Y. Rousseau The Musketeer Tannat 2018
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Embodying the cheerful pun “all for wine and wine for all,” Yannick Rousseau’s interpretation of this swashbuckling variety intrigues. Built with blocks of concentrated red cherry, new leather, violets, and licorice-bathed slate, it demands attention. En garde!
Yannick was born in the Gascony region in the South-West of France known for its delicious, rich food, daily wine consumption and impressive longevity of the inhabitants. His life-long journey in wine started when he was 5 years old and drank his first glass of homemade wine with Pépé, his grandpa. Pépé hunted his own food, made his own wine, and was an artisan butcher.
The first wine Yannick ever made was Colombard, a white variety native to Gascony. Yannick was then studying for his winemaking degree at Toulouse University and interning in Côtes de Gascogne. Not surprisingly, Colombard became Yannick’s ‘founding wine’ when he established Y. Rousseau Wines in Napa in 2008. Yannick was elated to find older Colombard vines in a small Russian River Valley vineyard. The dry, refreshing Colombard has been one of Yannick's most popular wines since.
Tannat is another wine that Yannick first made in France. He was truly fortunate to work side-by-side with the French Tannat guru Alain Brumont, who enlightened Yannick on the art of blending and a perfectionist approach to winemaking. At Y. Rousseau Wines Yannick now makes not one, but two award-winning Tannats!
In 2008, Yannick and his Texas-born wife and accomplice Susan started Y. Rousseau Wines. Before getting there, Yannick honed his winemaking skills as an assistant winemaker at Newton Vineyards and later as a winemaker at Chateau Potelle Winery.
Yannick hadn't planned to stay in California for a long time when he moved here from France. But he fell in love - first, with Napa Valley terroir and then, with his wife Susan. Together, they have put all their knowledge, experience, and passion in the Y. Rousseau project, crafting small-lot, artisanal wines.
Yannick stays deeply connected to his French roots. He will always remain the son and grandson of a farmer, home winemaker, and country butcher. His down-to-earth, respectful approach to the vineyard is obvious when you taste his wine.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.