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For years DeLille Cellars has been making some of the finest Roussanne that you will find in the state. This 2022 edition is entirely sourced from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain. Stored in a combination of natural oak, concrete and stainless steel this shows amazing flavor range with serious texture and verve. This is silky and very easy to drink with citrus blossom, kiwi, cantaloupe and brie cheese notes. Drink now and over the next eight years. Drink 2023-2031
Owen Bargreen | May 2023 | Owenbargreen.com
91
2022 Roussanne
Any wine that smells like a green papaya salad served with a peach dressing is OK in my book. Lime granita and lemongrass tea flavors are punctuated by streaks of salinity and parsley. Great acidity here, with a tangy, almost vibrating mouthfeel.
Michael Alberty | Sept 2023 | Wine Enthusiast
90
2022 Roussanne
Fermented in French oak (15% new), the aromas offer notes of apricot, peach, and herb. The stone fruit flavors are fuller around the edges, lighter in the middle. Perhaps some additional time in bottle will further fill it in. As is, there’s much to enjoy. 12.0% alcohol.
Sean P. Sullivan | Jun 2023 | Northwest Wine Report
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91
2021 Roussanne
The 2021 Roussanne begins with a fresh and mineral-driven nose with aromas of waxy lemon skin and notes of peach and almonds. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is fresh with a fine mineral tension, a food-friendly and delightfully weighted texture and a long-lingering and waxy finish with a kiss of phenolic bitterness. Just over 7,000 bottles were made.
Anthony Mueller | May 2023 | ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE
92
2021 Roussanne
Roussanne in a youthful mode, this wine is driven by its phenolic structure, an almond and quince-skin bitterness and broad, emollient texture. It has the weight and breadth for pozole.
Patrick J. Comiskey | DEC 2022 | WINE & SPIRITS
91
2021 Roussanne
The 2021 Roussanne Red Mountain is incredibly spicy, with ginger-tinged peach and hints of kiwi forming its bouquet. This soothes with its round textures while zesty acids pepper the senses with tension, complementing its ripe orchard fruits and melon tones. This tapers off long and potent with a salty flourish that lingers on and on. While not stated on the label, the 2021 is sourced entirely from 21-year-old vines from the Ciel du Cheval vineyard.
Eric Guido | Jun 2023 | Vinous
91
2021 Roussanne
This has aromas of chopped apples, yellow pears, cloves and dried flowers. Waxy and full-bodied, with wild, spicy elements to the flowers and stone fruit. Bright roussanne. Drink now.
James Suckling | MAY 2023 | Jamessuckling.com
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93
2020 Roussanne
The 2020 DeLille Cellars Roussanne is a beautiful new wine by the talented winemaking team. The nose shows great balance from banana and honeydew melon tones alongside starfruit and damp earth aromatics. The palate is fresh, vibrant and beautifully textured. The weight really entices as layers of melon and Yakima cherry mingle with minerals and earthy tones on the palate. Gorgeous now, this has a long way to go. Drink 2021-2028
OWEN BARGREEN | APR 2021 | OWENBARGREEN.COM
93
2020 Roussanne
The 2020 Roussanne is a beautiful new wine by the talented DeLille winemaking team and director of winemaking Jason Gorski. The nose evokes fantastic range, from banana and honeydew melon to starfruit and damp earth underpinnings. The palate is fresh, vibrant and beautifully textured. The weight really entices as layers of melon and Yakima cherry mingle with minerals and earthy tones on the palate. Gorgeous now, this has a long way to go.
Owen Bargreen | Mar 2022 | VINOUS
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91
2019 Roussanne
Sliced apple, fresh green pear, waxed lemon and chamomile on the nose with hints of herbs. It’s medium-bodied with a sleek, waxy texture and bright acidity. Pretty and energetic.
James Suckling | Jul 2021 | Jamessuckling.com
95
2019 Roussanne
The aromas are intoxicating, with notes of apricot, sea shell and herb showing complexity. The flavors display texture, depth, purity, balance and length. The acid balance in particular is exquisite. It’s an accomplishment for this variety and for white wines in the state. It is delicious now but has a long life ahead of it. Best from 2022–2026. .
Sean P. Sullivan | Dec 2020 | WINE ENTHUSIAST
92
2019 Roussanne
Pale, bright yellow with a peach-skin blush. Savory if subdued scents of pear, apricot, lemongrass and musky herbs. Quite rich, broad and tactile on the palate but classically dry, displaying a softer mouth feel than the Sauvignons but plenty of balancing acidity and alcohol to maintain structure. With air, notes of apple, minerals and citrus zest emerged. A bit more laid-back than the 2018 Roussanne at a similar stage, this bottling does not show the fig note of the earlier vintage.
Stephen Tanzer | Dec 2020 | VINOUS
90+
2019 Roussanne
Made from grapes grown in the Ciel du Cheval vineyard, the 2019 Roussanne has a lifted and mineral nose with elegant aromas of peach and citrus blossoms that shine through in the glass with elements of waxy citrus peel and hints of freshly cut arugula. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is spicy on the palate with a pleasing, waxy mouthfeel and ends with a spiced stone fruit finish. Just over 8,000 bottles were made.
Anthony Mueller | OCT 2020 | Wine Advocate
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91
2018 Roussanne
Coming from esteemed Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, the wine has aromas that fascinate, with notes of nori, wet seashell and tropical fruit. A full-bodied, fruit-filled palate follows, showing exceptional balance. It has a big-time yum factor and a lingering finish. It’s one of the best example of this variety to come out of the state.
SEAN P. SULLIVAN | Dec 2019 | wine enthusiast
93
2018 Roussanne
Bright, pale yellow-gold. Very complex scents of stone fruits, fig and saline minerality. Wonderfully sweet and full on the palate, with flavors of apricot, citrus fruits and fig lifted by spices and peach blossom; the wine’s sweetness is nicely buffered by excellent acidity and firm minerality. Made from a low crop level in 2018. This wine got about three months of lees contact but winemaker Jason Gorski does not stir the lees. And it shows noteworthy acidity for a wine with 14% alcohol on the label: Gorski told me that the pH is 3.3 “at a maximum.” (from Ciel de Cheval; fermented in 85% stainless steel and 15% neutral oak; this wine always goes through malolactic fermentation)
Stephen Tanzer | Dec 2019 | vinous.com
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92
2017 Roussanne
(entirely from Ciel du Cheval): Bright, light yellow. Sexy scents of red berries, stone fruits and musky herbs show a faintly saline character (winemaker Jason Gorski told me he looks for tide pool and seaweed salad notes). In a subtle French style, conveying a captivating sweet/saline quality to its strawberry and pomegranate fruit flavors. This very sophisticated wine is tighter than the ’16 was at the same stage.
Stephen Tanzer | JUL 2018 | vinous.com
91
2017 Roussanne
Coming all from the Ceil du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain, the 2017 Roussanne offers classy notes of white peach, honeysuckle, and white flowers in a medium-bodied, nicely balanced package. It has solid richness, yet stays fresh, vibrant, and clean, with a great finish.
jeb dunnuck | Apr 2019 | jebdunnuck.COM
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93
2016 Roussanne
(all Ciel du Cheval fruit): Full deep yellow. Intense stone fruits, menthol, lemon grass and flowers on the nose, plus a suggestion of candied fruits. Smooth, generous and impressively concentrated, with its intense stone fruit, pear, lemon and lime zest flavors perfectly framed by fresh acidity. Bone-dry, beautifully restrained wine without any impression of warmth to blur its focus. Finishes firm and very long.
STEPHEN TANZER | JUL 2017 | VINOUS.COM
91
2016 Roussanne
The vibrant gold colored 2016 Roussanne (100% Roussanne aged 85% in stainless steel and 15% in neutral barrels) is another beauty, offering notes of crisp apple, white flowers, and salty minerality in a medium-bodied, pure, dry, beautifully balanced package. It’s going to shine on the dinner table.
JEB DUNNUCK | APR 2018 | jebdunnuck.com
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93
2015 Roussanne
The 2015 Roussanne from this team is gorgeous, and certainly getting up with some of the best examples of the variety coming out of Washington and California. It offers loads of pineapple, buttered citrus, honeysuckle and white flower characteristics, medium to full-bodied richness, juicy acidity and plenty of sweet fruit. With a rounded, supple texture and a great finish, it’s going to shine on the dinner table over the coming 2-3 years.
Jeb Dunnuck | Jun 2017 | 231, The Wine Advocate
92
2015 Roussanne
(entirely from Ciel du Cheval): Pale, bright lemon-yellow. Compelling salty nose offers scents of lemon, honeysuckle, fig and marzipan. Wonderfully fresh and dry, with citrus and quince flavors firmed on the back end with a touch of apricot-pit phenolic firmness. Really lingers with vibrant minerality and a note of Aplets (a candy made in Washington from apples and walnuts).
STEPHEN TANZER | JUL 2016 | VINOUS.COM
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93
2014 Roussanne
(100% from Ciel du Cheval; no new wood): Pale, bright yellow. Lemon curd, lime oil, pineapple, spices, honeysuckle and botanical herbs on the highly complex nose, plus a hint of petrol; smells a little like a salty breeze off the ocean. Densely packed and sappy, conveying a sweet/sour umami seaweed quality and a strong impression of dry extract. The concentrated lemon and honeysuckle flavors are lifted by a lovely floral topnote. This high-pitched wine dusts the palate on the brisk, very long finish. A portion of this very impressive wine was what winemaker Chris Upchurch described as “lower-tonnage, more oily Roussanne,” fermented separately and left on its lees.
STEPHEN TANZER | JUL 2015 | VINOUS.COM
90
2014 Roussanne
The 2014 Doyenne Roussanne is another solid wine from this estate, which seems to deliver the goods in just about every vintage. Apple blossom, caramelized citrus, white flowers and a hint of brioche all give way to a medium-bodied, elegant, layered and textured white that will pair beautifully with heartier fare over the coming 5-6 years.
jeb dunnuck | JUn 2016 | 225, The Wine Advocate
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93
2013 Roussanne
One of the top Rhone whites coming out of Washington, Delille’s 2013 Doyenne Roussanne (100% Roussanne) is straight up terrific. Giving up tons of minerality in its citrus blossom, crushed rock, white currant and white floral-laced bouquet, this beauty is close to full-bodied, rich and textured, yet always stays balanced, fresh and lively. It has a great finish and keeps you coming back to the glass. It’s great now, and while this grape can have an unpredictable evolution, I’m sure it will be an interesting and enjoyable effort in a decade or more. Still, as always, the easy and safe bet with these is to drink them in their first 4-5 years.
Jeb Dunnuck | Jun 2015 | 219, The Wine Advocate
92
2013 Roussanne
(100% roussanne from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard): Bright, gold-tinged yellow. Knockout nose offers scents of lime, kiwi, and white pepper, along with a complicating salinity. Dense and sappy but light on its feet, with terrific acidity giving cut and inner-mouth perfume to the flavors of pear, lime, honeysuckle and minerals. Really wonderful fruit intensity, structure and persistence here, as well as a sexy saline note. Chateau Beaucastel’s Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is the prototype for this wine, notes winemaker Chris Upchurch, adding that roussanne is a grape that ripens unevenly but that fruit in Ciel du Cheval Vineyard tends to show outstanding retention of acidity. By picking all the fruit for this wine in one go, DeLille can get greater complexity and a harmonious blend of disparate elements. This wine was done in stainless steel and neutral oak and went through full malolactic fermentation.
Stephen Tanzer | DEC 2014 | Vinous.com
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92
2012 Roussanne
Bright yellow. Savory, spicy, earthy nose reminded me of sake. Tactile and slightly sweet, with complex flavors of beeswax, honeysuckle, pepper and flowers. Offers a sappy sweet/sour character, with limey acidity providing terrific inner-mouth cut and tension. Ripe, intense, subtle and long, finishing with a fascinating umami texture.
STEPHEN TANZER | NOV 2013 | VINOUS.COM
90
2012 Roussanne
Kicking off the estate’s Rhone portfolio, the 2012 Doyenne Roussanne is comprised of 100% Roussanne and was fermented in a combination of French oak and stainless steel before aging in stainless steel. Beautifully fresh and lively, with classic pear, honeycomb, mineral and hints of butter nut, it is a medium-bodied, balanced and fresh white that stays clean and lively on the finish due to ample acidity. There’s a suppleness here that suggests near-term drinking is the safe approach, yet it should still have an interesting evolution over the coming 3-4 years. Drink now-2016.
JEB DUNNUCK | JUN 2013 | 207, The Wine Advocate
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92
2011 Roussanne
(fermented in neutral oak barrels): Pale straw. Enticing lift to the aromas of orange flower, nectarine and brown spices. Ripely fruity and quite dry, with plenty of flesh enlivened by bright acidity. Nicely concentrated roussanne with a slightly exotic quality that suggests a bit of botrytis. A light saline quality adds interest on the back end. Another superb vintage for this bottling.
STEPHEN TANZER | NOV 2012 | VINOUS.COM
91
2011 Roussanne
Latest in a nearly decade-long line-up sourced from Tablas Creek clonal material planted at Ciel du Cheval Vineyard and vinified in older barriques, DeLille’s 2011 Doyenne Roussanne offers a delightful and very varietally typical nose of lime zest, honeysuckle, orange blossom, bee’s wax, and white peach whose fuzz seems to coat the palate as an invigorating adjunct to inner-mouth floral perfume, faint waxiness, and luscious juiciness. A telltale nip of white pepper adds to the stimulation of a vibrantly persistent finish, and the too-frequent tendency with very ripe renditions of this grape toward bitterness or finishing flatness is entirely avoided. This tongue-tingler ought to prove delightfully versatile at table for at least 3-4 years, though in the process it’s likely to take on a honeyed and more richly-textured patina.
David Schildknecht | Dec 2012 | 204, The Wine Advocate
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92
2010 Roussanne
Ripe and slightly exotic, the 2010 Roussanne, 100% Roussanne all from the Ciel du Cheval vineyard, delivers a brilliant bouquet of ripe peach and muskmelon, orange rind, subtle flowers, and mineral that carries to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and perfectly balanced white. This has solid richness and is no lightweight, however, it stays remarkably light on the palate, has juicy acidity, fantastic purity, and a clean, lengthy finish. I’m a fan, and this should drink beautifully for 3-5 years.
jeb dunnuck | Jun 2012 | jebdunnuck.COM
92
2010 Roussanne
(100% Ciel du Cheval fruit): Musky aromas of lemon, lime, honey and flowers. Juicy, pure and concentrated, with lovely intensity of peach and butternut squash flavor. This brisk, nicely aromatic wine finishes strong and long. Very impressive.
STEPHEN TANZER | NOV 2011 | VINOUS.COM
91
2010 Roussanne
The 2010 Roussanne (100%) delivers fragrant minerals, baking spices, jasmine, honey, and melon aromas that entice the nose. On the palate, vibrant acidity frames the wine’s savory, waxy, peach and honeydew flavors. This lovely effort is likely to provide enjoyment for another 3-4 years.
Jay S Miller | Aug 2011 | 196, The Wine Advocate
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93
2009 Roussanne
Very steely and crisp, with gorgeous pear, lemon, and brioche notes buffering all of the wet stone and mineral undertones, the 2009 DeLille Cellars Roussanne Doyenne Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is a serious white that shows fantastic focus and class on the palate. Possessing racy acidity and solid structure, this beauty should age gracefully for up to a decade.
Jeb dunnuck | Jun 2011 | jebdunnuck.com
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91
2008 Roussanne
The one white wine is the 2008 Roussanne, a light gold-colored wine with lovely aromas of bee’s wax, honeysuckle, hazelnuts, and melon. Mouth-filling and concentrated, this ripe, lengthy effort will provide much pleasure for another 3-4 years.
Jay S Miller | Aug 2010 | 190, The Wine Advocate