Washington State Red Blend: The Reveler @ 800 Degree Three Fires Pizza Oven

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield became famous with lines like “I don’t get no respect.” Washington State wine suffers from a similar lack of respect despite a heritage of Italian, French, and German immigrants, especially in the Walla Walla region. In the late 1850s, according to Wikipedia, a settler established the first nursery in the Walla Walla region with grapes imported from Oregon. Today, the Walla Walla AVA is part of the largest AVA in the state – the Columbia Valley AVA.

Washington State is second only to California in wine grape production but their neighbor Oregon is far better known, and respected, as a wine region. Tom Stevenson, wine expert, wine editor, and author “The New Sotheby’s Wine Guide,” espouses a theory that Oregon is associated with one main varietal – Pinot Noir, while Washington has yet to establish an identity. Per U.S. Department of Agriculture, these four grape varietals dominate production: Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Though much smaller in production, the next varieties are Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer. Over 80 grape varieties are grown and in use by an exploding number of wineries.

The oldest established wineries in the state are: Leonetti Cellar, 1977; Woodward Canyon, 1981; L’Ecole,1984, and Chateau Ste. Michelle founded as American Wine company in 1954 from a merger of the National Wine Company founded in 1934 and the Pomerelle Wine Company. According to Wikipedia, Chateau Ste. Michelle is the world’s largest producer of Riesling wine which makes them the most interesting part of the financial portfolio of parent company Altria, formerly Philip Morris Companies, Inc. 

Revelry Vintners (www.revelryvintners.com), producers of the red blend I enjoyed with pizza at 800 Degree Three Fires, is a Walla Walla winery established in 2006. My glass of 2010 The Reveler was $13.50 making it the top-priced glass on the 800 Degree menu. The blend is 42% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery achieved double gold recognition for their 2009 The Reveler at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, according to Wine Press Northwest, “this came in at the lowest end of the $20-29.99 Bordeaux blend category.” The term Bordeaux blend is any combination of grapes typically used to make red wines produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Check www.wine-searcher.com; it’s available from Vine & Table Gourmet Market, Carmel, IN at $18.99.

Annually, www.seattlemet.com publishes a list of best Washington state wines: http://www.seattlemet.com/bars-and-nightlife/best-washington-wines-2012/articles/best-washington-wines-the-2012-list. Check out their list under the category Red Blends that  includes the more established names like J. Bookwalter, new names like Corliss Estates named  the 2010 Best New Winery by Seattle Magazine, aMaurice Cellars whose female winemaker was named Winemaker to Watch in August 2012 Seattle Magazine, Avennia Wines whose founder and winemaker was winemaker at DeLille Cellars before starting his own. No, it does not include Revelry Vintners in any list.Maybe someday.

If you want to learn (and taste) more Washington state wines, click http://www.wawinereport.com/ to join Sean Sullivan for his September Virtual Tasting of Bookwalter Notebook Red 3NV: The September Virtual Tasting wine is the J Bookwalter Notebook Red 3NV. This wine retails for $15 and is fairly widely available. The tasting will take place on Wednesday September 25th from 7-8pm Pacific.

What you need to do to participate is: 1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery.2. Tweet your comments about the wine on Twitter between 7 and 8pm Pacific on the specified date using the hashtag #bookwalter. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport.

 If you’re in Fort Wayne and can’t be with the wine you love, love the wine they have. At  800 Degree Three Fires, that is The Reveler.

 

Rhone Rangers San Francisco Tasting Notes from wine blog Vinography

05.28.2013

The Rhone Renaissance: Tasting Notes from Rhone Rangers 2013

"I'm not dead yet!" protests the old man as he is about to be dumped on the wheelbarrow of corpses. "I think I'll go for a walk," he volunteers. "Shut up, you're not fooling anyone," insists the man trying to get rid of him.
I can't help but think of this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail whenever I contemplate the fate of California Syrah. For reasons completely unbeknownst to me, it's apparently easier to get rid of a case of the clap than a case of Syrah according to what is now a well worn joke among winemakers in California.
Squaring this reality with the obvious increasing diversity and quality of the Syrahs made in California gets more difficult with each passing month. My notes from this year's Rhone Rangers tasting make that abundantly clear as I reviewed them for this posting. Add to those the growing number of blends made with Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Carignan and you get an incredible panoply of high-quality wines available to the Rhone-inclined.
My tasting this year focused primarily on reds, and since I didn't have the luxury of staying for the length of the entire tasting, I visited a lot of producers that I knew, such as Unti, Ridge, and Clos Saron, as well as a smattering of those that I did not. I was delighted, for instance, to encounter the wines of Skylark and Ambyth Estate for the first time.
Below I offer my tasting notes and scores from this year's tasting along with a hearty endorsement of the state of Rhone Wines in California. They keep getting better every year, as far as I'm concerned (difficult vintages notwithstanding), and are worth far more attention than they get paid.
Enjoy.

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2010 Ambyth Estate Priscus White Blend, Paso Robles $45
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of wonderfully floral orange peel and bee pollen aromas. In the mouth, flavors of bee pollen, ripe apples, ripe pears, and wet stones have a brightness to them thanks to excellent acidity. Wonderfully long on the palate. A blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne. click to buy.
2011 E. Guigal Condrieu, Rhone Valley, France $65
Pale, near colorless in the glass, this wine smells of white peaches and apricot flesh. In the mouth brightly mineral flavors of wet stones and apricots have a silky texture as the sit on the tongue with beautiful white peach aromatics through the finish. Softer acidity, but quite pretty. click to buy.
2011 Two Shepherds Grenache Blanc, Russian River Valley $24
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of bright stony, juicy, lemony apple aromas. In the mouth the wine has a wonderfully saline kick to it with apple, asian pear, and wet stone minerality that all crackle brightly with excellent acidity. Juicy and delicious. click to buy.
WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2011 Ambyth Estate Grenache Blanc, Santa Barbara County $45
Light orange in the glass, this wine smells of crushed dried flowers and herbal notes mixed with orange peel and bee pollen. In the mouth light tannins grip the tongue as a mix of wet leaves orange peel and dried flowers swirl in an exotic mix on the palate. Made with extended skin contact.
2010 Anaba Wines Coriol Blanc White Blend, Sonoma County $28
2010 Easton - Terre Rouge Viognier, Sierra Foothills $25
2010 Qupe Roussanne, Santa Barbara County $40
2011 Skylark Pinot Blanc, Mendocino County $18
2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Roussanne, Paso Robles $30
2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc White Blend, Paso Robles $40
2011 Two Shepherds Pastoral Blanc White Blend, Russian River Valley $26
2011 Two Shepherds Centine White Blend, Russian River Valley $30
WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2012 Campovida Campo di Blanca White Blend, Mendocino County $35
2011 Donelan White Blend, Sonoma County $45
2011 E. Guigal St. Joseph Blanc, Rhone Valley, France $28
2011 Easton - Terre Rouge Grenache Blanc, Sierra Foothills $20
2010 Easton - Terre Rouge Enigma White Blend, Sierra Foothills $25
2011 Frick Cote du Dry Creek White Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $27
2012 Qupe Marsanne, Santa Barbara County $20
2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Cotes de Tablas Blanc White Blend, Paso Robles $30
2011 Tercero Cellars White Hawk Viognier, Santa Barbara County $20
2012 Unti Vineyards Cuvee Blanc White Blend, Dry Creek Valley $25
WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2012 Campovida Marsanne, Mendocino County $34
2012 Campovida Roussanne, Mendocino County $34
2011 Campovida Viognier, Mendocino County $36
2010 Easton - Terre Rouge Roussanne, Sierra Foothills $25
2011 Frick Viognier, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $27
2012 Ridge Vineyards Late Harvest Viognier $22
2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Patelin de Tablas White Blend, Paso Robles $20
2011 Tercero Cellars Grenache Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley $20


PINK WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2012 Unti Vineyards Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley $22
Pale orangey pink in color, this wine smells of bright fresh berries. In the mouth flavors of wet stone, wet leaves, strawberries and watermelon rind all have a wonderfully silky texture. Electric acidity keeps the wine bright and crisp through the finish. Outstanding. A blend of Grenache and Mourvedre. click to buy.
2011 E. Guigal Tavel, Rhone Valley, France $24
PINK WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2012 Anaba Wines Red Blend, Sonoma County $22
2012 Clos Saron Tickled Pink Red Blend, North Yuba $25
2012 Quivira Grenache, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $19
PINK WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2012 L'Aventure Estate Red Blend, Paso Robes $25
2011 Qupe Verdad Grenache, Santa Barbara County $18
2912 Tablas Creek Vineyards Dianthus Mourvedre, Paso Robles $27
PINK WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2012 Campovida Grenache, Mendocino County $34
2012 Cornerstone Stepping Stone Syrah, Napa Valley $20
2012 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Napa $20
2012 Tercero Cellars Mourvedre, Happy Canyon, Santa Barbara $18
2011 Venteux Mourvedre, Santa Barbara County $28



RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5
2010 Petrichor Vineyards Les Trois Syrah, Russian River Valley $48
Dark cloudy garnet in the glass, this wine smells of fresh blackberry and raw, wet earth. In the mouth the wine proves deep and stony, with powdery tannins and a hint of something animal amidst the rich, savory cassis and blackberry fruit.
2009 Petrichor Vineyards Les Trois Syrah, Russian River Valley $48
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of bright and savory blackberry briar. In the mouth, powdery tannins wrap around a code of juicy, tangy-sour cherry and black cherry flavors that keep the mouth watering through a very long finish. Bright, quite savory, and distinctive. Contains 15% Grenache. An outstanding and very promising first vintage from this small family winery. click to buy.
2010 Donelan Walker Vine Hill Syrah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma $45
Dark garnet in the glass this wine smells of cherries, earth, and a smooth stoniness that is quite appealing. In the mouth, fine grained tannins surround a cool, cherry and cassis core of fruit. Great acidity makes the wine quite bright, even as earthy and stony qualities pull it into darker savory zones. Beautifully textured, the wine conveys nothing so much as sleekness on the palate throughout its considerable length. Delicious. click to buy.
2007 Clos Saron Heart of Stone Syrah, North Yuba $39
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of meaty, savory, tangy acidophilus aromas. In the mouth flavors of red apple skin, leather, and sour cherries have a wonderful juiciness to them thanks to fantastic acidity. With an enthralling twist, the wine turns darker as it lengthens on the palate, with blackberry flavors and wet earth lingering long after each swallow. click to buy.
2011 Unti Vineyards Grenache, Dry Creek Valley $28
Light garnet in color with wonderfully floral, mulberry aromas. In the mouth, flavors of mulberries and strawberries mix with a hint of leather in a juicy bouquet thanks to excellent acidity. Notes of cedar linger on the finish. Delicious. 13.5% alcohol. click to buy.
2011 Qupe Grenache, Edna Valley $35
Light garnet in the glass, this wine smells of mulberry and raspberry fruit. In the mouth the wine sizzles with electric acidity that enlivens savory flavors of mulberry, cherry, and dried flowers. Earthier notes linger under the fruit with the barest whisper of tannins. Outstanding. click to buy.
2010 Qupe Syrah, Edna Valley $35
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of floral notes mixed with cassis and blackberry. In the mouth blackberry and a deep stony quality pervade the flavor profile while smoky, mixed herbs emerge on the very long finish. Fantastic acidity makes this wine positively mouthwatering. click to buy.
2009 Ambyth Estate Revera Red Blend, Paso Robles $45
Light to medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of tangy cherry and huckleberries. In the mouth juicy and tangy sour cherry flavors morph into bright raspberries as they skip across the palate with the lightness of step that only fantastic acidity can offer. Mouthwatering and delicious. click to buy.
2008 Qupe Bien Nacido X Block Syrah, Santa Barbara County $100
Medium garnet in color, this wine smells of beautifully perfumed cassis and blackberry fruit. In the mouth, crushed stones, blackberry and wet earth are wrapped in leathery tannins. Fantastic acidity keeps the fruit super juicy even as the deep mineral tones add rich complexity to the wine. Wonderfully long finish. A baby yet at 5 years old, and likely to peak in a decade or more. click to buy.
2010 Clos Saron A Deeper Shade of Blue Red Blend, North Yuba $32
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine has a wonderfully floral nose of blueberry aromas. In the mouth flavors of blueberry, black cherry, and wet stones dance with fantastically bright acidity that gets the taste buds working overtime. Excellent balance and nice length. An unusual blend of Cinsault, Syrah, and the white grape Roussanne. click to buy.
2010 Villa Creek Vineyards Avenger Red Blend, Paso Robles $50
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of bright cherry and blackberry aromas with high notes of flowers. In the mouth cedar and crushed black and red berries mix with savory herbal notes through a long juicy finish. Excellent acidity, faint tannins. click to buy.
2010 Clos Saron Stone Soup Syrah, North Yuba $56
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of floral aromas and sweet cassis fruit. In the mouth flavors of cherry, juicy cassis, and wet earth have a wonderfully dynamic punch to them thanks to extraordinarily bright acidity. Notes of bergamot filter through the wines great length, as powdery tannins coat the mouth. Excellent.
2010 Qupe Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, Santa Barbara County $30
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of smoky blackberry aromas. In the mouth, the wine has a meaty, smoky flavor that is layered on top of cassis and blackberry fruit that in turn rests on a bed of leather and earth. Layered, complex, and wonderfully balanced with excellent acidity. Yum! click to buy.
2009 Anaba Wines Annadel Mourvedre, Sonoma County $38
2009 Anaba Wines Coriol Red Red Blend, Sonoma County $28
2009 Big Basin Vineyards Rattlesnake Rock Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains $55
2009 Big Basin Vineyards Coastview Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains $48
2010 Donelan Christine Syrah, Sonoma County $45
2008 Easton - Terre Rouge DTR Ranch Syrah, Sierra Foothills $35
2010 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Napa $48
2011 Lagier Meredith Tribidrag Zinfandel, Napa $45
2011 Qupe Syrah, Central Coast $20
2010 Qupe Sonnie's Syrah, Edna Valley $40
2010 Tablas Creek Vineyards Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge Red Blend, Paso Robles $55
2011 Villa Creek Vineyards Willow Red Blend, Paso Robles $45
2011 Villa Creek Vineyards Trovador Carignan, California $50
2010 Wrath KW Syrah, Santa Lucia Highlands $39
RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2011 Petrichor Vineyards Les Trois Syrah, Russian River Valley $48
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of bright blackberry fruit. In the mouth the wine has a light aromatic sweetness to it that suffuses rich flavors of blackberry and cherry that are draped in a blanket of soft powdery tannins. Somehow missing the depth of the previous two vintages, but perhaps that complexity is just hidden by the wine's sunny youth. Wonderfully balanced.
2010 Anaba Wines Turbine Red Blend, Sonoma County $24
2010 Anaba Wines Bismark Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma Valley $38
2011 Big Basin Vineyards Paderewski Syrah, Paso Robles $65
2009 Big Basin Vineyards Grizzly Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains $48
2010 Donelan Moriah Red Blend, Sonoma County $40
2008 Easton - Terre Rouge Sentinel Oak Syrah, Sierra Foothills $40
2007 Frick Carignan, Mendocino County $24
2009 Frick C2 Red Blend, North Coast $24
2009 Frick Lucia Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $24
2007 Frick Syrah, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $24
2010 J.C. Cellars Fallen Angel Red Blend, Russian River Valley $45
2002 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Napa $60
2010 Quivira Elusive Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $32
2009 Ridge Vineyards Buchignani Ranch Carignan, Sonoma $28
2009 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Estate Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley $30
2009 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Estate Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley $32
2009 Skylark Grenache, Mendocino County $28
2011 Two Shepherds Grenache, Russian River Valley $35
2010 Unti Vineyards Syrah, Dry Creek Valley $28
2011 Villa Creek Vineyards Garnacha Grenache, Paso Robles $50
2010 Villa Creek Vineyards La Boda Red Blend, Paso Robles $45
2011 Wrath Ex Anima Syrah, Monterey County $25
2010 Wrath Doctor's Vineyard Syrah, Santa Lucia Highlands $39
2010 Wrath San Saba Syrah, Monterey County $39
RED WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2010 Ambyth Estate Syrah, Paso Robles $45
2010 Big Basin Vineyards Homestead GSM Red Blend, California $36
2011 Clos Saron Out of the Blue Red Blend, North Yuba $30
2009 E. Guigal Crozes Hermitage, Rhone Valley, France $24
2007 E. Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley, France $50
2009 Easton - Terre Rouge Cote de L'oest Red Blend, Sierra Foothills $20
2009 Frick Grenache, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $27
2010 Frick Cinsault, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $26
2009 Frick C3 Red Blend, North Coast $24
2009 Frick Cote du Dry Creek Red Blend, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $24
2010 Hug Cellars El Maestro Grenache, Central Coast $30
2008 Kaleidos Wine Star Ranch Syrah, Paso Robles $45
2008 Kaleidos Wine Lock Vineyard Syrah, Paso Robles $45
2010 L'Aventure Estate Cuvee Red Blend, Paso Robes $85
2009 Mitolo G.A.M. Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia $48
2011 Quivira Grenache, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $30
2010 Quivira Mourvedre, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma $32
2009 Qupe No Limit Syrah, Edna Valley $??
2010 Skylark Red Belly Red Blend, Mendocino County $20
2010 Skylark Las Aves Red Blend, Mendocino County $26
2008 Skylark Lawer Vineyard Syrah, Knights Valley, Sonoma $28
2010 Tablas Creek Vineyards Mourvedre, Paso Robles $40
2008 Tercero Cellars Cuvee Christie Red Blend, Santa Barbara County $30
2009 Tercero Cellars Larner Vineyard Grenache, Santa Barbara County $30
2009 Tercero Cellars Larner Vineyard Syrah, Santa Barbara County $30
2010 Tercero Cellars Mourvedre, Santa Barbara County $30
2011 Two Shepherds Saralee's Vineyard Syrah, Russian River Valley $35
2009 Venteux Grenache, Santa Barbara County $32
2010 Venteux Farmhouse Cuvee Red Blend, Santa Barbara County $34
2009 Venteux Tache le Verre Syrah, Santa Barbara County $36
RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2007 Campovida Syrah, Mendocino County $42
2010 Cornerstone Stepping Stone Syrah, Carneros, Napa $25
2009 E. Guigal Gigondas, Rhone Valley, France $28
2009 Easton - Terre Rouge Tete a Tete Red Blend, Sierra Foothills $18
2008 Easton - Terre Rouge L'Autre Red Blend, Sierra Foothills $30
2010 Heartland Director's Cut Shiraz, Langhorne Creek, Australia $35
2010 Hug Cellars El Pape Red Blend, Central Coast $28
2010 Hug Cellars El Chico Syrah, Central Coast $29
2007 Hug Cellars Cedar Lane Vineyard Syrah, Monterey County $29
2010 J.C. Cellars Misc Stuff Red Blend, California $45
2010 J.C. Cellars Syrah, Rockpile, Sonoma $60
2003 J.C. Cellars Fess Parker Vineyard Syrah, Santa Barbara County $??
2008 Kaleidos Wine Morpheus Red Blend, Paso Robles $36
2008 Kaleidos Wine Osiris Red Blend, Paso Robles $32
2008 Kaleidos Wine Praying Mantis Syrah, Paso Robles $55
2010 L'Aventure Cote a Cote Red Blend, Paso Robes $85
2008 Mas Belles Eaux Les Coteaux Red Blend, Languedoc, France $22
2011 Qupe Maxtap Cuvee Red Blend, Santa Barbara County $20
2009 Ridge Vineyards Syrah, California $34
2008 Skylark Rogers Creek Syrah, Sonoma Coast $36
2009 Skylark Stagecoach Syrah, Napa $45
2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Patelin de Tablas Red Blend, Paso Robles $20
2011 Tablas Creek Vineyards Cote de Tablas Red Blend, Paso Robles $30
2009 Tercero Cellars Watch Hill Grenache, Santa Barbara County $30
2008 Tercero Cellars The Climb Red Blend, Santa Barbara County $30
2009 Tercero Cellars Petite Sirah, Santa Barbara County $30
2009 Tercero Cellars Thompson Syrah, Santa Barbara County $30
2010 Unti Vineyards Benchland Syrah, Dry Creek Valley $35
RED WINES WITH A SCORE BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2011 Ambyth Estate Red Table Wine Red Blend, Paso Robles $38
2009 E. Guigal Cote Rotie, Rhone Valley, France $75
2009 Hug Cellars El Jefe Red Blend, Central Coast $30

Posted by: Alder on May 28, 2013 11:29 PM

Rhone Rangers First Annual Chicago Tasting Tour September 2013

My favorite part of any wine tasting is talking about the wine with whoever is pouring it. I look for a knowledgeable and passionate person to help me differentiate this one bottle of wine from the 26 billion bottles of wine produced annually worldwide (and, of course, the taste). The September 11, 2013 Rhone Rangers event at City Winery, Chicago did not disappoint as most of the folks pouring were owners, winemakers, hands-on friends, or very knowledgeable distributors of the product.

My favorite part of this event was the wine tasting disguised as seminar “The State of the American Rhone Nation.” Attendance was limited to trade members so we were a convivial group before the tasting started. We “worked” our way through nine wines selected to feature a specific variety or blend of Rhone grapes: Viognier, Roussane, White Blend, Rose, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Red Blend, and Petite Sirah. As you can guess, Rhone Rangers membership is primarily from California and the Northwest with a few East Coast and one lone pioneer in Michigan – Domaine Berrien Cellars.

One-half of Domaine Berrien Cellars, co-founder Katie Mauer, was my right-side seminar seatmate. She says their tasting room is very popular with Hoosiers, and the White Blend husband and winemaker Wally presented in the seminar was quite appealing. If you’d like to visit, check website domaineberrien.com for hours. Make it a weekend with the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Country Trail Guide at www.lakemichiganshorewinetrail.com/trail-map. 

On the other side was Matt McCormack, V2 Wine Group, pouring for Qupe Wine Cellars. Qupe founder and Midwest native, Bob Lindquist was absent but had been a featured presenter at the November 2012 Rhone Rangers wine dinner at City Winery. Poured at that dinner was Qupe Syrah Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Sonnie’s 2009. Matt would be pouring the 2010 later at the tasting table.  

My seminar favorites were predictable:

            The Oddball White: 2011 Fess Parker Viognier (100% Viognier) $28

Yes, the tiny coon skin cap on the label is one way to confirm that this is the Fess Parker aka heroes Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. Parker may well have become the first celebrity winemaker in 1989 when he and son Eli started planting a small vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Eli and sister Ashley, as well as her husband Tim Snider, continue to operate the family business. Their tasting room was in the movie “Sideways.” When Tim presented this wine, an audience member asked “why Viognier?” and he answered - advice from folks who’d figured out what grows in Santa Barbara County. “Yea, why not?!”

           The Rose: 2012 Tablas Creek “Patelin de Tablas Rose” (minimum 75% Grenache, with                Mourvedre and Counoise bleedings) $20

Presenter Jason Haas and his wine have impressive pedigrees. He is son of wine icon Robert Haas whose partnership with the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel reenergized the Rhone Rangers movement in the 1990s with an infusion of French rootstock. Jason said when they first introduced dry rose at a Rhone Rangers tasting, they were one of only three roses – at the March San Francisco event, they were one of sixty.  

                The Red Blend: 2011 Villa Creek “High Road”, James Berry Vineyard

(40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 20% Mourvedre) $65

           Restaurateur and winemaker Chris Cherry was both a gracious and humorous presenter. He            complimented Michigan-based Domaine Berrien Cellars with “if we (Rhone Rangers) feel we  are pushing a ball uphill (growing French wines in California), Wally is pushing a square ball uphill.” He got a laugh from the audience when telling of responding to a tasting room attendee’s “I don’t like Paso (Robles) wines. They have no foreplay.” Chris’ answer “they say let’s get naked. No where are you from, no what’s your sign.  Let’s just get to it!”

 

The Big Red: 2011 Ridge Vineyards Petite Sirah (70% whole berry, old vine, single vineyard), Lytton Estate $30

Presenter Joe Glunz, Jr. introduced himself to the audience with this “was my grandfather’s passion, my father’s hobby, and my work” to a Chicago audience already familiar with him as a distributor and House of Glunz retailer. He called Petite Sirah the “misnomer of the wine world” stating it was more “King Kong” and the challenge at the winery is find “its softer side and coax it out.” Ridge’s legendary winemaker Paul Draper first gained recognition with his 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon when it placed fifth at “The Judgment at Paris.”

 

I checked my choices against the more sophisticated palate of my favorite go-to wine guy and wine retailer - Tony. Tony’s favorite – the rose; “those guys really know how to make a rose.” We also agree that you should taste any Rhone Rangers you can get your hands on as most are limited production and limited distribution.

 

 

Tony - the Go-To Wine Guy and Wine Retailer at Joseph Decius Emporium, Roanoke, IN

 

 

Quest for the Holy Grail: King Arthur, Monty Python, and the Rhone Rangers

The search for the Holy Grail kept King Arthur’s knights occupied for a lifetime. Who doesn’t want to join in a noble quest especially when the reward is a magic vessel said to satisfy the tastes and needs of all who drink from it? And who doesn’t want to follow the men of Monty Python wherever their quirky sense of humor takes them? So, why wouldn’t we want to follow another bunch of guys (and a few women) that call themselves the Rhone Rangers and are dedicated to producing Rhone-style wines in the U.S.?!   

The Rhone Rangers’ mission is to promote the production and enjoyment of American Rhone-style wines. The wines use the twenty-two grape varieties grown in France’s Rhone Valley in blends and varietals. Visit the website www.rhonerangers.org and if it’s not too late, sign up for their annual celebration of American Rhone Wines. I’ll be in Chicago September 11 to taste over 100 wines poured by the owners or winemakers from over twenty of the approximately 150 member wineries.

What made Monty Python endlessly fascinating was the unique humor of each member played against the others – Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. They were influenced by those who came before them – Spike Milligan co-creator of the British radio program The Goon Show, and Peter Cook a leader of the British satirical comedy movement credited with spawning That Was The Week That Was starring David Frost. And in turn, they influenced those who came after them – Douglas Adams, George Carlin, Seth Myers, Matt Groening.

That same camaraderie of experimentation fueled the original Rhone Rangers movement in the 1980s with vision and humor shared by winemakers Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard, Joseph Phelps of Joseph Phelps Winery, John McCready of Sierra Vista Winery, Bill Crawford of McDowell Valley Vineyards, Fred Cline of Cline Cellars Winery, Steve Edmunds of Edmunds St. John, and Bob Lindquist of Qupe Wine Cellars. Around 1990, American wine importer Robert Haas formed a partnership with French winery Chateau de Beaucastel founding Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, California. This arrangement brought clones of the thirteen grape varieties used in Chateauneuf –du-Pape, some of which had never been grown before in California, to be planted and shared with other visionary growers.  

Old World Rhone wines are some of the best in the world. The Rhone River Valley in southern France is split into two regions: Northern which produces red wines from Syrah grapes and white wines from Marsanne, Roussane, and Viognier grapes; Southern produces an array of red, white, and rose wines, often blends. According to www.wine-pages.com, the great Northern wines are Hermitage (Syrah) and Cote-Rotie (Syrah), and the Southern is Chateauneuf –du-Pape (Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah).

New World Rhone wines are achieving the vision of early California proponents. Huffington Post’s Richard Jennings attended the 2012 Rhone Rangers tasting in San Francisco and called the Syrah, Viognier, and Rhone-grape Roses successes. Wine Spectator named as their 2012 Wine of the Year - Shafer Vineyards’ Relentless Napa Valley 2008 “marking the second time in three years that a Rhone-inspired red from California has been chosen as Wine of the Year.”

I’ll let you know what I think after Wednesday’s event!

    Hmmmm.