Our 2022 Trousseau is a blend of two sites. 80% of the fruit came from the Luchsinger Vineyard, grown in volcanic alluvium over ancient riverbed stones at 1,400’ elevation on the western shore of Clear Lake, the original source for our Trousseau since 2009. The remainder of the blend came from a new addition to our vineyard sources, Las Cimas Vineyard. Perched at 800 ft elevation in the western hills overlooking the Russian River Valley, the vineyard’s steep slopes are made up of fractured sandstone dotted with quartz and schist, and the vines are exposed to ample sun with cooling breezes from the Russian River. The two sites were harvested and fermented separately, with 75% whole cluster inclusion, and aged in neutral French oak barrels for 9 months before blending. The final wine is characteristically pale ruby in color, with ethereal aromas of blood orange zest and loamy earth. We enjoy this wine with a light chill and love how it pairs effortlessly with a wide variety of foods. The 2022 Trousseau will drink well upon release and we feel shows best when consumed in the first few years after bottling.
A perennial favorite, this wine seems to form a seamless connection between Arnot-Roberts’ new world approach and the old world terroirs and styles that inform their work year in and year out. The deft touch used to vinify this temperamental varietal results in an expression of candied new world style fruit wrapped up in a package that expresses subtle nuances and complexity rarely encountered in young California wine. Light-bodied, but gracefully perfumed, it seems to match whatever food you’d like to throw at it with surprising dexterity.
Luchsinger Vineyard
Elevation: 1400?
Clone/Selection: Trousseau: Clone 8
Soils: Cole series; Alluvial fine sandy loam
Vine Density: 6?x8?
Farming: Sustainable
Planted: 2002
Bernie Luchsinger emigrated to the United States in the mid 1960s from Chile and planted his vineyard in Kelseyville thirty years later. Now, Bernie along with his daughter Pilar are growing some of the most interesting grape varieties that we work with: both the Trousseau, and the Touriga Nacional for our rosé. The vineyard is planted at 1400′ on volcanic alluvium soils laid over ancient riverbed cobblestones in the Big Valley area west of Clear Lake, the second largest natural body of water in California after Lake Tahoe. These varieties both thrive in the long, warm days and cool nights of the Big Valley, and retain their acidity and personality well in this arid environment. We are lucky to have pioneers like the Luchsingers who were willing to take a risk with relatively unknown varieties in an effort to find what was best for their land.