America's Best Rhone Style White Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed
The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series.
Like many lovers of Rhone style wines from America, we have just returned from the 2008 edition of the annual Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco (March 18). This was the 11th year that the Rhone Rangers, a group of about 200 American producers of wines using 22 varietals traditional to France’s Rhone Valley, have shown off their wines at this public tasting event. This year, about 138 wineries presented approximately 520 wines.
During the tasting, we enthusiastically tasted as many wines as we could within the 5 hours (3 public and 2 trade/media) the event was open. We tasted 30 white wines first, and then we tasted 50 reds. We skipped the rosés, not because we don’t love them, but because we didn’t have time. Kudos to Rhone Rangers for providing eco-friendly paper spit cups instead of the plastic cups so common at other tastings. We divided our attention between wines and producers we have known previously, producers new to us, and specific bottlings we didn’t already know. While we found many wines to admire, we are sure we missed other gems.
Cali-centric participation
All the presenting wineries at the San Francisco event except nine were from California. The “outsiders” were Columbia Crest (WA), Columbia Winery (WA), Delrio Vineyards (OR), Domaine Serene (OR), McCrea Cellars (WA), Sawtooth Winery (ID), Snoqualmie (WA), Valley View Winery (WA) and Zefina (WA). It is unfortunate that more of the 22 non-California members of Rhone Rangers didn’t elect to participate, because tasters didn’t get enough exposure to the current releases from appellations such as Columbia Valley, Red Mountain, Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley. There are additional American producers of Rhone wines in areas other than the west coast, but they haven’t joined Rhone Rangers. As a result, participants in this event didn’t get to taste any Rhone wines from places such as Virginia (where some very good Viognier is grown), Texas (where both Syrah and Viognier are grown) or Colorado (where some Syrah is grown).
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Comments
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your notes on this important event. It's also nice that someone focuses on the white rhone wines that becoming more prominent in California, especially along the Central Coast.
Because I was pouring for Epiphany Cellars, a separate label of Fess Parker, I did not have a chance to taste too many wines, but I did get to taste the Edmunds St John blend you mentioned - very lovely wine indeed!
I also wanted to thank you for highlightiing the Fess Parker Viogner - one of our favorite varietals to work with! We make a few versions of this wine, including a very cool unoaked version for Epiphany that was well received at the tasting. You're going to have to try it when you have a chance (-:
We also make a grenache blanc under Epiphany, and actually have the largest planting in CA of Grenache Blanc at our Camp 4 Vineyards. It's a wonderful grape to work with, and we include it in our Inspiration blend, along with Rousanne, Marsanne, and Viognier . . .
Let me know if you make it down our way - would love to taste you on our releses. Also, will you be at Hospice du Rhone? If so, we will be pouring a number of our wines at the Fess Parker / Epiphany table . . . I will also be pouring my own wines at the tercero table . . . .
Looking forward to meeting and tasting with you. Cheers!
larry schaffer
tercero wines