I'm guessing at this point it is abundantly clear that I love Rhone wines. Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache (et le Blanc), Counoise, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne - need I go on? Rhone Rangers, a non-profit organization that promotes American Rhone varietal wines, recognizes 22 grapes to be included in the Rhone category. The sheer diversity of options, the range of styles and flavors, and the particularly nice price points (in comparison to America's top Cabernets, Pinot Noirs, etc.) have made me a deeply committed Rhonehound. Annually the Rhone Rangers come to L.A. and put on a great tasting of their wares. Dominated primarily by Paso Robles wineries, both due to proximity and the fact that Paso is a stellar region for growing Rhone grapes, I have written about many of the wineries at this tasting in the past (since I love Paso) So this year I focused on wineries that I was not as familiar with. What follows are two wineries, one from Sonoma and one from Washington State that are doing outstanding things with Rhone grapes. Tasting through the wines of these two wineries alone will give you insight into the breadth and quality that this category of wines can bring. Check them out.
Wind Gap Wines - Pax Mahle is not new to the California Rhone scene, but having left Pax wines a couple years back one could argue that the Wind Gap label is relatively new. And while the label does not focus solely on Rhone grapes, it was the Northern California Syrahs at this tasting that got me so excited. Pouring the 2008 Sonoma Coast Syrah, the 2008 Griffin's Lair Syrah, and the 2009 Griffin's Lair Syrah, Wind Gap showed a consistent style. This style is Syrah of deep complexity, and an overwhelming tendency towards cold-climate characteristics. While the Griffin's Lair wines have plenty of fruit and lots of depth, all 3 wines remained nuanced, a bit wound up, with highlights of bramble and earth, and a brightness that I don't always get from California Syrah. These are the types of Syrahs that get me excited, as they straddle the clearly sunny fruit of California, but show an elegance, a finesse, and an attention to quality that proves to me that we can make the best wine in the world here. This is an exciting label, and I hear widely that their Pinot, Cabernet, and Chardonnays are also outstanding - worth a follow.
Maison Bleue Winery is also a relatively new winery out of the Yakima Valley in Washington. Jon Martinez, incidentally a former dentist, moved to Prosser from Kansas City specifically to produce Rhone wines from some of Washington's greatest vineyards. This winery also showed a consistency of style across their wines; a light touch, a subtlety, a sense of balance that permeates the entire production. For me the most exciting wines that Jon and his wife Amy are producing are the white wines. Sharing a Viognier, a Roussanne, and a 100% Marsanne, one can not help but notice the consistent beauty of the aromatics in this wine. In particular the Marsanne was spectacular - nuts, honey, herbs, flowers, and gorgeous melon make this one of the more enticing 'sniff's' I have had this year. Then the layers of flavors, including a beautiful minerality, elevate the palate to great places. The winery is also putting out consistent Syrah, Grenache, and red Rhone blends that display the same attention to producing amazing quality wines, using time tested techniques with beautiful New World fruit.
Both of these wineries excite me because they are doing exactly what I love to see in American wine. When you can smell, feel, and taste that these are wines from the vineyards, soil, sun, and people of the U.S. and yet the wines uphold some proven traditions of quality winemaking (and yes these are often borrowed from the Old World) then you are getting the best of what we have to offer. Maison Bleue and Wind Gap are right in this wheelhouse, and I am thrilled to have come across these beautiful American Rhones.
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