Roussanne
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted chicken, creamy mushroom risotto, seared scallops
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the challenging but rewarding terroir of Monterey County, Scheid Vineyards' Roussanne is a brilliant testament to a grape variety famed for its difficulty and its beauty. Originating in the Rhône Valley of France, Roussanne derives its name from 'roux', French for the russet-gold color the berries adopt when fully ripe. It is a notoriously finicky grape to cultivate, demanding precise attention to avoid disease and uneven ripening. In the wind-swept Salinas Valley, Scheid utilizes its unique microclimates to coax the very best from this noble variety. The cooling maritime breezes and morning fogs from Monterey Bay slow down the ripening process, allowing the grapes to develop their signature complex aromatics of stone fruit, honeysuckle, and herbal tea, while preserving a crisp, refreshing acidity. Crafted in their state-of-the-art, wind-powered estate winery, this wine represents a harmonious blend of traditional Rhône character and modern Californian sustainability.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1972 by pioneer Al Scheid, Scheid Vineyards began as an ambitious viticultural venture in southern Monterey County, initially supplying fruit to major California wineries before evolving into a vertically integrated estate wine producer. Spanning more than 3,000 acres across a 70-mile expanse of the Salinas Valley—encompassing microclimates across the Monterey, Arroyo Seco, and Hames Valley AVAs—the estate leverages thermal diurnal shifts driven by maritime winds off Monterey Bay. Viticulture balances alluvial gravel, decomposed granite, and clay-loam soils across twelve distinct ranch sites, farmed under SIP Certified and Certified California Sustainable standards, with the winery fully powered by an onsite wind turbine. Winemaking prioritizes varietal clarity, tension, and texture across an eclectic portfolio, celebrated for vibrant Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, aromatic Viognier, racy Dry Riesling, and rare regional white bottlings such as Petit Manseng and Roussanne.
🍇 Grapes
Roussanne