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2006 Isenhower Ciel du Cheval Roussane
Lifting cases off the bottling line for 10 hours last spring at Isenhower Cellars in Walla Walla was to my arms and back what hiking in and out of the Grand Canyon in a day was to my legs and feet. I woke up the next morning feeling muscles I didn't know existed. This sort of work builds character, and a lasting appreciation for the wines produced in that winery you worked for. Naturally, I am excited about Isenhower Cellars wines! But for good reasons...
Isenhower is a great little boutique winery, known for both Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. A husband and wife team, Brett (winemaker) and Denise, are modern-day Rhone Rangers, with a healthy respect for the area's propensity toward Bordeaux varietals - they produce great examples of both styles. What's better, is they buy fruit only from producers that are concerned with letting the expression of the land come out in the grapes, in the most natural and environmentally careful way. They recognize the value of the terroir they are working from, and are dedicated to letting the land express its character in their wines. One estate the Isenhower's buy from is the prestigious Ciel du Cheval site in the Red Mountain AVA. Vineyard owner Jim Holmes explains his philosophy on what makes the wines coming from Ciel du Cheval so special: "Dirt and climate, climate and dirt."
A true Rhone varietal, Roussane expresses beautifully the land it comes from. The 2006 Ciel du Cheval Roussane showcases its light residual sugars as you pour it. Crystalline in form, they make the geologist in me delight as I watch delicate flakes float around in the golden liquid. With a nose of round and lush notes of baked papaya, flambéed banana, and honeysuckle, this wine is balanced by the addition of lemon zest, spiced almond, and wet river rock. The viscosity of this wine is exciting, as its layers slip around on your tongue, coating it with silky mineral. Flavors of honied, grilled pear with lavender make me smile and sip again only to find further enchantment, from notes of chalk and fossil - thanks to the vineyard's lively geologic past - and an exciting citrus-zesty finish. Really, a beautiful wine with exotic intrigue, and restrained elegance.
As a member of the bottling team, I not only spent the day talking wine, running, music and travel with a great group of people - "regular bottlers" - I had the pleasure of taking home two cases of wine for my efforts. Because I showed a special interest in the very limited older-vines Ciel du Cheval Roussanne, I was lucky to find 4 bottles of it in my box. Thanks, Brett! I'm so glad I had the chance to know this wine. After a year in bottle, it has really come into its own, and is so worth sharing. The wine is balanced, and will age for many years to come, into something as beautiful and rare as fossilized amber. I'm so looking forward to watching the life of this single-vineyard Roussane progress in those remaining bottles. Very limited production; sold out at the winery.
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