Winemaker's Archives -- George Troquato

Uncommon Varietals: Comparing and Contrasting Them with the Most Popular

Winemaker George Troquato

Our two previous stories from the “Winemaker’s Desk” discussed a handful of Cinnabar tasting room exclusives in the context of growing region and Mediterranean climate: malbec, petite sirah, marsanne and cabernet franc. In this writing, Winemaker George Troquato compares and contrasts three other uncommon varietals (valdiguie, rousanne and trebbiano) with some of America’s most popular.

Grapes for the valdiguie and rousanne were grown on the same property as our marsanne — French Camp Vineyard in Paso Robles’ eastern mountain range. These plantings also offer well drained sandy soils and the cold nights expected at an altitude of 2,000 feet.

Valdiguie is a late-ripening variety that enjoys a long growing season. Paso’s warm, dry climate is a natural for valdiguie, a fruit widely grown in southern France. Furthermore, French Camp’s cool nights help maintain the high acids that are a hallmark of the grape.

“Like pinot noir wines, valdiguie is light-to-medium in body with bright red fruit, soft tannins and floral aromas,” said George. “In contrast, pinot has more earthiness and strawberry or raspberry components while valdiguie shows greater acidity with flavors of cranberry or sour cherry.” Less complex than the versatile pinot (ham, seafood or game), valdiguie is a great picnic wine (barbecued chicken, sandwiches, or sausage and cheese with a crusty baguette).

Rousanne is also well served by the growing conditions of French Camp Vineyard. In comparing and contrasting the wine to sauvignon blanc, rousanne has a powerful white floral component (like gardenia) whereas the white Bordeaux typically throws a bouquet of grass, melon and/or grapefruit. In addition, roussanne has a rich lemon quality on the palate while sauvignon blanc is bright and fresh with grapefruit and grass. “Sauvignon blanc’s cleansing capabilities work well with cracked crab or light fish such as sand dabs,” said George. “Rousanne is very weighty, and complements lobster and oily fish such as salmon as well as duck or pork chops.”

Finally, our trebbiano hails from Las Casitas Vineyard, a planting situated on a knob in southwest Paso Robles. This vineyard has snow-white soils with high concentrations of limestone, and is exposed to cool nights from 1,200-foot elevations and stiff winds resulting from its close proximity to the Templeton Gap (a break in the coastal mountains). A side-by-side comparison with the ever-popular chardonnay shows that both wines possess minerality, good structure from acids and tannins, and great mouthfeel due to the inherent acidity and viscosity. In difference, however, the chardonnay nose is much more aromatic and accessible. “On the palate, trebianno has lean stone fruit qualities whereas food-versatile chardonnay commands a spectrum of flavors including apple, citrus or tropical,” said George. Serve trebianno with white fish such as halibut or sole and subtle seasoning. Look for our 2006 Trebbiano this fall!