Wines Just Around the Bend
Every time I turn my car off the road into Rusack
Vineyard I find myself smiling. Somehow the mix of manicured grapevines and
eye-catching beautiful flowers that line the driveway welcome me in, creating an
atmosphere of that “coming home” sensation, which feels, oh, so good. Pulling
up into the hillside parking lot I almost always notice a small group of people
enjoying a bottle under the covered patio that overlooks the Ballard Canyon
below. On this occasion there was a slight breeze blowing through the intense
summer heat of the Santa Ynez Valley. I was wine tasting.
After its 2001 harvest, Rusack chose to pull
many of their grapevines and replace them with specific clones that were best
suited for the microclimate of the Ballard Canyon. This year marks the first
year that Rusack has released wines created from its
new plantings of 2003, and I for one am happy for their hard work. From crisp
thirst quenching whites to ultra savory reds, the bottles produced by Rusack
taste quite well these days.
06
Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley
I really enjoyed last year’s vintage, and once again Rusack has produced a very refreshing 100 percent steel
fermented Sauvignon Blanc, a great wine for summer in Santa Barbara County. Aromas
of melon and wildflowers merge with great sour apple notes on the palette.
05
Chardonnay, Santa
Barbara County
What a finely balanced Chardonnay! Nine months in only 30 percent new
oak has produced a Chardonnay with a bit of banana and sweet apple in the nose.
However, the mouth feel, although full and rounded by the oak, is still crisp
and nicely acidic.
06 Rosé,
Santa Barbara County
Rusack uses pre crush free run juice from their reserve
syrah grapes to produce this wine. During transport from the vineyard to the
winery, the grapes naturally press themselves under their own weight. The
resulting juice is drained off and steel fermented to create this wine. The end
result is that one set of grapes produces a high quality Rosé and a
concentrated Syrah. Drink it cold in the summer heat!
05 Sangiovese, Santa Ynez Valley
Sangiovese is always noted for it’s amazing food pairing versatility, but this one is quite
tasty on its own. Syrupy aromas of maple and cocoa are matched by fun and full
tannins. I say fun because I almost felt like I was chewing on dried currants
as a sipped this exciting wine.
05 Syrah,
Ballard Canyon Estate
I’ve said this before, but I am a sucker for coffee aromatics in wine,
and this Syrah delivers them in grand fashion. Ballard Canyon Syrah’s are often highlighted by their complex dark fruit characteristics
on the palette. This wine isn’t jammy, it’s more refined than that. Think sun-baked wild berries
with just a hint of cream to help them linger on the tongue.
Rusack Vineyards and tasting room is located at 1819
Ballard Canyon Road in Solvang. The tasting room is open seven days a week from
11 a.m. till 5 p.m. Ballard Canyon is
gorgeous and only a short drive from downtown Los Olivos. Put the top down and enjoy some classic Santa
Ynez Valley scenery!