Tasting Room: Roshambo Winery

Roshambo Winery, the unpretentious and fun winery that is also home to an annual Rock/Paper /Scissors tournament, has a new tasting room. What could be better than telling you about it, and what you might be able to taste there, in this week's Tasting Room feature?

After selling its previous winery and tasting room on Westside Road in Healdsburg, and then moving their operations slightly down the road into the "Roshambus," Roshambo's Naomi Brilliant secured space for a public tasting room in Carneros at Cornerstone Place.

If you are out Carneros way, I urge you to stop by and help them celebrate their new digs. While you're at it, you can taste some awfully good wine, like the wines described below that I sampled at this summer's Family Winemaker's Event in San Francisco. The prices indicated below in brackets are the recommended retail price. Clicking on a highlighted wine name in any of the notes takes you to Wine-Searcher, where I was able to find listings for some of the wines. To purchase the full range of Roshambo wines, including those not listed on Wine-Searcher, visit their online store.

2005 Roshambo Zinfandel The Reverend ($16). Another wine made with Dry Creek Valley fruit. This had a nice long finish on this brambly blackberry-flavored wine. Cracked pepper aromas and spiciness on the finish added to the interest. Excellent QPR.

2005 Roshambo Sauvignon Blanc The Obvious ($15). Very much in the style of a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, this wine had zesty citrus and gooseberry aromas and flavors. Nice value, and very good QPR.

2005 Roshambo Syrah Rosé Imoan ($16). Made from Dry Creek Valley fruit, this wine had strawberry aromas and flavors tending towards watermelon as you headed towards the finish. Nice notes of rose petal, and a zingy pink grapefruit accent at the very end. Very good QPR.

2005 Roshambo Chardonnay Imago ($17) Nice pear and mineral aromas and flavors dominate this wine, complemented by nuances of white peach and lemon. Clean and refreshing, and one of my Thanksgiving picks. Very good QPR.

2005 Roshambo Carignane The Rat ($25). Spicy red fruit in a silky, open-textured package. Accents of cinnamon and clove in the aromas and on the finish. Very good QPR.

2004 Roshambo Syrah Justice ($25). I liked this wine, with its dark, dark color and aromas of caramel and brown sugar. These were a nice prelude the blackberry fruit flavors, and the spicy finish. Good QPR--and if you can get it for less on sale or from your local merchant, very good QPR.

2005 Roshambo Pinot Noir “Frank” Frank Johnson Vineyards ($25) Roshambo’s first ever pinot noir, this is aromatic with high-toned cherry flavors. There is a rich finish, but the flavors beforehand are a bit hollow. Good QPR.

Have a great weekend, and we'll see you back here next week.