Last Saturday on yet another super hot day, the Rhone Rangers tasting took place at Cline Family Cellars in Sonoma, with 31 wineries pouring... on the green, expansive lawn where big umbrellas shielded the throng of Rhone wine lovers from the 86 degree heat. Cooling fountains, large garden ponds and a low stone wall you could sit on in the shade helped attendees beat the heat. A few couches covered by shade structures made up the VIP lounge. (The choice of Saturday was a lucky one; now temperatures are forecast to be over 100.)
Only one of these wines was from Sonoma, but, as Phil Coturri likes to point out, Sonoma's Rhone presence is growing. (That is partly thanks to his efforts to promote Grenache.)
It was a lively gathering. The VIP/press preview hour was very busy, even before the doors opened for the rest of the wine lovers. As I walked from the parking lot to the event, I noticed this...(photo below) which somehow seemed emblematic of the Rhone peeps.
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| Best license plate in the parking lot |
Kermit Lynch was advocating for Rhones long ago–before the world began noticing climate change was real. Before that, it was obvious that Napa's climate was never like Bordeaux's. California's regions bore more of a resemblance to southern France than to the Medoc. as Lynch told Bob Lindquist, who was to become one of the Rhone Ranger's leading talisman.
Earlier, Darrell Corti had suggested to Gary Eberle to try drinking and planting Rhones, which later led to Eberle planting a "secret" clone from Chapoutier's Tain vineyard–in Paso, where Syrah had not been grown.
It was posh English wine writers and well organized French wine merchants who made Cabernet the thing it has become, and wineries gravitated to it because of the prices it could thenceforth command. (Think Mondavi, the Lodi Italian, upscaling Napa from heavy bearers like Zinfandel and Petite Sirah to Cabs and a joint winery with Bordeaux royalty in the form of Rothschild).
It goes without saying that Rhone wines rate today among some of the finest in the world today–based on quality. And California winemakers would not mind becoming a Chave or a Beaucastel, despite the geological and climatic differences. I know at least one steep, granitic site in Carmel Valley striving to become the next iteration of Condrieu, and I'm rooting for them.
Of course, Rhones find their own expressions in California, not imitating their French forbearers, but leading to something new. That movement codified itself in 1985 when the pioneers started the Rhone Rangers. More than 35 years later, they persist.
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| Steve Edmunds of Edmunds St. John (left) who received his lifetime achievement award from the Rhone Rangers Friday night, with Craig Camp (right), general manager of Troon Vineyard and president of the Rhone Rangers |
THE TASTING
Here are the wines I most enjoyed at the tasting. (All are from certified organic grapes.)
2022 Amphora Mourvèdre, Troon Vineyards (95 cases, $65) Applegate Valley AVA
A friend told me about this wine beforehand, so I made a point to taste it first. This Mourvèdre was blended with 25 percent Grenache.
I love a well made Mourvedre. And this one was quite unique. I'll take it.
A trip to Bandol to Domaine de la Begude in 2022 opened my eyes to the variety (since so little is grown in California). Bandol is Mourvedre country. The grape is also famously the backbone of Bandol Rouge from Domaine Tempier, made famous by Kermit Lynch, the Berkeley importer, and Alice Waters.
Further north in Chateauneuf du Pape, the Perrin family, owners of Beaucastel (as well as part owners of Tablas Creek), base their red wines on it, instead of Grenache (the latter being what most of the other wineries in Chateauneuf du Pape focus on) as long as the Mourvedre harvest is good. It's not the easiest grape to ripen as it takes its time in the fall.
When Tablas Creek was looking for a site to buy in California, the Perrin family's requirement was a place that had a long enough growing season to produce high quality, ripened Mourvèdre.
There are so few people who make Mourvèdre here that to find an amphora aged one is really rare. This one did not disappoint. It displayed the lighter side of the grape, from the amphora, which also makes extraction unique.
"The lees stay on the sides of the amphora," explained Camp to me at the tasting. It should appeal to wine lovers who prefer a lighter style of the wine's characteristic "sauvage" but it is still complex.
Note: I don't think anyone is doing more to embody the biodynamic spirit and commitment here in the U.S. than Craig Camp and the team at Troon Vineyard in southern Oregon. With Tablas Creek, they are among the first to go Regenerative Organic Certified at the Gold level, which is a high achievement. Both wineries are also certified biodynamic. (Camp is also the president of the Rhone Rangers.)
2022 Syrah, Grenache, Mataro - Ridge Vineyards ($44) Dry Creek Valley AVA
Lytton Springs has three acres of Syrah which it makes it into a variety of wines, including this blend–64% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 8% Mataro and 2% Viognier in the 2022 vintage.
It's a bit of a departure from the previous vintage which was 74% Syrah. The Syrah here was planted in the mid 90's at Lytton Springs estate west.
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| David Gates Senior VP of Vineyard Operations, Ridge Vineyards |
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| Rhone Rangers extraordinaire Bob Lindquist |
Proudly wearing his LA fan gear in the heart of northern California. Letting nothing stop his love for the Dodgers from flowing.
2022 Tablas Creek Vaccarese ($40) Adelaida District AVA
If you want to play stump the wine expert, this is the wine to give them in a blind tasting. The variety is very rarely planted and is usually a blending grape.
There are only 2/3 of an acre in the U.S. and it took Tablas Creek 12 years to get a virus free vines through the inspection process. (Three tries).
It was a lovely, lighter variety I enjoyed. Sorry, no photo. More info here.
2022 Winery Sixteen 600 / A Deux Tetes - Grenache Oakville Ranch ($105) Oakville AVA
The dream team of super star Philippe Cambie (deceased) and Isabel Gassier is pretty unbeatable. They weren't there in person, but their wine was. I've become a huge fan of the Oakville Ranch Grenache. Jeb Dunnuck is singing their praises pretty well, too.
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A Final Comment: Our National Treasures
Without exception, these are among the finest U.S. wines on the market today. And look at the prices. Not that you should be influenced by prices, but compare this to what you find in Napa. Or at the wine shop in wines from the Rhone.
Becoming a wine club member at any of the wineries should classify as a national treasure. Consider the options.
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