Recommendations from the Rhone Rangers Tasting

When I think of wines from the Rhône Valley, I think of juicy Grenache, meaty Syrah, and complex GSM blends. But the first wine that wowed me at the 16^th Annual Rhône Rangers Grand Tasting event in San Francisco this past weekend was a white wine. It reminded me of how tasty the white Rhône varieties are—and with the weather warming up, this was a helpful reminder!

When I arrived at the Fort Mason Pavilion on Saturday afternoon, I didn’t have a plan of action. The wineries were organized alphabetically so I started at Andrew Murray and strolled down to Davis Family Vineyards, a booth that was crowded and a winery I'd never heard of before.  

I was very impressed with the Davis Family 2009 “Cuvee Luke” ($26/bottle). Named after their grandson and sourced from vineyards in the Sierra Foothills, this refreshing white is a classic blend of Marsanne, Roussane, and Viognier. It is opulent yet balanced with ripe fruit flavors and lively acidity. The Davis Family Tasting Room is in Healdsburg and also offers quite a few red wines including Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Syrah.

I discovered a scrumptious Grenache from Mounts Family Winery, another Healdsburg-based winery. Their 2010 Grenache ($30/bottle) is estate-grown in the Dry Creek Valley. It is medium-bodied and luscious with plenty of red fruit on the palate and a finish that tastes like strawberries and spice.

My next stop was for the famed 2011 Grenache Blanc ($24/bottl) from Two Shepherds Vineyards. Recently recommended by Jon Bonné in the SF Chronicle, it is a delicious and super-limited production sourced from the Santa Ynez Valley. Aged on the lees in a combination of neutral oak and stainless steel, this white wine is abundant and persistent on the palate with citrus. stone fruit, and excellent acidity. Winemaker and founder William Allen uses an Old World, hands-off approach as he gently “shepherds” the grapes from the vineyard to the bottle. His Grenache ($32/bottle) and Syrah ($35/bottle) come from Russian River Valley and are very tasty with bright fruit and delicate tannins.

The best Mourvedré I tasted was from Kenneth Volk Vineyards. From the Enz Vinyeard in Lime Kiln Valley (San Benito County), the 2009 Mourvedré is rich and succulent with notes of black cherry, licorice, and blueberry. If you’re into “heirloom” wines, definitely check this winery out—they produce wines that are not usually farmed in California, including Torrontes, Aglianico, Negrette, and Tempranillo.

As I approached the end of the alphabet, I arrived at Zaca Mesa, a winery in Los Olivos that I visited about eight years ago. From the vibrant 2010 Viognier (only $16/bottle!) to the tasty 2008 “Z Cuvee” ($20/bottle), the wines were just as enjoyable as I remembered them. Current winemaker Eric Mohseni even poured me a little something special—the 2009 Black Bear Block Syrah ($60/bottle), which stole the spotlight. It was powerful yet elegant with flavors of blackberry, plum, and licorice. The Black Bear Block was named for the black bears that live nearby; it is the oldest remaining Syrah vineyard on the Central Coast and was the first planting of Syrah in the Santa Barbara County. It was truly a grand finale!

If you didn’t make it to the Rhône Rangers tasting this year, I hope you can make it next year. It was a great event with so many fantastic producers. Thank you to the organizers and all of the participants! There are RR events coming soon to Los Angeles (June 23^rd) and Chicago (September 11-12^th).

Are you a fan of Rhône varieties? Who are your favorite producers of American Rhône wines?

2010 Cornin Macon-Chaintre: A Sexy Springtime Sipper

It may be overcast and a little drizzly today, but last week it was warm and sunny and today marks the beginning of Spring. As far as I'm concerned, it's suddenly white wine weather and I couldn't be more excited about that (and all the other fun things that this time of year brings).

I have been enjoying some lovely French wines recently. I will always promote my home state and support my local vintners, but the wines coming out of France (and Italy and Spain, etc.) and their prices are very attractive indeed. Everyone loves a good value, especially with April 15th is looming in the near future (the unfortunate part about this time of year).

At $20/bottle, the 2010 Macon-Chaintre from Dominique Cornin is a tasty White Burgundy with beautiful fruit and fullness. Aromas of green apple, tangy tangerine, and white flowers greet the nose. Quince and lime zest dance along the taste buds with stunning acidity. The mid-palate and finish mellow out a little, giving way to deeper notes of butter and spice. Although it's not an "oak bomb" or super-buttery, it is rich enough to appeal to California Chardonnay drinkers.

This wine is incredibly refreshing yet voluptuous and pairs well with anything salty. Last week, it was a bag of root vegetable chips. This past Sunday night, it was a salmon fillet with asparagus and pesto pasta. Yum!

2010 Cornerstone Oregon Pinot Noir: awesome pairing potential

The ZAP Festival was fun, but I think my favorite tasting event of the year is Pinot Days. This year, it’s held in San Francisco on June 30th (I've already requested tickets). For this reason and more, summer can’t come soon enough!

At last year’s Pinot Days, I discovered many new wines, some of which I consider favorites to this day. I blogged about quite a few of the stand-outs on June 17th, but one wine in particular that continues to wow me is the Cornerstone Oregon Pinot Noir ($50/bottle; cornerstonecellars.com) sourced from vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley.

The most recent vintage, 2010, is a stunner with bright aromas of red berries, rose petal, cola, and sweet vanilla. Of medium weight and intensity, this wine flourishes in the mouth with notes of red cherry, currant, slight smoke, and dried herbs. Vivacious acidity and dusty tannins provide an intriguing texture and a long savory finish. With integrated oak and balanced fruit flavors, this wine is distinguished and ever so pleasant to drink.

*If you like Willamette Valley Pinot as much as I do, you will also want to check out this wine’s younger sibling, the 2010 Stepping Stone Pinot Noir ($30/bottle).

When I served the 2010 Cornerstone Oregon Pinot Noir at a dinner party two weeks ago, I prepared a simple meal of pork chops, cauliflower puree, and sautéed spinach to enjoy with it. The wine was delicate enough to not overpower the food and the flavors paired seamlessly. Had I poured a Cabernet along side this meal, it would not have worked.

Pinot Noir as a variety has so much food-pairing potential. Many Pinots are versatile enough to sip casually with cheese and crackers and complement many different dishes. Pinot Noir and pork is definitely a pairing I will enjoy again soon, but it’s also worth mentioning that Pinot is great with roasted salmon, turkey, and mushroom risotto.

What do you like pairing with Pinot Noir??

This bottle was received for review purposes from the Cornerstone Cellars. Please visit them in Yountville, California and Gaston, Oregon or online at www.cornerstonecellars.com. Cheers!