Rhone Rangers 2015: Sipping On the Dock of the Bay

This past Saturday, March 28th, the Annual Rhone Rangers Weekend took place dockside at the Craneway Conference Center in Richmond. This is the second year the event has been in Richmond, but it was my first time there. What a venue! Bight and spacious with outstanding views of the bay.

My favorite part of the Rhone Rangers events are the seminars. I always come away from them with a greater perspective and deeper understanding regarding the many aspects of winemaking. This year the morning seminar topics were on Roses Made from Rhone Varieties and the Age-ability of American Rhones. Both were excellent.

TAKE THE QUIZ!
Below is the list of the panelists and the host with quotes from the Rosé seminar. Can you match up who said what about Rose? This may prove easy for true wine geeks, and challenging for others. But give it a try.  {ANSWERS BELOW}

1. Patrick Comisky, Wines & Spirits Magazine
2. Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Vineyards
3. Larry Schaffer, Tercero Wines
4. Ranko Anderson, Kale
5. Herb Quady, Quady North
6. John MacCready, Sierra Vista
7. Craig Camp, Cornerstone Cellars
8. Jason Robinson, Field Stone
9. Steve Anglim, Anglim Winery

A: “It started out as a way to concentrate the Reds, but evolved to a become a Rosé.”

B: “Rosé not something you really want to talk about, you just want to drink it. Talking about Rosé is like discussing the semantics of Scooby-Doo.”

C: “I am in search of getting to the ‘truthiness’ of the wine Rosé.”

D: “I make it to please my wife, to capture a happy memory.”

E: “We planted the vines specifically for Rosé. It was a marketing objective. The magic loss leader we put in front of buyers, Somms, and Wine Directors. Our grape is obscure but it has a high geek factor.”

F: “I want to approach all our wines, Red, White, and Rosé with equal respect and serious consideration to making them the best possible.”

G: “Our first Rosé started out as a Red but I did not think it was good enough as a full Red, so we made a Rosé and the customers have loved it ever since.”

H: I don’t think there is just one wine that can be called a true Rosé. There is no such thing as a true Rosé  My focus is on food wines and the acidity of Rosé pairs so well with food.

I: “Rosé --it's part of our line up!”

The line up of Rosés included:
Anglim 2014 Rose: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2012 Vin Gris de Cigare Reserve En Bonbonne: Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsaut
Cornerstone Cellars 2014 Corallina Rose Artist Series Rosé: 100% Syrah
Field Stone Winery 2014 “Heritage Block”Rosé: 100% Petite Sirah
Kale Wines Sonoma County Rosé: 85% Whole Cluster Pressed Grenache, 15% Saignée of Syrah
Quady North Rose Applegate (OR) Rosé: 80 % Counoise, 20% Syrah
Sierra Vista 2014 Rosé of Grenache
Tercero Wines 2014 Rosé of Mourvedre

{ANSWERS: 1B, 2C, 3H, 4A, 5E, 6G, 7F, 8I, 9D}

Stay tuned for next post on findings from the second seminar on the age worthiness of American Rhone wines.

Thanksgiving Wines— and Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives!

I was looking through my blog stats today and noticed a huge amount of visitors reading the post I wrote about Thanksgiving wines in 2009! So I figured I better write another one and give folks something more recent to read with my selections for 2011. So here are what wines I’m drinking for Thanksgiving—and more importantly the three days after Thanksgiving. Plus a special bonus feature: Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives—

Thanksgiving Day: What’s on the menu? Duck I think, I don’t know really. My husband is the cook. But it will all be good with these wines.

Rose: Shane 2010 Rose Ma Fille, Sonoma County 
Whites: Cartograph 2009 Gewürztraminer Floodgate Vineyard, Russian River Valley &
Quivira 2010 Viognier–Sauvignon Blanc 50/50 blend
Reds: La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Manchester RidgeVineyard, Mendocino Ridge  – I love everything that comes out of the Manchester Ridge vineyard and this wine in particular is pure magic.
Baxter 2007 Pinot Noir Toulouse Vineyard, Anderson Valley –
Q: What’s going on in Philo? A: Some serious good wine.

Black Friday Wine—
Baxter 2006 Carignan Caballo Blanco Vineyard, Mendocino --I love this varietal and I’ll need the strong flavor profile of this Rhone variety to help me navigate the online sales.

Saturday 2nd Day of Leftovers Wine—
These wines will shine and make the leftovers taste divine.
White: Phillips Hill 2010 Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley
Red: La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard Sonoma Coast – Every time I drive by this vineyard I think about this wine and it’s mineraly-minty-mocha-cherry-madness. Will pair great with the leftover duck if there is any leftover.

Sunday Everybody Please Go Home Now Post-Thanksgiving Wine—
Quivira 2009 Flight Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma-- the name Flight says it all—this fruity blend of 94% Zinfandel and 6% Viognier— is the right choice to serve after the holiday to those lingering too long . The name drops a subtle hint if  that doesn’t work simply say—“Go on, get going or you will miss your flight!”

The Thanksgiving line up. Start your engines!

Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives—

Aunt A: Well she’s a lush and we all know it, but she's not super particular about what's in her glass. She drinks any old swill on sale at the market so just to mess with her I'll pour Phillips Hill 2010 Chardonnay Ridley Vineyard, Anderson Valley because it will make her really sit up and notice. She will love it, but then won't be able to buy it in her Podunk town, so it will be a passive aggressive win-win.

Cousin J: My pain-in-the-ass-know-it-all cousin:  I'll serve Bonny Doon Cunning a blend of 61% Carignane and 39% Mourvedre because he won't know the grapes and will smirk that it's a screw cap. Then the color will fade from his smirky-know-it-all face as he realizes how darn good it is and he'll be beside himself and fuming because he didn’t know anything about it.

Cousin MJ: MJ is such an utter twit. He is an investment banker... need I say more? No, but I will…MJ is a beady-eyed greed monster, obsessed with feathering his nest on the backs of others. He gives new meaning to the 1%.  For him I’ll pour La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Van Der Camp Vineyard, Sonoma Mountain because it’s elegant and complex with a beautiful backbone. All the qualities he lacks. Wait, on second thought this wine is too good for that loser. I’ll save this for later.

If I had a favorite cousin I'd pull him or her aside and pour them a glass of Shane 2007 Syrah The Villain, Mendocino County – but I don’t—so I’ll just drink it myself.

Wine I’m Saving for Christmas: Baxter 2007 Pinot Noir Oppenlander Vineyard, Mendocino 

Cheers and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

NOTE TO READERS: I received the LaFollette and Quivira wines I discuss in this post as samples---BUT!!! I am already a Quivira Queue club member, and I purchase all their wines. I love La Follette and buy their wines regularly on my own as well. It was just a happy coincidence that I was sent samples. So don’t get all huffy about the fact I liked these wines because they were samples. I ALREADY BUY & LOVE THEM! Everything else I bought with my own money.

There’s a Name for My Condition: Rhone Ranger

I love Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Carignane and Viognier. I like saying the word Viognier almost as much as drinking the wine itself. I get weak in the knees when I see the menu for Girl and the Fig, and sometimes I just stare at the offerings on my Girl & the Fig iPhone app when I can’t sleep at night. I’m a wine club member of Quivira and Bonny Doon and I’m on the Shane Wines allotment list. For years I thought I was alone with this Rhone obsession.

But now I find out there is a name for my condition-- it's called a Rhone Ranger and there is an organization by the same name. The Rhone Rangers are dedicated to the promotion, education, and general sharing of the love about American Rhone varietal wines. Kind of like a support group for hopeless Rhonemantics like me.

And through their support, I'm giving away two tickets to the next Rhone Ranger event! Read on Kemosabe.

Rhone Ranger members include Wineries, Growers, Retailer Restaurant, & Distributor Associates, and “Sidekicks” a membership level for consumers.

The Rhone Rangers sponsor tasting events and seminars through out the year. The 14th Annual Grand tasting is happening March 26-27 at Fort Mason Festival Pavilion in San Francisco. The grand tasting features over 500 wines from more than 100 Rhone Rangers wineries, and includes gourmet food samples of cheese, bread, olive oil, charcuterie, fruits and chocolates. Plus there will be three educational seminars and a winemakers tasting dinner catered by none other than Girl and the Fig!

Educational Seminars:

#1 - GREEN RANGERS: SUSTAINABLE, ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC AMERICAN RHONES

#2 - MOURVEDRE ON THE MOVE.

#3 - WILD WINES AND THE STORIES OF HOW THEY CAME TO BE.

For more detailed information on all the events and to purchase tickets click here.

But wait, you can win two tickets to the Grand Tasting right now, right here!

Just tell me what Rhone variety you like to pronounce and why? For Example: I like to say Viognier because it sounds like some kind of sexy lingerie. And I feel rather posh when I say it. But what about you? Do you like the sound of Counoise because it sounds like something Jed Clampet went hunting for? Or maybe you have a penchant for saying Grenache? Tell me.

If you are new to Rhone’s, here’s a quick list and pronunciation guide to help:

Red Varietals:

SYRAH (Sur-RAH)

PETITE SIRAH (Puh-TEAT Sur-RAH)

GRENACHE (Gruh-NOSH)

CARIGNANE (Care-een-YAHN)

MOURVÈDRE (More-VEHD-ruh)

CINSAUT (San-soh)

COUNOISE (COON-wahz)

White Varietals:

VIOGNIER (VEE-ohn-yay)

ROUSSANNE (ROO-sahn)

GRENACHE BLANC (Gruh-NOSH Blonk)

MARSANNE (MAR-sahn)

PICPOUL BLANC ((PEEK-pool Blonk)

Post your answer in the comments below and a random drawing will determine the winner of two tickets ($90 value) to the Grand tasting in San Francisco on March 26-27, 2011. Enter Now! Contest closes March 11th.

P.S. You can follow the Rhone Rangers on twitter @RhoneRangers and tweets from the event at #RRSF