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More wines available from Rombauer
750ml
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A solid, direct offering, with cherry and plum preserves lined with light red licorice, earth and tobacco hints,...
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Aromas of ripe yellow peach, melon, and chamomile all framed by freshly baked pie crust. The palate is bright with...
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Aromas of ripe yellow peach, melon, and chamomile all framed by freshly baked pie crust. The palate is bright with...
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Features fresh Fuji apple, pear and nectarine flavors that are mouthwatering and juicy at the core, but there are...
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Winery
Rombauer
Vintage: 2011
The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines.
In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
Varietal: Zinfandel
Zinfandel varietal grapes are an interesting species whose exact origins are unknown. However, they have genetic equivalents in both Croatia and Puglia, where they are still grown, despite most of Zinfandel's vineyards being in the New World. These thin-skinned grapes thrive most healthily in warm climates, where the fairly delicate grapes are not prone to shrivel and dry up on the vine in intense heat. As such, valley regions all over the New World are often full of these dark and tightly bunched grapes which produce a lovely, light to medium bodied wine which varies greatly depending on the terroir it is grown in, and just how warm the climatic conditions over the vines are. Indeed, Zinfandel is renowned for being a grape varietal which can really show off the skill and expertise of the vintners who grow them, as the time of harvesting and the way in which they are processed (as well as the condition of the soil they are grown in) all have a strong effect on the flavor of the wine they produce.
Region: California
Since the 18th century, California has been a hugely important and influential wine region, acting as a trailblazer for other New World wine regions and utilizing an important blend of traditional and contemporary practices, methods and techniques relating to their wine production. Split into four key areas – the North Coast, the Central Coast, the South Coast and the Central Valley – Californian wineries make the most of their ideal climate and rich variety of terrains in order to produce a fascinating range of wines made with a long list of different fine grape varietals. Today, the state has almost half a million acres under vine, and is one of the world's largest wine exporters, with Californian wines being drunk and enjoyed all across the globe.
Country: United States
For three hundred years now, the United States has been leading the New World in wine production, both in regards to quantity and quality. Wine is actually produced in all fifty states across the country, with California leading the way by an enormous margin. Indeed, as much as eighty-nine percent of all wines to come out of the United States are produced in California, where the fertile soils and sloping mountain sides, coupled with the long, hot summers provide ideal conditions for producing high quality, European style red, white and rosé wines. With over a million acres of the country under vine, the United States sits comfortably as the fourth largest wine producer in the world, where imported grape varietals from all over the Old World are processed using a successful blend of traditional and contemporary techniques.