INSIDER'S PICK: 2022 GABRIELE RAUSSE ROUSSANNE RESERVE REDLANDS VINEYARDS $25.99

The Virginia wine industry is still in its infancy, relatively speaking, as there is still a lot to be learned about what grape varieties will perform the best. It can take a decade or two to figure out what experiments work the best, and even longer for others to mimic that success and replicate it (imitation being the greatest form of flattery and all that). Viognier became one of the first grapes to follow that form after early success with it from wineries like Horton in the 90s. We say all this as a lead in to today's wine because this is a wine that deserves to be copied by others in our area. Roussanne is revered in both the Northern and Southern Rhone for its distinctive aromas, which is absolutely nailed here with the signature 'herbal tea' and combination of both orange and white citrus. The palate is also spot-on with an oily viscosity perked by both acidity and some skin texture, finishing with a lot of citrus zest and fine tannins. Aging the wine in multi-use barrels and terracotta amphora help this earn a lot of delicious mouthfeel without any unnecessary barrel flavor or tannin being added. This will do exceptionally well with your richer and more aromatically complex seafood dishes, or just be damn sexy and exciting on its own.

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