Zaca Mesa Zaca Vineyards Roussanne 1998
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Zaca Mesa is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a family-owned and operated winery dedicated to the production of distinctive, single-vineyard Rhône-style wines on the Central Coast.
As a pioneer of California Rhône wines, they aim to create wines that showcase the distinct characteristics of their Santa Barbara County vineyard, taking special care in and out of the vineyard to keep quality first and foremost.
Just 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyards sit in the sweet spot between a cool and warm climate. The location and elevation give them the ability to grow dynamic, balanced Rhône grapes like Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Viognier. At Zaca Mesa, they believe great wine begins in the vineyard. They are dedicated to crafting high quality estate-grown wines that showcase the layered nuances of their unique, high elevation vineyard site in Santa Barbara County’s beloved Santa Ynez Valley wine country.
Full and silky in body but also charmingly crisp, Roussanne is native to the Rhône Valley of France. It is responsible for some of the finest Northern Rhône white wines. Roussanne adds richness and acidity to Marsanne’s soft, fruitiness, making age worthy and highly respected whites. Somm Secret—Roussanne takes its name from the French word, roux, meaning rouge or red because of the berry’s pink glow. In California, virtually all of the 339 acres of Roussanne come from true clones brought over by Tablas Creek and John Alban.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.