Simple Hedonisms

Posts Tagged ‘Rhone’

It’s intriguing to me the high quality Rhone wines that can come out of the Russian River Valley, especially since this is known as a ‘cool’ climate, and the Southern Rhone is warm. While not widely planted, you can find Rhone whites Marsanne, Roussanne, & Viognier here. Grenache blanc doesn’t seem to exist yet in RRV, my likely hobby planting may be one of the first. Excellent Syrah (which does well in both cool and warm climates, with a big flavor profile difference) and small plantings of Grenache can also be found.

I am one of the odder ducks perhaps, as I also like Russian River Zinfandel. Dry Creek Valley is of course the respected King, but there are quite a decent amount of very old vine, head trained Zin here.

What’s my point? I guess that despite being cooler, we have a long enough growing season and hang time, plus cool foggy nights. This allows for longer, slower ripening, good acidity, and good flavor profile maturation, without excess ripeness and alcohol, and loss of acidity. (As sugars increase, acid levels eventually decrease.) Acidity is what makes wine food friendly. Alcohol is what makes you fall down.

Achieving a Balanced California Viognier

What does this have to do with Inspiration Vineyards Viognier? It’s from Russian River, and I am comparing it side by side with a Dry Creek (much warmer climate) Viognier. California Viognier has unfortunately (earned in some cases) gotten a bit of a bad rap, for being too big, flabby (lacking acidity) and overly floral.

This is a varietal that is characteristically quite floral AND lower on acidity levels, so over ripening it is a dangerous proposition. Additionally some producers are leaving some sweetness (Residual sugar, or RS) on it to appeal to mass palates. A tiny bit of RS can be a positive thing in achieving balance, but some I have tried exceed that.

About Inspiration Vineyards

Inspiration Vineyards recently came on my radar in 2010 when they moved to a new tasting room in Santa Rosa (by Carol Shelton) and joined the Wine Road.

Jon & Barbara Philips have been chasing their dream, started making wine in 1999, and in 2001 plunged right in buying a house and 4.5 acres in the Russian River Valley. I have had the pleasure to meet them both. Passionate about wine, the region, the community. Jon is a wine geek extraordinaire. You can read more on theirA story here. They make a variety of wines; my favorites being their Rhones (Syrah & this Viognier) and Burgundian wines (Pinot Noir & Chardonnay.)

Wine Review – Inspiration Vineyards Russian River Valley 2009 Viognier

This is an excellent, balanced, expression of Viognier that is a pleasure to drink.

To The Eye: medium yellow straw, vibrant, clear

On The Nose: Fragrant as a Viognier should be, but not overpowering. White Peach, lime zest, hint of guava.

In The Mouth: Great viscosity, weight, mouthfeel, but not cloying as some can be. Peach, Stone fruits, citrus.

Food Pairing: Crab, seafood, grilled chicken, amongst others

Rating: Outstanding. 91 points

Where to Buy: Direct from Winery. $29.  Call 707.237.4980 for retail locations or email gotwine@inspirationvineyards.com

Wine Geek Notes:

• Vineyard: Marsha’s Vineyard,  Russian River Valley
• Harvest Date: September 30th 2009
• Brix at Harvest: 26.5°
• Total Acid: .70 g/L
• pH: 3.45
• Alcohol: 14.8%
• Bottled Date: September 17th 2010
• Release Date: March 1st
• Vinification: 100% stainless, sterile filtered, no malo-lactic secondary fermentation.

Cheers and thanks for reading Simple Hedonisms Wine Blog .

It shouldn’t be news to any that follow me, that I am a massive fan of Rhone varietals. I mean, I drove 12 hours just to get a half ton of grenache blanc…clearly its beyond a hobby. Rhone varietals seem to engender a level of enthusiasm from wine aficionados I don’t quite see in other varietal categories.

What Are ‘Rhones’

For those asking what are Rhone varietals (grapes) it refers to wine grapes whose origin is the Rhone Valley of France. Bordeaux is known for Cab, Merlot, etc, Burgundy for Pinot and Chardonnay, and the Rhone valley has 22 varietals, some quite obscure. The most well know red Rhones being Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignane and white Rhones being Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc. But a true Rhoner’s eyes will light up like a Christmas tree at the pouring of a Cinsault or a Picpoul.

The Ultimate Rhone Weekend

Not to take anything away from the amazing weekend events the Rhone Rangers put on, but for a Rhone enthusiast, Hospice du Rhone is weekend of complete immersion, and being surrounded by others who share your passion. Winemakers and enthusiasts from all over the world, including France, Australia, South Africa make the annual trek to modest Paso Robles.  The event goes through 10,000 Riedel stems a day…this is serious tasting.

What Goes on a Hospice du Rhone (aka HdR)

You can peruse the event schedule and seminar series, but basically its a whirlwind 2+ days of educational seminars, tastings,  food pairings and entertainment, attended by wine makers, writers, and consumers. You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy or appreciate; in fact if you are newer to Rhones but passionate about them, this is an excellent immersion that will greatly propel your knowledge base.

Simple Hedonism will be in attendance providing live Social Media coverage, and series of pre and post event articles. I will also be helping co-ordinate local tastings for live tastings that will be held prior to the event, celebrating Rhone varietals, as I did for #Grenache Day. (No Fire dancers this time, sorry.)

Limited A La Carte Tickets or the Big Kahuna Weekend Package

I recommend the full weekend package which includes all events and seminars save the Thursday night Rhône ‘n Bowl or the Friday night Soirée. If you can’t spend that much, commit much time, or want to intersperse HdR with other things, there are limited A La Carte Tickets.  For the first time this year, there are a very limited individual Seminars for sale as well, for $155 a piece. (You will taste wines at each seminars you may not see otherwise, last year’s  French and South African lineup was incredible.)

Maker a Rhoner Squeal like  Kid

Tickets can be purchased here, buy a Weekend Pass one for your Rhoner, print it out and put it in a massive box with a bow. The event seminars make great stocking stuffers. You’ll likely get a reaction akin to a small child getting is his/her first bicycle.

See you there, cheers!

The 12 Days of Wine Christmas

Part 1 of the “12 Days of Wine Christmas”: Wine Road Winter Wineland, Redwood Foodbank Raffle.

Part 2: “12 Days of Wine Christmas” – Gadget Review of the VinniBag

Part 3 of “The 12 Wine Days of Christmas” – The Wine Check (no, its not money!)

Part 4 of the “12 Days of Wine Christmas” Wine Clubs – A Review of Different Types and Benefits

Part 5 of the “12 Days of Wine Christmas” The Wine Soirée aerator & Limited Edition L/S

Part 6 of “The 12 Wine Days of Christmas” Lookout Ridge Winery & Wines for Wheelchairs

Part 7 of the “12 Days of Wine Christmas”: Book Review/Recommendation: The New Connoisseurs’ Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries

Part 8 of the “12 Days of Wine Christmas” Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Membership

My apologies to the Ortman Family for this long overdue wine review.  As many know, I am a big fan of Paso Robles, and had the opportunity to visit Lisa and Matt at the tasting room earlier this year. I encourage you to stop in if ever in Downtown Paso Robles. They make great wines, and the tasting room is fun, lively, and hospitable. Wine isn’t just a beverage, its an experience.or

The O2 Line Up

The 02 label is a series of affordable wines ($18-20) that are well made, interesting,  easy to drink, good quality. Current release includes a 2009 Central Coast Chardonnay, a 2008 Paso Robles Sangiovese, and the 2007 SLO County Cuvee Eddy, a red Rhone blend.

I will be reviewing all three, starting tonight with the Cuvee Eddy Rhone blend. (Shocking I’d pick that one I know!)

Wine Review

2007 SLO County Cuvée Eddy

A red Rhone blend consisting of 42% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 19% Mourvèdre,  9% Petite Sirah. (The latter always debated if a Rhone, but let that slide. ) This wine seems clearly intended to be pleasant,  fruit expressive and easy to drink. I am usually good at pulling out Rhone individual varietal components, but these are quite integrated.

Color: Dark Red/Purple. Clear

On the Nose: Blueberry, Black fruit,  a touch of smoke, meat.

On the Palate: Berries and bright red fruit. This release is straightforward, and incredibly easy to drink, well balanced, and enjoyable. There are times when I want something layered, complex, to pull apart an mull over. Other time I just want a wine I can open, quaff and enjoy. I like the easy finish, lack of oak chip and tannin extract to crush your palate. Consumers need to experience wines that don’t have to hit you in the back of a head with a oak tannin bat  – bigger doesn’t always mean better.

This fun, enjoyable red blend that goes down quite nicely alone, sitting on the couch with a book or a movie. Its versatility would pair it well with most meats, many pastas, or even a burger or BBQ.

Hard to beat for $20 retail.  This review was from a media sample provided, but I did gladly buy and consume my own bottle when I visited. (And will again.)

89 Points, Recommended.

Enjoy, and Cheers!

Finally, a quiet afternoon emerges (Thanks to a cancelled Viticulture class) to continue the 2010 Garagiste Saga. Picking up where we left off was my flurry of a weekend, getting my beloved Grenache Blanc up from Santa Ynez, neutral white barrels strapped in tow.  (As told in Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 5 – Grenache Blanc Road Trip, and a new Test of Endurance.)

The weekend went mostly as planned, albeit with less sleep planned Friday and Saturday night. The Bonny Doon Cigare Volante Retrospective dinner was incredible, and a thrill. Beside’s getting some chat time with icon Randall Grahm, I managed to sneak in some tastings, served personally by GM, Heather who was a friendly wealth of knowledge. The Bonny Doon team is genuinely enthusiastic about what they do – and who could blame them.The dinner meant to end at 9ish went nearly til Midnight.

Saturday cellar work and tasting with Anthony Yount of Denner, and his own label Kinero, as well as Amy of Ranchero Cellars, (former winemaker at Edward Sellers) who makes an amazing Carignan, was a blast, and I stayed up too late having dinner with friends, cutting short the sleep for Sunday’s long day….but sleep is replaceable; time shared with special people isn’t.

Sunday went mostly to plan, with a minor trailer mishap. It was a 16 hour day; exhausting, but incredibly gratifying.

The Next Marathon Begins

The following week brought a new set of challenges. I still had Syrah, Grenache, Marsanne, and Roussanne to pick at Saralee’s Vineyard. Two were about ready, two needed a tad more hang time. Murphy’s Law rose its head; Mother Nature flexed her biceps, we had rain, coming, lots of it. Then that thing called work (my real job) reared it’s head with an emergency trip 3 timezones away AND With more behind it. ALL of the fruit would have to come in and I was gone part of the week. After suppressing some panic, I mapped out the plan.

It worked out, despite almost no margin for error. Up early Monday morning (right after the Grenache Blanc journey), blaze to SFO, travel East, full day of meetings, race back.

Russian River Madness

Thursday morning at Saralee’s it was a like a battlefield; every Vintner wanted their fruit off, many thousands of tons. Unruffled, Saralee sat amidst it all, phone in hand, never terse, always calm and friendly, marshalling troops like a General, as trucks rolled in and out. “This one to Napa” “That one to

Crushpad” “The next to San Fran”. I sat in awe and renewed admiration that my 4 half ton lots even registered, but she treated me as if I was some major label driving off with a semi truck load, not a trailer behind my Toyota FJ.

Where Are You Doing All This Anyway

Technically, most of my harvest this year isn’t really “garagiste” depending on your definition. I have a crusher/destemmer and a basket press at home; but it simply wasn’t practical for this scale, nor do I (yet) have a forklift, and I needed a better press to whole cluster press the whites. I have small lots of each fermenting in the garage, and I did 1/4 ton of Sangiovese again this year by hand; but I decided at the beginning of Harvest, given I was paying 2k/ton for high quality fruit, a better facility was needed.

I lucked out in that I had friended Steven Washuta, a bright young gentleman, and recent graduate of Oenology from Walla Walla, who  relocated here this summer to start as an Assistant Winemaker at a nearby, small winery, below radar to many, called Old World Winery. Darek Trowbridge is the winemaker and proprietor. Darek is an affable, hard working, passionate wine maker; we hit it off right away, and he agreed to let me to the bulk of my project at his facility.

Darek is a huge proponent of Natural Wine Making, long before it became the cool thing to do. This meant I had to jump more quickly dainto things I had planned, like native yeast fermentation, but I am glad I did. Darek has been supportive, patient, and he (and Steve) have been a Godsend. As blessed as I am to live in this wonderful region surrounded by wines; its in many ways the people here that enrich and fulfill my life, and I have been blessed, via the wine industry, to make the friendships of many great people, such as these too. (I have more to thank as well…next post.)

More on Old World Winery in a future post;  now that Darek is focused on making them no longer a secret, the word is already spreading quickly, as popular wine writer and reviewer  Steve Heimoff wrote about Darek and Old World this week.

Back To Harvest

Thursday was a busy day, but went quite well. My biggest disappoint of the day was I got a good bit less grenache than hoped, the one I actually wanted more of. Nothing could be done, and I was damn lucky I got what I got. (I am looking for more still, realizing at this point its going to be already fermenting or done. Will gladly pay for 200-500 pounds of crushed or pressed if know if any excess.)

We whole cluster pressed the Marsanne and Roussanne. For experimentation  I kept a small portion of each aside and did some skin contact for 24 hours. The Grenache and Syrah were destemmed (a small amount of whole cluster with stems went into the bottom of each bin) lightly crushed to break the skins, and briefly cold soaked. I took a small amount of Syrah and Grenache must (grapes and juice) home and pressed it for a 5 cases of a blended Rose.

The next day the rain began, and didn’t end for days. The cold temps and native yeast took a while for fermentation to kick off, but all are happily fizzing and bubbling away, and I beam over them like a proud expecting father.

The Quest for M – Mourvedre

One dilemma loomed…as I have shared, one of the main reasons I did so many varietals was for blending…and I really wanted to make a GSM. (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre.) I thought I had lots of time…Mother Nature was throwing me curve balls. I had banked on Paso, as they usually harvest right before Thanksgiving. Rarely seen frost, and rain blew this. I knew I had  to drive elsewhere, little exists (for sale) in Sonoma County…but more widely grown in Paso Robles, Santa Ynez, Lake County and Livermore. Calls everywhere were coming up empty. The GSM was going to be a bit lopsided without any ‘M’ and I was already short on Grenache which I had hoped to be a dominate varietal. What would this hopeful Rhone Ranger wannabe do? Stay tuned!

The Garagiste Series (click to read):

My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagiste or Passion Gone Runaway?

Part Two of My 2010 Rhone Garagiste Project: It’s All about the Vineyard (my source revealed)

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 3: Where to Crush?

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 4: First Crush aka No Plan Survives Battle

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 5 – Grenache Blanc Road Trip, and a new Test of Endurance

Chapter Six: Garagiste Rhone Adventure Continues: 4 in One Day; & The Crush Facility Revealed

(Republished, as a accident of late night writing while traveling, I accidentally over wrote Article 3)

Thanks for following! Welcome to Part Four of the Series: My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagista or Passion Gone Runaway? (Part 3, Where to Crush, Part Two: It’s All About the Vineyard.

The First Crush aka D-Day

The first of my grapes ready  was the Saralee Viognier. Taking vineyard samples, I was actually concerned the fruit was a little riper than I wanted; I seek to make wines that are lower alcohol, less extracted, expressions of the vineyard, vintage, and fruit….essentially I am making to my own personal palate, not what the average consumer buying at Safeway grabs.

The Viognier field samples tested at 24+ brix, time to crush right away, as I wanted under 14% alcohol. I made arrangements with Saralee, the winery, and was ready. I had my new wine trailer, barrel, and all details worked out.

Roll With Small Punches, and Leave More Room for Error

I re-learned a lesson I already knew well from my time in the Infantry; no plan survives battle. I got to Saralee’s Vineyard right on time at 7 a.m.  (Grapes are best picked early, and cool.) She was warm and gracious despite it the place being abuzz….the last heat spike had things in overdrive, and crews were working fast for many varietals, for some big comtracts, thus we were a bit delayed.

Not a major issue, but I had shoehorned myself into a meeting with a major brand 45 mins away for 1030 a.m meeting….Saralee did awesome and we got the fruit picked swiftly.

As we went to load the ½ ton bin onto my new trailer, we discovered the tailgate ramp was too long, the forklift couldn’t get it on the trailer….my plan was to just let the forklift mash it to bits, but Saralee was gracious enough have the bin driven over (this woman is amazing…it’s a busy day, I am mosquito client, yet she doesn’t miss a beat.) Luckily it wasn’t far away.

The fruit is delivered, (after traffic delays)  and stored in a cool place. It’s dangerously close to departure time for my meeting. I race to Safeway to get dry ice to keep the grapes cool until we press that afternoon….they have none. Luckily the one 2 miles away does…race there, get it on the grapes, cover them,  race home to shower, eat in car, and make my meeting on time.

I get back to the winery an hour late, and its smooth sailing. They are finishing up their own press. It’s the first time to whole cluster pressing on this new Puleo bladder press, so we do some setting tweaks, and off we go.

Wine making decisions:

As I wrote yesterday, there is an ever unfolding series of decisions, each impacting the next, in wine making.

Whole Cluster Press

Viognier is a fragrant, floral grape.  Excess skin contact can overpower the wine, which is not the style I seek, especially since much of this will be blended, thus the decision to whole cluster press. Whole cluster pressing minimizes the time the pressed grape juice will be in contact with the skins.

Whole cluster press was also beneficial in this case, as we had some sunburn from the upper part of the block, and only modest field sorting;  whole cluster press does the best job here, instead of grinding the raisins up.

Barrel vs Steel Fermentation (Or both!)

I like the mouthfeel and texture that fermenting in a neutral oak barrel gives (note barrel fermentation is different than barrel aging.) so 60% of the juice (pressed 70 gallons total) went into barrel, the rest into stainless. This mix gives me options as we proceed, when making blending decisions.

Future Decisions (and places for help, input)

I have some future decisions to discuss, analyze , and make.

• Whether I barrel age most of the wine. (Must find another neutral 30 or 60 oak gallon barrel to do this, not easy. ) or leave it to age on stainless after fermentation. Ideally I’d find a 30 gallon neutral barrel used for whites and do both…but this is a very hard item to find.

• Whether to allow the wine to go through Malo-lactic fermentation. ML converts malic acid to lactic, softening the wine. Viognier is generally lower in acidity, so many do not do ML. However I am told, if I don’t, I’ll need to do sterile filtration…for a small amount of wine like this, this adds cost, and wine loss…more investigation needed, but have a (bit) of time.

• Once the Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne are all complete next  Spring, blending trials and experimentation will shape the combinations: how much is individual bottled? What combination or combinations of blends do I make? What percentages?

Juice Analysis

I loathe chemistry, and the inexpensive tools home wine makers use (litmus paper ugh.) The nice thing about the larger scale production this year is running tests from Vinquiry, only a few miles away are now affordable on a volume basis, as well as fast and most accurate.

The Juice Panel test shows 22.3 brix, always more accurate than a field sample; I am pleased. Acids are good, Nitrogen levels to feed the yeasts are quite high, so no yeast food is needed.

The native yeast begin doing their job, and we are underway.  Looks like the syrah and Grenache will be next, likely next week.

Coming up Soon: A More in Depth Look at Saralee’s Vineyard

Feedback Time: Enjoying the series? Interesting? Boring? What would you like more or less of?

Cheers!

The Garagiste Series (click to read):

My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagiste or Passion Gone Runaway?

Part Two of My 2010 Rhone Garagiste Project: It’s All about the Vineyard (my source revealed)

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 3: Where to Crush?

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 4: First Crush aka No Plan Survives Battle

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 5 – Grenache Blanc Road Trip, and a new Test of Endurance

Chapter Six: Garagiste Rhone Adventure Continues: 4 in One Day; & The Crush Facility Revealed

Third in the Series of  My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagista or Passion Gone Runaway? Summary:  In Part One, I laid out my intent of making 5-7 barrels of Rhone wines (~150 cases).  In Part Two I shared my good fortune of sourcing most of my fruit from the famous Russian River Saralee Vineyards.

Yesterday I said I would write about the first crush, but as the article evolved, it was too lengthy, so it has been split it into two parts . Tomorrow I will publish the first grape crush. Today’s article is focused on where to process the grapes, and make the wine.

Crush Decision Point – Where & How

You quickly learn that winemaking involves an ongoing set of decision trees that has many sub branches, and in some cases are dependant on the equipment you have. E.g. If I wanted to whole cluster press (no destem/crush first) a white varietal to minimize skin contact for various reasons, a basket press isn’t very effective, a bladder press works much better, and gentler.

The first decision I had to make was where and how was I going to process this much fruit. (5+ 1/2 ton lots. Small by commercial standards but a lot for home winemaking.)  I have a small crusher/destemmer and press, and plenty of stainless, glass carboys, and other containers. I even have two ½ ton open top containers bought used.

Processing time is also a factor, especially for whites. Using a human powered machine to destem, crush ½ ton of wine grapes is a pretty large task, and best done by multiple sets of biceps taking turns.

There is also the very real factor of my business travel for my ‘day’ job’ this time of year I am traveling weekly; I need assistance to keep an eye on the wine, help with punchdowns etc while gone.

It should be noted, there are custom crush facilities (like Crushpad) that do 100% turn key with your ‘guidance’, but that’s not the type of winemaking I want. If I didn’t travel, had more equipment, and the proper storage until the heat abates, I’d be doing as much as home as a could, as a true garagista.

Luckily we have 100+ wineries in a small radius of where I live, and I am blessed with many good industry friends. I found a solution via a small winery nearby who could assist with equipment and storage, as well as keep an eye on things when I wasn’t around. The winery has good equipment, but takes a very traditionalist philosophy to winemaking, which appealed to me greatly.

Going Native

This did mean I had to embrace a native yeast fermentation, as this winery does not inoculate with commercial yeast strains, and you need to keep those strains off premise, as yeast are promiscuous little buggers.  I had planned at least one more year of commercial, then experimenting, but figured why not.

Does using a small winery’s equipment make me less of a garagista?

Perhaps, but this is too much money, time, volume and quality fruit to risk a bad production. I will be doing several small lots at home, including a Syrah rose (if can get some free/discounted fruit) and another batch of Sangiovese as I did last  year.

Come back tomorrow to learn about the first crush and how it went, cheers!

The Garagiste Series (click to read):

My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagiste or Passion Gone Runaway?

Part Two of My 2010 Rhone Garagiste Project: It’s All about the Vineyard (my source revealed)

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 3: Where to Crush?

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 4: First Crush aka No Plan Survives Battle

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 5 – Grenache Blanc Road Trip, and a new Test of Endurance

Chapter Six: Garagiste Rhone Adventure Continues: 4 in One Day; & The Crush Facility Revealed

Second in the Series of  My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagista or Passion Gone Runaway? aka: Continuing on my dilemma on how much fruit to source and where. (Sorry it wasn’t next day, my now ‘3’ jobs are keeping me very busy.)

As I discussed last article, small lots of grapes from established growers can be hard to source, it’s not worth their effort and paperwork. Scouting around websites and asking friends,  there were people offering Rhone fruit in smaller quantities, but often unknown, ranging from Marin to Lake County.

If I am going to put my ‘name’ on these wines, (even if not selling) and make the time investment; I want high quality fruit from a reliable source.  I believe wine making is done on the vineyard, with minimal manipulation, and I want to let it express itself. (Funny how every Vintner says this, only to bury a wine in oak, extraction or high alcohol.)

So where would I find fruit? While a half  ton per varietal is a small amount for a grower, it’s a lot for a garage project; 6 different varietals would mean 6 barrels, or 150 cases.

I kept asking friends and winemakers, and focused in on one of my favorite Kenwood/Glen Ellen Vintners, Eric Luse of Eric Ross; whose’ Marsanne/Rousanne captured me when I first met him several years ago.  It’s sourced from Saralee’s Vineyards, operated by Richard and Saralee Kunde, the Russian River Valley’s well known Grower, for over 20 years. (Eric’s Saralee Pinot is also amazing.)  Assuming someone of this size and reputation wouldn’t touch me, so I asked Eric if I could piggy back onto his order, get it from him when delivered.

Eric, being the straight up guy he is, wanted to ask Saralee for permission. To my surprise she said ok, and that she would sell to me direct, as an exception. Looking over her varietal list, I decided why not focus on one Vineyard and source everything I could from here, especially since I favor cool climate conditions for many varietals.  How awesome would it be to showcase most of the fruit sourced from this world recognized wine grower?  Would good fortune play my way?

Saralee and I spoke live, and she agreed to sell me Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier, which I plan to bottle separately as well as make 1-2 small lots of  white Rhone blends.  While the size of my order was atypical, Saralee was enthusiastic  to support the project, both for the rare Rhone focus (a large vintner who had acquired a small one with a cool Rhone white blend, just ceased making it and cancelled their fruit); as well as she quipped “Everyone has to start somewhere.”

My luck expanded -  for reds she had Grenache (my favorite) and Syrah she would also sell.  I agreed to a ½ ton (60-70 gallons, 1 barrel, 25 cases, 300 bottles) of each.  I need only now source Mourvedre so I can make the classic Rhone GSM red blend, and I intend to bottle separately as well.  Mourvedre is one of the last varietals to come in; and worst case I’ll source and drive some back from Paso Robles around Thanksgiving if need be. No luck on my white rhone Grenache Blanc yet, but will engage resources to look shortly.

It’s a big investment of time and money; grapes alone I will be spending 7-8k, and have been outlaying for barrels, gear, and all the misc. items that add up.

People are already chuckling in conversations; 150 cases; that’s 1800 bottles; from the guy who already complains about his 650 bottle collection he can’t drink. No, I don’t intend to sell it. I don’t plan to become a winemaker or start a winery; I want to become  be a Rhone grower who makes small lots to showcase his fruit. I know what I want to achieve stylistically with these wines, and to share with the world, but lack the experience (my 3rd go at winemaking), the OCD nature, and completely abhor chemistry, so its hard to imagine this path unfolding, at least without a partner.

So then, why so much wine? Well those that know me here, understand well I have two speeds; Go big or Go home. And I need the volume – these 6 varietals are a canvas for a myriad of blends, and experiments. And wine is ‘lost’ along the way in some processes, from sterilizing, to bottling.

I have some ideas and possibilities what to do with the wines, assuming they come out well. I won’t do anything that’s not legal, risk anyone’s bond, and I have some more investigations to do.  Plenty of time right now, bottling is a ways off, even for the whites.  At the very worst case, we’ll have some great Rhone parties, and Rhone consumer education events.

Next in the series; The first of the 6 crushes; or “No Plan Survives Combat”, as well as an article spotlight on Saralee Vineyards and Saralee Kunde. Hope you will follow along – cheers!

The Garagiste Series (click to read):

My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagiste or Passion Gone Runaway?

Part Two of My 2010 Rhone Garagiste Project: It’s All about the Vineyard (my source revealed)

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 3: Where to Crush?

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 4: First Crush aka No Plan Survives Battle

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 5 – Grenache Blanc Road Trip, and a new Test of Endurance

Chapter Six: Garagiste Rhone Adventure Continues: 4 in One Day; & The Crush Facility Revealed

2009 was my first year living immersed in the middle of Sonoma Harvest. I had taken severance from my employer in July and had planned to take 4 months of work to complete a semester of wine and wine business classes, as well as spend time as a harvest volunteer and cellar rat. After years of home brewing I also decided to jump in both feet into home wine making, or being a garagiste.

For someone on ‘sabbatical’ I was buried – Simple Hedonisms was in the middle of being birthed, was carrying an overload of classes, creating the blog from scratch learning new frontiers, diving headlong into establishing my Social Media presence; so unfortunately I didn’t capitalize and capture my harvest or home wine making experiences in blog posts.

My harvest volunteer experience was shortened on both ends by two phenomenon; I broke an outer bone in my foot and was in a boot cast early harvest, and then received an offer to return to my previous role in the technology space (VP Sales/Marketing) that couldn’t be passed up.  In between that though I was fortunate to be able to spend time with great people and  wineries like Mounts Family Winery, Hobo, and C. Donatiello; doing everything from picking,  sorting, pressing, and of course the habitual cleaning rituals. I loved it immensely.

I also made two small batches of wine; an unoaked “naked” Russian River Valley chardonnay, and a Sangiovese (Barolo clone not yet bottled) from Alpicella Vineyard; which I picked, and crushed at home.  It was a special thrill, hand cranking to de-stem, crush, and press on my improvised crushpad at home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I still aspire to focus on being a grower over a winemaker in future years, but the small hand production is thrilling. This year I strongly desired to marry my love of Rhone varietals with my garagista hobby.

This presented several challenges:  (a) Rhone varietals, especially some of my favorites, are not widely grown in Sonoma County, especially available in small ¼-1/2 ton lots that a home winemaker would want; it’s too much of a hassle for the grower. (b) Rhone wines often shine best when blended (white combos of Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc (the latter my fave, and near impossible to source here) and my beloved red GSM combo – Grenache (noir), Syrah, and Mourvedre. (Again the latter hard to obtain, especially in small amounts.) And I also wanted the option to bottle some as single varietals, depending how they came out.

The amount of work to process a ¼ ton, versus 1 ton, is quite similar. Indeed, fermentation, and aging vessels, like barrels (especially neutral, since not a new oak fan) for ultra small lots are hard to obtain as well. So why not just make less varietals, or more amounts of each. Would any grower of reputation even deal with a guy that wanted so many small lots? What the heck would I do with 100-150 cases of wine? (1/2 ton = barrel= 25 cases.)

I cast the Net and got lucky. Very lucky. (Although I am still looking for Mourvedre and Grenache Blanc. )

Tomorrow (which is the first varietal crush as well) I will reveal just how lucky I got, and my decisions.

Stay Tuned – Cheers!

The Garagiste Series (click to read):

My 2010 Rhone Harvest – Garagiste or Passion Gone Runaway?

Part Two of My 2010 Rhone Garagiste Project: It’s All about the Vineyard (my source revealed)

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 3: Where to Crush?

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 4: First Crush aka No Plan Survives Battle

Sonoma Rhone Garagiste Part 5 – Grenache Blanc Road Trip, and a new Test of Endurance

Chapter Six: Garagiste Rhone Adventure Continues: 4 in One Day; & The Crush Facility Revealed

Learning about and tasting wine, has been an ongoing, progressive journey, these last 20 years. Along the way,  ‘breakthrough’ events have occurred that have completely transformed what I drink and enjoy.

The first of those was expanding to white wines.  I occasionally hear casual wine drinkers utter ‘real wine drinkers only drink reds.’ It’s not up to me to define what is or isn’t a real wine drinker, but any serious wine taster, writer, or industry person I have ever met, usually has an appreciation for both. Unfortunately for many people, white wine is associated with  chardonnay, which invokes the ABC – ‘Anything But Chardonnay’ syndrome.  For many, this was a backlash from the over popularity of oaky butter bombs California style of chardonnay.

Both philosophies are unfortunate, and cripple your wine education and experiences. The range of white wine varietals (grapes), and styles is staggering, and wonderful, if you’ll venture beyond  the usual Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc. And thats not to malign those; Chardonnay is like an empty canvas, and the many styles, especially from France, are staggering. Look for the popular ‘naked’ or unoaked chardonnay, now more commonly found. Ask your wine store for neutral oaked French (or any country) to try something different.

But in addition, there is a wide range of incredibly interesting white wines, from light, crisp, low alcohol, to big white wines with presence and mouthfeel. Some of my faves include Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc (all Rhone whites) as well as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and so many others. White wines also generally offer broader ranges for food pairings.

The other event that changed my wine tasting experience was my (never ending) discovery of Rhone wines, wines varietals that originated and/or associated with the Rhone Valley in France. I had enjoyed Viognier for years, it was actually a white wine I stumbled across, that was touted as a white wine for red wine drinkers. It generally has good density, weight, mouthfeel, and when its fermented dry (some CA vintners leave a tiny bit of sweetness) is a very appealing wine.

I was well on my way to a steady relationship with Rhones, and then I attended the 2010 Hospice du Rhone in Paso Robles, the mecca  event for Rhone wines, which I HIGHLY recommend. I went from dating to marriage overnight, and now am often nicknamed ‘Rhonehound.’ At the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, I hunted down as many Rhone producers as I could, like I was on a quest for the Grail.

Ok, so what does all THAT have to do with a Hot Night of Kinky Whites at Thomas George Winery? It’s a new event, created and promoted by local wine celeb Ziggy the Wine Gal.

No, I am not promoting this event for money. I am passionate about these varietals, and consumers exposure to them. Heck I even paid for tickets, when I often get press passes. Besides how could a wine blog called ‘Simple Hedonisms’ NOT attend an event called ‘Kinky Whites’!

Join local wineries Davis Family Vineyards, Dutton-Goldfield, Joseph Swan, and Thomas George Estates,  pouring  their exotic, white wines; Gewurztraminer, Marsanne, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Roussanne & Viognier! Frolic in the vineyard and dine in the awesome Thomas George wine cave, pairing these unique white wines with exquisite dishes prepared by Chef Christopher Greenwald of Bay Laurel Culinary.

This is the first of what is hoped to be an annual event. You can purchase tickets online here or Call the winery at 707-431-8031 to reserve.Tickets are $100 per person, $69 for companion. Event starts at 5 p.m., hope to see you there!

cheers!

For weeks I was writing, Tweeting, and adding Facebook Posts about last weekend’s event; Hospice du Rhone. I had to admit, after all the build up, I wondered if I was going to be disappointed – kinda like that movie that gets so many rave reviews that you feel let down after so much hype. (Spoiler – the event met and exceeded expectations.)

We left Thursday morning so that we could get to Paso in time to hit a few tasting rooms, as the agenda was jammed pack Friday and Saturday, and Sunday we had to head back early. (I will write a seperate article on the tasting experience, but the sample of four visited had great hospitality and wines.)

It had been a decade since I had been to Paso Robles, and much had evolved; the region had expanded significantly, but so had I as a passionate wine writer and consumer. Wine is such an amazing thing, after 20 years of consuming it, reading, traveling , tasting – the more I learn, the more I expose my palette to new things, the more doors it opens up to enter; seeming now at an accelerated pace. Part of this expansion has been discovering the full breadth of Rhone wines. I discovered Viognier and Syrah years ago, followed by Grenache, but getting to experience and appreciate many more of the 22 Rhone wines, both as individual varietals, and often blended together, has been one of the most enjoyable, never ending discoveries I have embarked on. I could gush more, but will save that for future articles and thoughts I’d love to share.

One of the interesting phenomenon about Paso Robles, besides doubling in wineries in a decade to over 180, it has become a concentration of planting for an array of Rhone varietals, something Sonoma County is lacking outside of a few. The town has also expanded with restaurants and cultural aspects, yet retains much of the small town feel, and ‘wild west.’  Its off the beaten path (good thing or moving would be tempting) but I can’t think of a better place for a (US based) host of a global celebration of Rhone varietals. (I mean hey, the Rhone Valley in France wouldn’t bite.)

Day 1 – The Rhone’s Begin

Seminar : We Have Come a Long Way Baby ! The Past, Present and Future of South African Syrah

Producers: Marc Kent, Boekenhoutskloof; David Trafford, De Trafford; Eben Sadie, Fairview Winery; Andrea Mullineux, Mullineaux Family Wines; Eben Sadie, Sadie Family Wines; Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards; Chris Mullineux, Stellenzicht
Moderated by: James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

You have to be serious about wine, and a have a spit cup, to start tasting Syrah at 9 a.m.  An incredible array of syrah’s were discussed, and poured, covering the history and diversity of South African syrah. South Africa has a amazing breadth of varietals and soil diversity; 250,000 acres planted by 4000 growers, with wine produced by over 500 wineries. You can learn more about their wines at The Wines of South Africa website.

Syrah releases were poured from as far back as a Mullineux Fairview 1986 Reserve ‘Shiraz’ to 2008 current release. I find the ongoing marketing distinction of Syrah and Shiraz interesting. Genetically the same, some Vintners don’t really mean to imply anything calling it Shiraz vs Syrah; where as others jumped on the popular Shiraz bandwagon during its boom. I think that can backfire as stylistically Shiraz came to be known as a young, highly oaked, fruit bomb, which some experienced wine drinkers, self included, will shun. Commentary seemed to indicate a  trend for South Africa seems to be to move back to Syrah naming from Shiraz.

Seminar – Côte Rôtie – The Next Generation

Producer: Stéphane Ogier of Domaine Michel and Stéphane Ogier, Ampuis, France
Moderated by: John Alban, Founding Director of Hospice du Rhône

In retrospect, this was my favorite seminar, both for wines tasted and the experience. Unfortunately two of the wines did not make it to be able to taste, but the other 7 were incredible. Stéphane gave a great presentation in his viticulture and wine making philosphies, excuding his passion for both as he spoke.

• The 2008 Viognier Condrieu really impressed me and was one of my favorites; harvested  late, full bodied, but only 12.5 % alcohol. The importer told me at the tasting that afternoon Stéphane’s wines were available at my favorite importer, K&L Wines, but they are sold out of all, much to my chagrin.

• The 2007 Syrah L’Ame Soeur, Vin de Pays was beautiful, Smoke and earth on the nose. I was impressed with the use of natural yeast.
• The 2007 Ogier Syrah, Belle Helene, Cote-Rotie, was planted 70 years ago by his grandfather. Smoky , floral nose; blackberry, black fruit. Nice finish.
• The finish was a 2005 Ogier Roussanne. Amazing golden color, honey, melon on nose.  Stéphane is holding til 2014 for release; impressive restraint!

Rosé Lunch

The tradition for the Friday lunch has always been Rosé wines.  Food was prepared by Chef John Toulze of the girl & the fig hailing from my own Sonoma County. A nice choice of Rhone rosé was available, many from South Africa.

Friday Rhône Rendezvous Tasting

I was thankful for the extra hour for prior to the public tasting, to make the rounds on a white tour, before diving into reds. The roster of  Rhône producers pouring was almost intimidating. There was a wide array of artisan food offerings throughout the tasting – but I have to confess I was so distracted by the selection of Rhone varietals and producers I hardly ate any, nor gave a second glance to the Chef demonstrations.

The iRhône HdR iPhone app that I had written an early review of was very useful for the event, although not all Producers stuck to their list. (I was also a bit surprised by a few who had nothing but barrel samples, always a treat, but expected finished wines as well.) Since my review the App had been updated to allow Tweeting of Tasting Notes right to the #HdR2010 Twitter Hashtag, which was great.

My white run unearthed some great white Rhone finds, both single varietal and blends, including the blend from Alta Colina, the white blend and the Viognier from Denner Vineyards, the Fausse Piste 2009 Decouvertes Yakima Viognier,and the Kukkula 2008 Vaalea Derby Paso Robles Viogner rousanne blend. (If you can’t tell, I was focused on Paso producers.)

The public had come in by the time I started my red run, so slowed down, and palette fatigue began to creep in a bit. My iPhone was also about out of battery, so unfortunately tasting notes and Tweeting stopped. Many great finds again, including a number from Hug Cellars, including their  2008 el Pape Central Coast GSM.

Evening event – Sommelier Soirée

Headed back to the hotel for a quick break, and got tied up attending to some personal things, so was late to this event. HdR is blessed to be attended by Top Sommeliers, hailing from throughout the United States. For this event,  they pilfer their personal cellars  to bring an exceptional array large format bottles. Entertainment was  by the  Grammy Award winner Louie Ortega and his band. I did get to taste some great wines, and meet some interesting people, including the US based Ambassador of New Zealand wines. (How do I get one of those jobs?!)

After an amazing, long day.  it was time to retire to the hotel and dream of Day Two’s lineups at Hospice du Rhone. Come back for Part 2 – cheers!