French winemaker Yannick Rousseau’s love affair with wine began at age five with his first glass of watered-down wine made by his grandpa, Pépé. Pépé was an Artisan Butcher; he also hunted his own food and made his own wine. Yannick has fond memories of long dinners with many laughs and heated discussions accompanied by simple, delicious dishes and good, unpretentious wines. Yannick’s Dad was also an Artisan Butcher. ‘Son Of a Butcher’ Red Blend is a salute to his French heritage and a “homage” to the easy-going way of life in the South-West of France. Open a bottle any day of the week and enjoy the warmth of family and friends, and the delights of an everyday meal. Pépé and Yannick’s Dad (pictured on the label in front of the family’s butcher shop) would approve!
2022 was a challenging vintage for Northern California because we had heat waves in June, July, and early September, but, because we source our grapes from premium & well-managed vineyards, we were able to preserve the high quality of the grapes and pick them at the perfect window. SOB shows the softer side of Yannick’s favorite red grape - Tannat - and its amazing potential as a blending variety.
Color: Deep and vibrant black cherry.
Nose: Bright, deep, full, generous, elegant, and complex with notes of blackberries, baked blueberry pie, cassis, dry herbs, spices, black olives, and delicate French oak
Mouthfeel: Supple entrance leading to juicy mid-palate, full-bodied, good structure, offering sweet spices, cocoa powder, blackberries, silky tannins, great balance, and fresh long finish.
It’s an unmistakable California “resident”, rich, juicy, and with a youthful vibe, but the one who doesn’t forget its French heritage and its “je ne sais quoi”.
Think of a delicious meat lasagna, pork chop, a steaming bowl of chili, meatloaf, eggplant parmesan, or “tout simplement” a juicy hamburger to pair with the wine.
Y. Rousseau Wines is a dream that began long ago in the South-West of France and continues to grow and evolve today. Yannick Rousseau, a French native, founder and winemaker, followed his heart and passion for winemaking all the way to Napa Valley, where he met his Texan-born wife, Susan. The two of them bring their combined entrepreneurial savvy to embrace the ebbs and flows of running a family winery with the legacy of their racines, hospitable style, and discriminating artisanship.
Yannick’s reputation has been made not by following in anyone’s particular footsteps but rather by taking what he has learned from great mavericks and integrating it into what he discovers to be true. His history of working with grape varietals from the Southwest of France is well known. Now, he carries forward his winemaking mission, still embracing Colombard, Tannat, and other favored varietals and blending them to create revived, and even edge-bending wines.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
As mentioned in the “Clue” thread, this is a frequent visitor to the site and i finally get to try!
This is my first experience with this specific bottling, but i still have a bottle of the Y. Rousseau Colombard from a Casemates offer years back, and i know i’ve had a Tannat varietal bottling along the way as well.
Simply put, this is a solid red wine. The name and cork label might get some laughs or groans (depending on company) but i would absolutely serve this to any group.
Medium finish, a touch of residual sugar or extra fruity. While not a cerebral wine, it has some complexity from this dusty building feeling i get. It’s not “smoke”, but definitely “dust”.
Enough tannin and acid to be good with a meal, but also easy drinking enough to drink alone. We ended up having this as an after dinner drink, but it would pair quite well with mushroomy or red meat dishes.
I’ll check back on the bottle tomorrow and see how the remainder is doing as well!
Another way to describe “dust” for is earthy. Also, the wine is bone dry (no residual sugar) but, I agree, the Tannat brings in generous fruit components.
@yannickrousseau Totally. I tend to use the word “earthy” to be mushroomy / forest floor / good-damp. Whereas with this i’m definitely getting cellar / attic / old building.
Fun to hear that it’s completely dry but has all of the fruitiness. It’s wild how the senses can interpret all of those signals.
I did have another glass tonight and it’s mellowed with the fruit and has more tea / tobacco.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Y. Rousseau. Son of a Butcher Red Blend - $25 = 13.89%
tl;dr–if you like the 2020 and 2021 Son of a Butcher, you will like this as well!
I was delighted to receive this bottle, as I’ve ordered several Y. Rousseau cases from here! The bottle arrived Wednesday and my friend and I had a Friday evening tasting on the roof deck. Initial impressions - blackberry and spices on the nose, very rich taste. We let it breathe about 90 minutes and found it absolutely lovely. Fruity without being jammy, and very well-balanced. I revisited it Sunday night with some pizza and it held up well, love the long finish. Definitely an auto-buy at this price.
@murftastic
I’ll definitely check out the finish after 24+ hours after original opening. I found it to be relatively short/medium. It stayed in the mouth a little bit, more more as an aftertaste than a full experience.
2022 Y. Rousseau. Son of a Butcher Red Blend
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $288/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Tuesday, May 27
2022 Y. Rousseau. Son of a Butcher Red Blend
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $154.99 $12.92/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Previous offer:
7/19/24 (2021)
Greetings, good evening, and good day!
As mentioned in the “Clue” thread, this is a frequent visitor to the site and i finally get to try!
This is my first experience with this specific bottling, but i still have a bottle of the Y. Rousseau Colombard from a Casemates offer years back, and i know i’ve had a Tannat varietal bottling along the way as well.
Simply put, this is a solid red wine. The name and cork label might get some laughs or groans (depending on company) but i would absolutely serve this to any group.
Medium finish, a touch of residual sugar or extra fruity. While not a cerebral wine, it has some complexity from this dusty building feeling i get. It’s not “smoke”, but definitely “dust”.
Enough tannin and acid to be good with a meal, but also easy drinking enough to drink alone. We ended up having this as an after dinner drink, but it would pair quite well with mushroomy or red meat dishes.
I’ll check back on the bottle tomorrow and see how the remainder is doing as well!
@radiolysis
Another way to describe “dust” for is earthy. Also, the wine is bone dry (no residual sugar) but, I agree, the Tannat brings in generous fruit components.
@yannickrousseau Totally. I tend to use the word “earthy” to be mushroomy / forest floor / good-damp. Whereas with this i’m definitely getting cellar / attic / old building.
Fun to hear that it’s completely dry but has all of the fruitiness. It’s wild how the senses can interpret all of those signals.
I did have another glass tonight and it’s mellowed with the fruit and has more tea / tobacco.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Y. Rousseau. Son of a Butcher Red Blend - $25 = 13.89%
tl;dr–if you like the 2020 and 2021 Son of a Butcher, you will like this as well!
I was delighted to receive this bottle, as I’ve ordered several Y. Rousseau cases from here! The bottle arrived Wednesday and my friend and I had a Friday evening tasting on the roof deck. Initial impressions - blackberry and spices on the nose, very rich taste. We let it breathe about 90 minutes and found it absolutely lovely. Fruity without being jammy, and very well-balanced. I revisited it Sunday night with some pizza and it held up well, love the long finish. Definitely an auto-buy at this price.
@murftastic
I’ll definitely check out the finish after 24+ hours after original opening. I found it to be relatively short/medium. It stayed in the mouth a little bit, more more as an aftertaste than a full experience.