WTN: Older Shell and Bone

Edmunds St. John 2004 Paso Robles White Wine, "Shell and Bone." A blend of Roussane, Marsanne, and Viognier; if I recall correctly, this was the successor to the "Los Robles Viejos" white, from the Rozet vineyard, also in Paso. We had a delicious bottle of the 2003 Robles Viejos several months back: this is an equally delicious but quite different wine, less waxy and more saline, in fact we were both struck by how strongly it reminded us of being on a windblown Point Reyes beach, dodging kelp and jellyfish in the chilly, salty breeze. Still a fresh-looking light straw color, bright and lively though no longer exactly crisp; seaweed-wrapped tree fruit, minerality, and spice; very harmonious and long. The seashore elements begged for shellfish, but I'd pulled this to go with an Ottolenghi saffron cauliflower dish with a poached egg and ciabatta, and it was a good match there too.

[David M. Bueker]

That 2003 LRV is a really delicious wine. I think I may have an '04 S&B around somewhere. Will have to look.

big difference between the two vintages: the '03 is all from Rozet fruit, and is really built around the Viognier from there, which was quite good in '03. In '04, it's built around Roussanne from Tablas Creek, which was only a portion of the wine, but provided its main backbone. Also, the '04 was bottled sooner, by about a month or so.

Aha! That makes sense; I think my initial expectations were set by the Viognier in the 2003 -- but the surprise was quite welcome. Andrea was especially interested to hear the composition, because it confirmed her developing sense that she really loves old Roussane (and Marsanne too). Thanks for the info (and the wine, of course)!

[David M. Bueker]

If you like Roussane & Marsanne, you should check out Tercero. Larry does really good things with the grapes (not to mention the Mourvèdre). I'm not a big white Rhône grape guy, but the wines are excellent.

Thanks! We'll check it out!