Cellars Doyenne Roussanne

The vibrant gold colored 2016 Roussanne (100% Roussanne aged 85% in stainless steel and 15% in neutral barrels) is another beauty, offering notes of crisp apple, white flowers, and salty minerality in a medium-bodied, pure, dry, beautifully balanced package. It’s going to shine on the dinner table. Owner/Winemaker Chris Upchurch compared the 2015s from Washington State to the 2009s from Bordeaux, and given the sweltering heat in 2015, I understand the comparison. However, the 2015s come across as more focused and classic in style, in part, I suspect to the vines shutting down throughout the summer and I think the true phenolics actually lag the 2012s, 2014s, and 2016s. These wines are concentrated, have notable purity, and building tannin. They’re going to benefit from short-term cellaring. As usual, I tasted the barrel samples during my visit at the estate and the bottled wines at my office in Colorado.