Wellington Vineyards 2009 Roussanne Sonoma County - 4 Pack
$49.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: White
PRODUCT: 4 2009 Roussanne Sonoma County
CT link above

Winery website

Previous offer:
2/21/11

oh boy!! wellington!

I just had a bottle last week, but I didn't take notes! Darn it.

I will say, though, that we really enjoyed it - just like we did the 2008 - and that I'm in for 2. And, volume permitting, may increase it to 3 tomorrow.

P.S. Mom and Sister arrive Friday. The engagement party is Saturday. If this had gone up a month ago, I would've bought a full case without hesitation and then twisted someone's arm at work to get another 4-8 bottles.

drinking window from Peter Wellington himself.
"best over the next year or two"
- Feb, 2011 -

One on hand, it's Wellington and it's a grape I've been meaning to try.

On the other hand, my house needs new siding.

OK, enablers, do your thing.

waits on the reds

My wife and I just finished the case of the 2008. I'm still quite the novice wine drinker, so I'll do my best at at describing it. It's got a sweetness to it but not cloying while still feeling crisp. Went well with oven roasted chicken, sushi, pan fried scallops. It was a great Friday night at home wine but I also felt confident bringing a bottle to a friend's house for dinner.

Wow it's slow tonight. Is there a Star Trek Marathon on the sci-fi channel or something
See y'all in the morning.

Damnit WD. I wasn't supposed to grab the zin. I just bought a house, you know! And now a well-priced, white Rhone from Wellington?! I love you as if you were an enabling father, but damn you. This is me trying to resist. But, if I can get my zin splitter to split this, I may be in the new (dog) house.

Thanks for the great offer PW!

mikegberg wrote:
OK, enablers, do your thing.

gah.

as a Marsanne-receiver in the mixup with the mixed case, I certainly have no idea what to do here! (duh, I do, but I have to pretend like I feel like I have options!)


btw PW, pleeeeeease put the Sauv Blanc back up here somehow - that was some good stuff!!

+1 for me; makes a great gift for clients

We recieved a bottle of 2009 Roussanne in the most recent Wellington wine club shipment. Although it's on my uncorking short list, I've yet to try it out.

Wellington Vineyards 2009 Roussanne Sonoma County - 4 Pack
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: laineyhigg
Speed to first woot: 1m 8.357s
Last wooter to woot: MichaelWB

Well...I did it... I have wanted to try the wonderful world of Wellington that I have heard/read so much about since joining WW..and now I have some on the way. I read, read, read..and said I'd wait til this afternoon..but I couldn't stand it anymore.

SOLD!

Tough call, this. I enjoyed the 2008 Roussanne from a while ago but wasn't over the moon about it - I prefer the Marsanne from the mixed case mix-up (which is a super butter-bomb replacement for SWMBO as well). I cracked the Roussanne over Thanksgiving dinner with the family, so no notes, but I remember it being very "lees-y," with that sense of hardened green oak, and very hefty - this ain't no quaffing white; you'll need some food to help it along.

I had the Rousanne in an earlier offering, and then received the Marsanne in the mix-up. (Is there a Wellington frequent flyer club?) I have to say, I much preferred the Rousanne.

My description of the Rousanne is that it starts out on your pallet like a heavier Chardonnay, and right when you're expecting an oak/buttery finish (to perhaps negatively overwhelm you) it grows wings and just...disappears. My partner described it as "this wine starts as a Chardonnay and then ends as a Sauvignon Blanc". I'm in for a couple of more, because I enjoyed it in the repertoire for food pairings...especially with summer fare.

mudman2007 wrote:Has this wine won as many competitions as the $5 a bottle Glen Ellen wines?

This wine hasn't been entered in any competitions. Marketing and promotion budgets are a lot different for wines with 300 case production volume than for wines with 300,000 cases production.

Peter, how would you compare this with the 2008, which I had and liked (though I think I prefered the Marsanne between the two)?

Hope all is well!

rpm wrote:Peter, how would you compare this with the 2008, which I had and liked (though I think I prefered the Marsanne between the two)?

Hope all is well!

I would have to say that the two vintages of Roussanne are quite similar. The 2009 may have a little more depth and complexity, not quite as intense in the primary fruit aromas.

Thanks for the thoughts. Things are going well in general, but we seem to be on the path to a very late harvest / crush for the third year in a row. We had late budbreak, and except for a few very warm days the first week of May it has been much cooler than typical. I was up during the wee hours for frost protection quite a few times in April, and had to turn on the system just this last Friday - by almost two weeks the latest frost threat in the last 30 years. We've had rain the last couple of days and daytime high temps have been high 50s to low 60s. It may hit 70 on Wednesday, but then drop again. Fortunately, considering the crappy weather, bloom hasn't started yet. I've already told my crew we won't start harvest before mid September, and it may very well be the end of September unless it gets into at least the 80s within the next 10 days and stays there. I sure hope we aren't experiencing a new "normal" weather pattern.

Good morning Peter! I'm a huge fan of all your wines, and just enjoyed your Woot Cellars D'ontspille last night with dinner.
I know you grow many of the grapes for your wines, and you also purchase grapes as needed. Did you grow these or are they from another vineyard?
I am guessing they were from another vineyard as the bottle is not labeled "Estate"?
Can you talk a bit about the vineyard these are from (location, weather, soil, etc)?

I almost purchased 3 immediately until I started reading the comments. I thought this was the Marsanne...oops... My wife is a white fan (Yay Sauv Blanc...Boo Chardonnay), and we loved the Marsanne from the mixed case. I'm not familiar with Rousanne. Where does it fall on the spectrum of Sauv Blanc (Hooray!) to Chardonnay (Boo Hoo)? Thanks

Pulled the trigger on one. I had to try something from Wellington since everyone only says positive things.

I've never had the Rousanne -- any recommended food pairings?

jhkey wrote:Good morning Peter! I'm a huge fan of all your wines, and just enjoyed your Woot Cellars D'ontspille last night with dinner.
I know you grow many of the grapes for your wines, and you also purchase grapes as needed. Did you grow these or are they from another vineyard?
I am guessing they were from another vineyard as the bottle is not labeled "Estate"?
Can you talk a bit about the vineyard these are from (location, weather, soil, etc)?

The vineyards are listed in the wine specs, and I talked about them a bit in the vintner's voicemail. About half is from Estate grapes and the other half from Saralee's Vineyard in the cool Western corner of the Russian River Valley. I believe Saralee's Vineyard has the oldest planting of Roussanne in Sonoma County, more or less planted at my behest. At the time, I don't think I had ever tasted a California Roussanne because there weren't any.
Our Estate Vineyard produces very rich, full-bodied Roussanne with lots of peach and citrus character. Saralee's Rousanne tends to be a little leaner, with more floral character, pear and tropical fruit aromas. The two complement each other quite well.

SonomaBouliste wrote:I would have to say that the two vintages of Roussanne are quite similar. The 2009 may have a little more depth and complexity, not quite as intense in the primary fruit aromas.

Thanks for the thoughts. Things are going well in general, but we seem to be on the path to a very late harvest / crush for the third year in a row. We had late budbreak, and except for a few very warm days the first week of May it has been much cooler than typical. I was up during the wee hours for frost protection quite a few times in April, and had to turn on the system just this last Friday - by almost two weeks the latest frost threat in the last 30 years. We've had rain the last couple of days and daytime high temps have been high 50s to low 60s. It may hit 70 on Wednesday, but then drop again. Fortunately, considering the crappy weather, bloom hasn't started yet. I've already told my crew we won't start harvest before mid September, and it may very well be the end of September unless it gets into at least the 80s within the next 10 days and stays there. I sure hope we aren't experiencing a new "normal" weather pattern.

I live an hour or so away from your winery (bay area) and the weather has been cold and wet this spring. Sunday we had am rains, then a nice afternoon until an ice cold rain blew thru. Odd year.

mbmiche wrote:I almost purchased 3 immediately until I started reading the comments. I thought this was the Marsanne...oops... My wife is a white fan (Yay Sauv Blanc...Boo Chardonnay), and we loved the Marsanne from the mixed case. I'm not familiar with Rousanne. Where does it fall on the spectrum of Sauv Blanc (Hooray!) to Chardonnay (Boo Hoo)? Thanks

Because Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc are the two most well known white varietals, I've been asked this very question before. Both of the aforementioned come in many shapes and sizes. Both region and winemaking style result in large variation, and overlap between the two varietals as far as body, acid, perception of sweetness are concerned. If your benchmarks were Chablis for Chardonnay and a ripe, barrel fermented Sauvignon blanc such as Selene (Napa) or Haut Brion (Bordeaux), you might say Chardonnay is lean and crisp and SB is viscous and heavy.
Enough digression. Our Roussanne is similar to our Marsanne in weight and texture. It tends to be a little more tart than the Marsanne, giving a bit less of a sweet impression (they're both dry, the "sweetness" comes from alcohol). My standard answer to the Chard / SB comparison is that it fits somewhere in between what most people expect from those two wines. In the case of our SB and Chardonnay, it's closer to the Chardonnay in texture (our Chardonnay is on the crisp / tart side for a California Chardonnay - not an oak and butter bomb).

mudman2007 wrote:Has this wine won as many competitions as the $5 a bottle Glen Ellen wines?

The correct answer is yes: Glen Ellen doesn't make a Roussanne, and as noted above, PW hasn't entered his in any competitions. 0=0.

mbmiche wrote:I almost purchased 3 immediately until I started reading the comments. I thought this was the Marsanne...oops... My wife is a white fan (Yay Sauv Blanc...Boo Chardonnay), and we loved the Marsanne from the mixed case. I'm not familiar with Rousanne. Where does it fall on the spectrum of Sauv Blanc (Hooray!) to Chardonnay (Boo Hoo)? Thanks

Just another note on the Chardonnay (Boo Hoo) comment: Chardonnay is the most popular white varietal for good reason. Greatness leads to imitation, so oceans of Chardonnay have been planted in locations where they don't produce distinctive wine. To make up for lack of character, many producers (especially the large brands) use lots of oak, mlf and residual sugar (eg KJ Vintner's Select). Many people change their tune when given the opportunity to taste a great white Burgundy.

sandrita wrote:I've never had the Rousanne -- any recommended food pairings?

Great with most cheeses. Should (I'm a vegetarian) go well with a wide variety of fish & fowl, depending on the sauce. Any time you would use a white, but don't want / need the bracing acidity of a Chablis or lean Sauvignon blanc.

SonomaBouliste wrote:Just another note on the Chardonnay (Boo Hoo) comment: Chardonnay is the most popular white varietal for good reason. Greatness leads to imitation, so oceans of Chardonnay have been planted in locations where they don't produce distinctive wine. To make up for lack of character, many producers (especially the large brands) use lots of oak, mlf and residual sugar (eg KJ Vintner's Select). Many people change their tune when given the opportunity to taste a great white Burgundy.

Peter, Thanks for the great info. (BTW, I also loved the 06 Meeks Hilltop Zin from the mixed case. Super delicious. Haven't had the cab or merlot yet. Wife loved the SB an Marsanne)

At work, we have a regular client named Roxanne. Any time some one mentions her name, some one - usually several some ones - feels the need to imitate Sting. You know which one, the really throaty, hoarse 'RoOOOAAAACKZanne' one.

More on topic, I would be remiss not to try an exciting varietal (aren't they all) from a reputable winery. And remember: with the financial system nearing collapse, these could be very effectively used for bartering.

This is so serendipitous. I just poured my last glass of this wine, last night, from the Feb case offering and was so sad. I had saved this bottle as it is one of the best whites I've had. I'm a red drinker and try to like whites and have a few I like and this is one on the top of my list.

I drank it alone without food so can't recommend a pairing. I like it as a "I'm-home-from-work-but-not-ready-to-make-dinner-yet-so-leave-me-alone-while-I-sit-outside, listen-to-birds-and-de-stress" wine. It is a good medium bodied wine with a nice yellow color and not sweet but the sweet aromas might fool you. I'm sorry I'm not used to describing wine but I recommend it and am definitely pushing the big button NOW.

Peter,
Have you ever considered doing a white rhone style blend? It seems the only grape your missing is viognier.

My wife has really enjoyed both your Marsanne and Roussanne and I am of course considering this woot.

WD, any idea when Summer Shipping will show up? It's been up and down in temps lately here in SoCal, but was wondering.


Info on Summer Shipping. Basically, for $2 more (so instead of $5 shipping, it will be $7 shipping), we get more assurance of a safe delivery during hot months.

cortot20 wrote:Peter,
Have you ever considered doing a white rhone style blend? It seems the only grape your missing is viognier.

My wife has really enjoyed both your Marsanne and Roussanne and I am of course considering this woot.

We bottled a Viognier from the 1994 through 2002 vintages, trying 3 different vineyards in the process. Although the wine sold well, I was never completely happy with the results. I tried both warm and very cool vineyard sites, but there always seemed to be problems with uneven ripening, high alcohol and difficult fermentations. We do grow some Viognier here, and use some of it for co-fermentation with our Estate Syrah. The balance is fermented by itself and used for blending. It has found its way, in small amounts, into our Sauvignon blanc, our Marsanne, or our Chardonnay in various vintages.

We did a white Rhone style, non-varietal blend in the 2000 vintage and called it Cotes de Sonoma blanc. It was 71% Roussanne, 23% Marsanne and 6% Viognier, was delicious, and won double gold and best of class (Rhone whites) at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Unfortunately it was very hard to sell; all our brokers and distributors told me it was difficult enough to sell obscure varietals like Marsanne and Roussanne and impossible to sell non-varietals from those varieties. Since then we have blended some Marsanne into the Roussanne or vice versa on occasion, but always at less than 25% so as to maintain varietalo status.

Got this the last around. I found it had an odd taste and sharpness I did not care for.
I had never had a Roussane B4,so mebbe my palate was not ready for the taste. X

Easy, easy purchase. Peter's Rhone whites are a no-brainer for me whenever they're up here or whenever I stop in at the winery.

And at this price, I almost feel like I'm robbing him.

Tell you what, to assuage my gilt over this ridiculously low price, if you give me another bottle of Dr. Durif, I'll pay twice as much for this :-).

MarkDaSpark wrote:WD, any idea when Summer Shipping will show up? It's been up and down in temps lately here in SoCal, but was wondering.


Info on Summer Shipping. Basically, for $2 more (so instead of $5 shipping, it will be $7 shipping), we get more assurance of a safe delivery during hot months.

Last time I asked, the general consensus was that it normally starts in June. Until then, I'll save some money on wine purchases

kylemittskus wrote:Damnit WD. I wasn't supposed to grab the zin. I just bought a house, you know! And now a well-priced, white Rhone from Wellington?! I love you as if you were an enabling father, but damn you. This is me trying to resist. But, if I can get my zin splitter to split this, I may be in the new (dog) house.

Thanks for the great offer PW!

You need a Zin splitter?

This is good, if not something I was familiar with, and it takes me a while to get used to new styles. Whoever said it starts liike a rich chard and then.. flues away is about right. Good one for having with weighty fish or chicken stews too, I'd say! I can't get any this time, but for a weighty interesting white you can't go too wrong!

I still have the Roussanne from the mixed case to drink, plus one of the 08s, so enough for now, but for anyone looking for good whites for dinner this summer, I'd trust this offering... whichever style of chard or SB you like! This man is the most open-minded and versatile winemaker I've met.

Cesare wrote:Wellington Vineyards 2009 Roussanne Sonoma County - 4 Pack
$49.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: White
PRODUCT: 4 2009 Roussanne Sonoma County
CT link above

Winery website

Previous offer:
2/21/11

This is cheaper than the previous Roussanne only offer: 4 for $50 instead of 3 for $43!

The Links missed out posting the Last Wellington Roussanne Offering (08) from last October (and followed by the December wootoff offering, which discuss this wine's 08 incarnation exclusively.

Be open to a new (yet very traditional!) wine variety and have a go!


EDIT: Yay bottom!