Wine Wanderers #2

2007 Barrel 27 "High on the Hog" White

Rousanne, Marsanne and Viognier - The Three Musketeers

"All for one, and one for all." This famous, if not overused, pledge uttered by Dumas' title characters from his novel the Three Musketeers befits the qualities of a bottle of white wine the wife and I decanted last night. The wine was from the Barrel 27 winery of Paso Robles. It was a blend of three Rhone varietals: Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier. The result, a unity of honeyed sweetness, spiciness, and a crisp fruitiness, may not have exactly evoked the image of three crossed rapiers, but the nexus of the the three flavors definitely worked in unison to create a well-balanced white that could be enjoyed with apricots, a fruit salad, a soft cheese or simply fending off the heat of a summer day.

The wife and I discovered this wine after roaming around the wineries located the cooler, maritime climate of California's Central Coast and eventually venturing into a wine shop in downtown San Luis Obispo. A dapper, amiable young gentleman manned the tasting room in the rear of the store. His memory was amazing. During our tasting, he deftly described the qualities, the history, soil types, fermentation processes (including the chemical processes) of the wines he was pouring that afternoon in such minute detail, Mr. Britannica would have been stymied. He was probably the type that could recite the entirety of The Count of Monte Cristo after only one read. Our wine-logged brains were struggling to retain the gatlin-gun-like barrage of information that he fired at us (though, we did learn about the process of malolactic fermentation: the process of sweetening wines by converting the tart malic acid prevalent in some varietals into smoother, sweeter tasting lactic acid). As he spoke, he poured us two good-sized doses of "High on the Hog." We were instantly impressed: the crisp, sweet flavors worked as a salve to soothe our brains, blazing with information about soil types, glassware and the exact temperature one should be quaffing a glass of Tempranillo.

"High on the Hog" is a blend of three varietals: Viognier (41%), Roussanne (32%) and Marsanne (27%), and the wine is characterized by a rich sweetness. The aroma is redolent of honeysuckle, and its flavor, as if someone had dipped a honeycomb (without the bees) and a couple of Meyer Lemons into the fermentation tank. The sweetness may come from the winery's location - in the heart of Paso Robles, where the more intense heat brings out the sweetness in the grapes (especially the Rousanne grape, which is known for its sweeter qualities and is mainly grown and harvested in California Central Coast AVA). The Marsanne grape give it a touch of spice, and the Viognier, more sweetness combined with smooth, buttery finish. These three varietals are commonly paired with each other. The trio of the three made for a winning combination!

Note: Spicy foods may foil the fruity subtleties of this wine, and may say "touche" to that delicately sweet aroma that is unique in this wine. Our suggestion is to drink this with fruit, or alone. This 07 High on the Hog can be found at stores all around the US for between $12-$13.