2007 Tablas Creek Roussanne

More unctuously-textured is the honeysuckle and orange marmalade-scented, waxy 2007 Roussanne. This full-bodied, oily-styled white is meant to be drunk with intensely flavored fish dishes over the next 2-3 years. This Paso Robles outpost is owned by two Francophiles, Frenchman Francois Perrin (one of the owners of the Rhone Valley's Chateau Beaucastel) and Robert Haas (founder of the import company Vineyard Brands, and a pioneer importer of estate-bottled French wines). Seeking out steep limestone ridges near the Pacific Ocean, Tablas Creek was a work in progress for its first four to five years, but it has come on like gang-busters in the 21st century. The 2007s are unquestionably their finest wines to date, but readers should not overlook the excellent 2006s. Tel. (805) 237-1231; Fax (805) 237-1314