Bonny Doon Vineyard has had an interesting time in the last few years. Going from a mega-company to a small producer (selling off its Cardnial Zin and Big House brands in the process - you can now get Big House as a wine-in-a-bag-in-a-box!) that is trying to focus on terroir in their wines (vin d'effort vs vin de terroir - vin d'effort expressing the winemakers intentions, vin de terroir expressing the characteristics of the site where the grapes were grown and the qualities of the grapes themselves).
I'm not sure where the 2010 Banana Slug Roussanne lies on the vin d'effort vs vin de terroir scale. No, it does not contain banana slugs -- the name derives from the mascot of UC Santa Cruz, where 100% of the profits from this wine go. It is a fruity, off-sweet wine with not a whole lot of minerality, but it is incredibly delicious. The nose reeks of citrus and bright, sweet flowers (almost lily of the valley). The flavor is as I said, just off-sweet, and is fruity and citrusy and creamy and beautiful - a nice change from my normal go to white, a grassy sauvignon blanc (which I still love, but choices are wonderful). The finish is spectacular and long; there's something about it that reminds me of a really good German hefeweisen - one you'd get at a German restaurant, from the tap. It's eminently quaffable, and begs for rich, delicious food to go with it (runny french cheese, good charcuterie, Thanksgiving dinner).
Only 600 cases were made of this wonderful wine, and I have two of them, so if you want to partake in this delectable drink, get some soon. Too good.
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