Route 128 2006 PeLu Rouge, Opatz Family Vineyard
Appellation: Nestled in a mountain pass between Alexander Valley and Anderson Valley
Alc: 14.8%
Price: $34
Haydn gives it: 90pts
Total production: 1 barrel
You can buy this wine at: route128winery.com

PeLu Rouge, Opatz Family Vineyard

PeLue Rouge’s name simply comes from the names of the two owners— Lorna (Lulu is her nickname) and Pete. The husband and wife tag team opened up Route 128 a few years back in the Alexander Valley on the main street of Geyserville. A delicious wine, it is silky smooth with hardly a touch of tannins to speak of. There is a bit of blackberry mixed with a bit of black pepper, but it was as if the pepper’s strength had been turned way down to be a little bit more than a garnish rather than a main course. At a total production of 1 barrel, I don’t expect this wine to be around for too long. At that small production, and the beauty of the wine, it’s going to go fast.

Lulu explained to me, on a recent trip to their tasting room, that by giving it a proprietary name, they were able to be more flexible with the blending. They wanted this label to change up yearly, and by giving it the proprietary name, they were allowed to do that. This years’ blend is a co-fermentation of estate grapes, 65% Syrah, 25% Zinfandel & 10% Viognier. All three work together extremely well. While I wish all wines could stay the same forever, I also will be looking forward to the next vintage of the Lulu Rouge.

Keep up the great work, Route 128.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County (and at times, Napa Valley) looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com.