Grenache Groupie

I've become something of a Rhone Rangers Groupie, following this winemaker collective around Northern California, pouring or tasting their wines whenever I can.  Earlier this month I attended the Rhone Rangers annual Bay Area wine tasting in Richmond, CA. Before helping to pour wines for Two Shepherds, I geeked out with a couple of morning panel tastings moderated by Luke Sykora, senior editor of Wine & Spirits Magazine.

The first panel, "The Rise of the Rhone Garagiste," featured a passionate group of tiny production winemakers and the unique wines they make, including varietals like Picpoul Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Carignan, Syrah and various colors of Grenache. William Allen, winemaker and owner of Two Shepherds, shared his 2013 Grenache Gris Rose, a funky mutation of Grenache found in the Languedoc region of France. William found a 100 year old vineyard in Hopland, CA, up in Mendocino county, with head trained Grenache Gris, for his first commercially made pink wine. 7 days of skin contact and a few months of fermentation on native yeast yielded a bright and citrusy (think grapefruit) pink wine with great texture, weight and balanced acidity; a perfect food wine or Sunday sipper (for $24, limited quantities).

Grenache Gris, like Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, is a pink grape!
Photo Credit

The second panel, "Grenache: The World's Most Widely Planted Rhone Grape Variety," showcased west coast Grenache, from Oregon to Paso Robles. Grenache, like Pinot Noir, is a thin-skinned grape prone to mutation. But, unlike Pinot Noir, it ripens easily and can yield high alcohol levels. When I first started drinking Grenache I thought I didn't like it, because I found the alcohol dominated the flavor and it tasted like cherry medicine. I don't recall what I was drinking at the time, but in the last couple years I've found many a Grenache to like, including Garnacha from Spain, Cannonau di Sardinia, and local Grenache from the Rhone Rangers (Two Shepherds, Campovida). And of course there are the Grenache-led blends in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, and new world "GSM" blends of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. On the scale of red wines, Grenache is on the lighter side, but without lacking complexity or substance. I enjoy the spicy, herbal, berry notes of this wine. White pepper is a quality that often comes to mind with Grenache, joined by roses on the nose and berries on the palate. My favorite Grenache of the panel actually smelled like gardenias with black tea on the palate - this was McCay Cellars 2011 Grenache from Lodi, CA (retail $32). My other favorite from Mounts Family Winery in Healdsburg, CA, also had roses on the nose (2011 Estate Grenache, retail $30).

The Grenache panel left me wondering: could Grenache be the new Pinot? As a Pinot Noir lover, this is a difficult claim to make.  Pinot Noir is a finicky grape, thin-skinned and difficult to ripen, and it can be wonderfully complex and beautiful or it can taste like cherry jam. The best Pinot (from Burgundy, France) is expensive. Even in Oregon, where Pinot is their devotion, it's difficult to find a good one for under $40. Grenache is approachable, light with soft tannin but complex, and affordable in many cases. I'm not giving up on Pinot, but I am paying more attention to Grenache. Call me a Grenache Groupie, if you must.

Tablas Creek: The Original Rhone Ranger

Last weekend I extended my tour of non-Napa and non-Sonoma California wine regions with a trip to Paso Robles, 3.5 hours south of San Francisco. Tablas Creek Vineyard was at the top of my list, knowing only that they produced Rhone varietals. I quickly learned that this partnership between the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape (Southern Rhone, France) and Robert Haas, an importer and founder of Vineyard Brands, which brought the wines of Marqués de Cáceres (Spain), Santa Rita (Chile), and Villa Maria (New Zealand) to the U.S., resulted in the first Rhone varietals being brought to the U.S. back in the 1980s. The team purchased 120 acres in the Las Tablas area of west Paso Robles county, noting the similarities to Châteauneuf du Pape: limestone soils, a temperate climate, and hilly terrain. They brought over the traditional Rhone varietals from France: Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise (reds) and Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc (whites). The original 80 cuttings were brought in through Cornell University for quarantine and propagation, and the new plants were grafted onto disease-resistant American rootstock. Tablas Creek today has their own grafting business and grafts for themselves and other wineries in California.

An original Syrah plant brought to the U.S. from Chateau de Beaucastel in Rhone, France

Mourvedre grafted onto old vine Chardonnay in the field

While a rarity in California, some of the great French wine regions are known for their limestone, including Champagne, Burgundy, and of course, Châteauneuf du Pape. Tablas Creek Vineyard is organic and dry-farmed (no irrigation), and the limestone soil retains the moisture from about 30 inches of annual rainfall. The topsoil of clay and decomposed limestone helps with drainage. The 1500-foot elevation and proximity to the ocean give it the benefit of the humidity and tempered climate. Cover crops like peas, oats and cloves also help with drainage and provide food for their many grazing animals, including sheep, donkey, pigs, alpacas and chickens. These animals naturally fertilize and aerate the soil.

Tablas Creek is largely estate grown, with some additional Paso Robles grapes used for their Patelin de Tablas blended red and white wines. The wines undergo natural fermentation in a wide variety of tanks and barrels. The whites are full of minerally acidity, so they are crisp, refreshing and alive. The reds have deep flavor with good structure and balance.  The signature red and white Rhone blends are named Esprit de Tablas, mimicking the Chateau de Beaucastel wines. The Cotes de Tablas blends are meant to be approachable sooner than Esprit.  

Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2012: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne combine into a fresh, well-bodied wine with orange blossom notes.

Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2011: Roussanne leads with Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc making an appearance to a lush, rich result.

Picpoul Blanc 2012: a lesser-known Rhone varietal, Picpoul Blanc is also known as the “lip stinger” for its sparkling and spicy citrus character.

Mourvedre 2011: 100% varietal full of red fruit, bloody beef, earthiness and nice salinity.

Cote de Tablas 2011: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Counoise balance bright spice, earth and meat in this wine.

Esprit de Tablas 2011: Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise combine in a dark fruity, meaty, spicy wine that is a bit more lush than the Cote de Tablas.

Tannat 2011: a varietal from the Basque region of Spain that is widely planted in Uruguay, Tannat made its U.S. debut through Tablas Creek. Classic blackberry flavor on a firm, tannic structure mean this wine will likely age well.


Thank you to Gustavo for a wonderful tour & tasting and to Jason Haas for making the arrangements. Go Big Red!

Rhone Rangers @ Campovida Oakland

Yesterday Campovida's Oakland location hosted a Rhone Rangers tasting with a dozen wineries making French varietals like Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache, and Syrah. Campovida Taste of Place Oakland, near the Port of Oakland, shares space with the Linden Street Brewery. We had previously tried some of their beers at Piazza de Campovida in Hopland during our recent Mendocino trip; we'll have to go back to Oakland for the full brewery experience. The Campovida tasting room is very cool, with funky art on the walls and a restaurant on the way.

As for the event, a recent fave, Two Shepherds, poured alongside participants from the Oakland Wine Trail on this rainy day.

Jeff Cohn Cellars: "The First Date," a white blend of Roussanne and Marsanne

Urban Legend: loved their Grenache also (not pictured)

Stage Left: Syrah and Petite Sirah

Of course, Campovida was pouring their delicious wines, which went fabulously with the paella setup outside. I will definitely be coming back to the Port of Oakland for more wine, beer, and Campovida's new restaurant!

Mendocino Day 1: Campovida

I discovered Campovida at the SF Vintners Market, a large wine tasting in San Francisco that I attended last November. Owner Gary told me about their property in Mendocino county, and I made a mental note to visit on my next wine country trip.  I had been hearing a lot about Mendocino, so the recent three-day weekend seemed like the perfect time to check it out. I made arrangements to stay on the Campovida property, which is beautiful and expansive, with vineyards, a large garden, bocce ball courts and old barns that have been converted to various event spaces as well as the winery and sleeping rooms. Campovida would be the perfect place for a destination wedding or a weekend retreat. The property has a long history going back to the Pomo Indians, but probably most interesting (at least for purposes of this blog) is that it was an old hops ranch and then was bought by the Fetzer family, a large winemaking family that had a big commercial presence in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, the Fetzers sold the brand and this property to Brown-Forman while retaining all of their other vineyard properties; 5 of the 11 Fetzer children went on to manage the different properties and even start new wine labels (including Saracina Vineyards, which we also visited). In 2010, Anna and Gary purchased the organic property from Brown Forman and made it Campovida.

The winemaking style at Campovida is minimalistic, using native yeast, natural fermentation and neutral oak. Production is around 3500 cases and the goal is to stay below 5000 cases. The wine is sold direct to consumer with some restaurant sales. The focus is on Rhone varietals with some experimentation in northern Italian white varietals like Arneis and Tocai Fruilano and Italian reds like Sangiovese, Nero D'Avola and Negroamaro. We did some barrel tasting with the winemaker, Sebastian Donoso, who has been there about a year and a half; he was previously assistant winemaker at Saracina and is originally from the Talca region of Chile.

We tasted Arneis first, which had slight orange reflections in the color and pretty herbal notes of anise and lanolin. Grenache Rosé is made in the French style, which means it is picked and vinified with the intention of being a rosé wine (read: high acidity), not an afterthought or by-product of a red wine. Extra time on the lees (dead yeast cells) gives it complexity and body, and the crisp citrus and white flower were very refreshing. Tocai Fruilano was reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc (not shocking since they are related genetically), with gooseberry and passion fruit. Roussane had a pretty honeydew melon quality that was very unique. Viognier was spicy with basil and ginger. Sauvignon Blanc was tropical with gooseberry and lychee but austere like the French Sancerre style.

Later on we tried some of the reds, including the aforementioned Nero D'Avola and Negroamaro, which had great acidity and complexity. The Negroamaro was very unique with a fresh black pepper quality. Their red blend, Campo di Rossa, was bright, easy to drink and had great red fruit.

Campovida also farms two types of olive trees - Italian and Spanish - and makes olive oil from both. The Sevillano oil made from the Spanish olive trees brought me back to the delicious fresh green olives that we ate in Spain during our honeymoon. We bought a huge bottle of it (a 750 mL wine bottle, of course), and I can't wait to be brought back to both places each time I have some. And as if it couldn't get any better, Campovida also makes delicious honey from the bee hives on the property.

Conveniently, Campovida also owns a property a mile away in the tiny town of Hopland (population 817), which contains a pizzeria and hotel. I finally got the lunch thing right at Piazza de Campovida, with delicious pizza to fuel the rest of our day, and then we ended up having dinner there too, with Gary and Anna.

Pura Vida is Campovida's wine loyalty program, and with options for 3, 6 or 12 bottles every quarter plus olive oil and honey, I couldn't resist, so we joined our second "wine club."

Our hosts were extremely gracious, welcoming and fun. Ever since we left I have been trying to think of an excuse to go back. Thank you again, Anna, Gary and Sebastian!

For the Bay area locals, Campovida will be hosting the North Coast Rhone Rangers Tasting on February 8th at their Oakland location. More info and tickets HERE.

The Year of the Shepherd

Last March at the Rhone Rangers Tasting in San Francisco, a meeting of California wine producers making Rhone varietals - syrah, mourvedre, grenache, cinsault, roussanne, marsanne, viognier - I tried the wines of producer Two Shepherds. Winemaker William Allen is a software developer by day and a wine producer by night, as of about 3 years ago. He is my hero because he started as a wine blogger (SimpleHedonisms.com) and made wine in his garage. When enough people told him he was onto something he decided to rent space in a winery collective in Santa Rosa and now makes about 500 cases per year, starting with the successful 2010 vintage.  William works every night and weekend on his wine, and he focuses on the varietals of the Rhone region of France because he loves those unique varietals. He focuses on "making wines that 'shepherd' grapes gently into non-manipulated and balanced old world style wines, while also guiding consumers back to wines of authenticity and to the wonderfully diverse realm of Rhone wines."

William has turned me on to Grenache Blanc, a rich and refreshing white that he makes. Those grapes come from the Santz Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara county while most of his other grapes come from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma county, but if William finds a vineyard he likes elsewhere he'll figure out how to get the grapes. William is all about low intervention and letting the winemaking process happen naturally. He allows the wines to ferment spontaneously from their native, naturally present yeasts. All of his wines go through natural malolactic fermentation, a process that softens their acidity, yet they are all still crisp, refreshing, and creamy, with a great texture that William is known for. He doesn't filter his wines nor cold stabilize, so if you put them in the fridge they will throw tartrates (no harm in that). The reds are aged in neutral oak which helps round them out without imparting oaky flavor.

Two Shepherds wines are a refreshing departure from typical big California wines - they are crisp, with bright acidity, depth of flavor, and balanced alcohol (around 13%). On a visit to his Santa Rosa facility in June (which he shares with Sheldon Micro-Winery and Krutz Family Cellars) we tasted more of the 2011 vintage and ended up joining our first wine club. A note on wine clubs - I don't really like them, mostly because they lock you into a certain amount of wine at regular intervals throughout the year. In the nearly 3 years that we've lived in San Francisco and after visiting countless wineries we have never had the desire to join a wine club and commit to certain wines for a year. Until now. William's club is flexible, with options for 4, 6 or 12 bottles per shipment, at 2 shipments per year. Since he makes many different bottlings in small quantities, some are only available to the wine club. So we are now "members of the flock" and privy to special wines and special events.

Some notes from our recent tastings (all 2011 vintage):

Grenache Blanc: yeasty nose, nice minerality, crisp yet creamy at the same time.

Centime: an "orange" wine made from co-fermenting Marsanne and Roussanne in stainless steel on their skins to impart some of the color, which develops into a pale orange wine. Coincidentally there is orange blossom scent on the nose combined with citrus on the palate. The wine is fresh, rich and smooth. A true geek wine, I was so excited to try this (and purchase my 1 bottle limit).

Pastoral Blanc: a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier and Grenache Blanc. Perfumey, flowery nose, deep flavor and great acidity.

Syrah: exactly the type of Syrah I love - meaty and spicy with black pepper but rose-y and pretty at the same time. Aged 10 months in neutral oak.

Grenache: beautiful fresh berry nose, nice structure and acidity. Crushed/de-stemmed and fermented in small open-top fermenter, aged in neutral oak.

William has a great sense of humor and makes these fun t-shirts:

Separately, my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this past April - his name is Shepherd. Here's my nephew at 4 months old:

Perhaps a future wine lover? 

To Shepherds! 

Obscure Italian Wines

First installment of what I hope to make a monthly rotating wine tasting group. Chianti and Pinot Grigio were forbidden. I was hoping for some Lagrein or Teroldego, but what we assembled was a pretty diverse group of wines, including the 2 Sicilian wines I contributed: white Grillo and red Frappato. The lineup also included a Cannonau from Sardinia, a wine I've been enjoying for the past couple years at my favorite restaurant in San Francisco - La Ciccia, a Sardinian family-owned spot in Noe Valley.

We tasted these all blind and everyone stumped everyone. Even when we were serving the wines we contributed we had to look up varietals and locations to get the details right. The group was diverse and delicious.

We could probably do this topic again next time and try another 10 obscure Italian wines, as Italy is known for having many indigenous grapes that are not produced anywhere else. Plus there is always diversity in the Primitivo (Zinfandel), Barbera, Sangiovese, and Vermentino of the country.

The best part was that most of these wines were around $20, making them justifiable any night of the week. I plan on hitting up the nearby wine shops to stock up on some of these affordable treasures.

Cin cin!

Wine PR

Last week at work some reps from PR Newswire hosted a wine reception to tell us more about their services. What a great idea, PR Newswire! Right up my alley. I learned more than I ever thought I knew about PR Newswire and tasted some nice wines as well. They brought a rep from The Wine Club, a great wine shop in SOMA near the San Francisco Wine Center, to tell us about the wines. He put together a little California vs. Spain tasting that was very interesting.

Whites:

Georis 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey/CA - This was an oaked SB and tasted more like a light California Chardonnay. Still lots of acidity and zest but very smooth from the oak. Blindfolded or not I could swear it was Chardonnay each time I sipped it. Shows how much winemaking can affect varietal character.

Pazo Senorans 2010 Albarino, Rias Baixas/Spain - Classic Albarino with bright herbal fruit and crisp acidity. Very pleasant.

Reds:

Tablas Creek Vineyard 2010 Patelin de Tablas, Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre/Counoise blend, Paso Robles/CA - From our host's description I wanted to like this wine more than I actually did. I thought it was thin and harsh and tasted like cough medicine.

Celler Pinol 2008 Sa Natura, Carinena/Merlot/Cab Sauv/Syrah/Tempranillo blend, Priorat/Spain - This wine was rich, deep and big with lush dark fruit and firm tannin. I could see this aging well for several more years. For a big wine I often look to Priorat, but I do caution that the alcohol tends to be high in these wines.

Obviously and unsurprisingly, Spain won it for me.  Thank you to Blueshirt, PR Newswire, and The Wine Club!

Ridge Bloggers Tasting

 My first week in San Francisco I was invited to a bloggers tasting at my favorite California winery, Ridge - I couldn't have been happier! On Friday I headed south to the Santa Cruz Mountains region. Once I got to Monte Bello Road in Cupertino the only place to go was up - 4.5 miles up the mountain where Ridge's Monte Bello tasting room sits along with the Monte Bello vineyard, ranging in elevation from 1300-2700 feet above sea level. Ridge is most known for it's Monte Bello blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon focused Bordeaux blend with varying amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, and for its Zinfandel blends, which also feature Carignane and Petite Sirah. Ridge focuses on wines with a sense of place, so all their wines are single-vineyard wines. The vineyard locations are appropriate for the grapes grown, and they practice sustainable viticulture. Yields are low, natural yeasts are employed, and the wines undergo natural malolactic fermentation in American oak, for the most part.

I was excited by the tasting, since I had not yet been introduced to many wines in the Ridge lineup. My limited but fantastic experience with the wine included 1989 and 1990 Ridge Monte Bello. I was excited by the Monte Bello vertical, as well as the Zins and Syrahs. The wines were accompanied by cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery - a nice addition.

To get things started we first tried their estate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the Monte Bello property. I'm not a Chardonnay lover and I tend to prefer white Burgundy over new world Chard, but the Ridge 2009 Estate Chardonnay surprised me. I had never thought I would enjoy so much a California Chardonnay. Ridge's had a mineral, tropical nose and a creamy mouthfeel but also an incredible lightness that I would never expect from an oaked California Chardonnay. The acidity, fruit, minerality and body were so balanced, and it had a smooth, citrusy finish that was almost Champagne-like. Makes sense, since Monte Bello enjoys limestone soil, which is a soil characteristic of Burgundy and Champagne but not so much California. I will go so far as to say this Chardonnay is the best I have ever had! The 2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was also very enjoyable. It had a bright nose of blackberry, spice, and lead pencil that carried through to the palate with a medium body and a smooth, comfortable lightness. It seems to me the limestone soil and microclimate at Monte Bello really are the perfect conditions for these wines.

Next we compared the 1999 and 2009 Geyserville Zin blends. Geyserville is located up north in Sonoma County. I hadn't had Ridge Zin before (or any Zin for quite a while) so I was looking forward to this comparison. The 2009 will be released in April. It is 74% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, and 6% Petite Sirah. It had licorice, spice and some meatiness on the nose. On the palate it had some dark berry and spice flavors that continued to the luscious finish. I thought the body and weight were really balanced, and I enjoyed my re-introduction to Zin with this wine. The 1999 (68% Zin, 16% Carignane, 16% P. Sirah) was a real treat - it had a more vegetal nose that kept evolving as it sat, with some dill, warm baking spice, and dried red fruit coming through. On the palate there was an interesting mix of eucalyptus and mint with that dried fruit and spice. It was a bit more rustic than its younger self but super interesting - I loved it. I could see how Geyserville would be rewarding both younger and older.

Following was the Monte Bello 10-year vertical. This time we started with the oldest. The 1985 was incredible and the oldest Ridge wine I have tasted. The nose was complex, with dried cherry, nutmeg, clove, and a bit of corn chowder coming through. On the palate it still had a surprising acidity and good grip from the tannins, which had smoothed out but were still firm. It still had a lot of fruit and spice coming through and did not taste like a 25-year old wine. The composition was 93% Cab and 7% Merlot, and the alcohol was 13.1%. This is important to note because a lot of California wines have very high alcohols (15%!), and people like this. I prefer a lower alcohol wine, and Monte Bello has always been around 12 - 13%.  The 1995 Monte Bello was very interesting, with more brooding, dark flavors. It was richer and had more weight, with dark black fruit, leather, and spice. This one could definitely age another 10 years. The 2005 Monte Bello was very fruit-forward with a pretty vanilla spice character and good grip. I liked the spicy finish. This too will age for 20 years!

The next treat was a comparison of 2 small production Syrahs from the Lytton Springs vineyard in Sonoma. We were lucky enough to have one of the last available bottles of the 2004, so I didn't want to like it too much. It was blended with 10% Viognier and 8% Grenache from 50-100 year old vines. It was beautiful, with blueberry, chocolate, and cinnamon notes. I hoped the 2006 would be just as good - I have been on a Syrah kick lately so I am looking for favorites. The 2006 was the winner - and it is not even out yet so I know there is more where this bottle came from. Warm spice, cocoa, and a touch of that meatiness that I love about Syrah, plus only 14.4% alcohol. I loved the smooth chocolateyness of it and I was happy to like it even more than the 2004. When this is released in April I will definitely be looking for it.

To finish, a fellow blogger had brought 2 mystery wines. I think most people expected them to be Ridge, but I tried to keep an open mind. I had just met these people so I didn't know how they liked to play. The first wine seemed at least 10 years old and had a funky nose of mushroom and sweat. Not attractive, I know. I thought it could be Italian - it seemed very old world. The next one also looked like it could be about 10 years old, but it smelled hugely different, almost fortified, with a confectionary nose of dried fruit and creme brulee. On the palate it had surprisingly grippy tannin and raspberry jam taste. I was stumped - and they both turned out to be Ridge Dry Creek Sangiovese from 1997 and 1998. I was right about their ages, and Sangiovese is a grape of Italian origin so I had that going for me. Ridge no longer makes Sangiovese; the vines had been pulled out.

A very interesting conclusion to a fantastic lineup of Ridge wines. I feel very lucky that I was able to participate in this tasting and meet so many other Ridge enthusiasts. I am looking forward to my next Ridge experience!

Check out these other blogs from fellow tasters:

www.givemegrapes.com
www.NorCalWine.com
http://bartonorchard.blogspot.com/
http://batonnage.net/

And Ridge's own blog:
http://blog.ridgewine.com/