Rhone style wine - To say we are mildly obsessed might be an understatement. From Northern Rhone style, which are big enough kick-in-the-ass wines to cover Ed's tastes, to Southern Rhone style, a softer, spicy wine which is more my speed - there is something to cover all tastes. If you would ever like to experience it, come on over and I will pull something out of my wine fridge I have solely dedicated to Chateauneuf-de-Pape. Needless to say, when we heard the Rhone Rangers were coming to town for a tasting event at Fort Mason we cleared our schedule. 

To start the day we decided to sign up for their morning seminar - Wild Wines. The seminar consisted of a panel with 8 speakers from 8 vineyards. Each had a story to share about a wine they created (or helped create) that was "different" than your general run of the mill wine. As they spoke the people in the audience got to taste along.

The line up card.

The first 4 wines:

(1) Stoplman Vineyards 08 L'Avion Roussane $38

Before coming to this event I must admit I have never tried a Roussane so I didn't know what to expect when I first picked up the glass. Stoplman Vineyards is located in Santa Ynez Valley in Central California. Ed's reaction was "it is like a Chardonnay and Sauv Blanc had a baby." Once I heard that, I have to admit, it was pretty perfect. This white was complex and so smooooth. We tasted a few more Roussanes through the day and this one remained the best of the bunch. 

(2) Clos Saron '10 Out of the Blue Cinsault

This was turning out to be a day of firsts as I also have never had a pure Cinsault. This one made me long for a warm summer day. It was bright and acidic. Though I imagined it would be even more enjoyable chilled.

(3) 09 Cuvee des Ecoulage (Barrel Sample)

This wine was my favorite of the day. As Terry Hoage said it is the 3rd time they have tried to make this wine in Paso. The concept is ballsy but simple. 35 top wine makers (Booker, Hoage, Torrin & Saxum (!) to name a few)  bring a gallon or 2 of their best wine and dump it in a barrel and they see what comes out. So yes, this is a cuvee to the extreme in the sense that no one really knows what is in it.

(4) Caliza Winery 08 Cohaort Red Blend $35

This Caliza wine is also from Paso. Caliza, we learned, means limestone and that is definitely reflected int he taste. This particular wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Petite Syrah & some Primitivo - which is not typical found in Rhone styles. We had a chance to stop by the Caliza table later in the day and got a chance to talk to Carl Bowker. We are looking forward to making a stop at their vineyard on the Paso trip next month!

A look at the panelists in action. This picture does a good job of representing a general theme in our wine tasting expeditions - we are often the youngest in the crowd by quite a bit.

All done with the first half...now on to pour part 2!

(5) Tarara Winery 08 Estate Syrah (Barrel Sample)

The wild thing about this wine is that it is from Virginia. Ed got his MBA in VA and I often drink out of his Virginia winery glasses, but this was the first wine from VA I have ever tried. Virginia is a relatively new wine region in the US.The are no AVAs yet in VA so no matter where you grow it, it is just Virginia wine. This particular one was a blend of 94% Syrah 6% Viognier. I learned that one of the major challenges in this area is that through the summer it doesn't get cool at night. In California we have the benefit of the coastal winds coming in at night dropping the temperature pretty significantly from the day. Not great for wearing sun dresses to dinner, but beneficial to our wine growing. In VA it remains 80+ degrees at night making it even more complex to grow & harvest wine. Another interesting note on this one - it is an '08 that is STILL sitting in the barrel. 

(6) Big Basin Vineyards 07 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock Vineyard $55

OK, I admit, I got a little ADD on the 6th wine and didn't write anything down for this. Alas. 

(7) Katin 07 Red Blend $65

Another Paso westside wine and another win. This is a blend of 90% Syrah & 10% Viogner - close to the Tarara blend. The crazy thing about this wine was that if you closed your eyes, smelled it and then tried to guess red or white, you would have said white. The viogner aroma dominated the nose. When you tasted this one compared to the Tarara you can taste the impact that nighttime breeze has on the grapes. It was less ripe and more complex.

(8) Wind Gap Wines 05 Agharta North Coast Syrah $100

This wine was in a barrel for 62 months. I might call that a late bloomer...but definitely worth the wait. This one was a good one. 

Thoughtfully contemplating the Virginia wine.

Besides the experience of getting to hear the wine makers talk and explain their wine while tasting, the seminar ticket included a VIP entrance into the Grand Tasting event before the general public. Anyone who has been to an event at Fort Mason should understand how great a thing that is! 

The auction area. All proceeds to a good cause!

A shot of the Katin table. We enjoyed talking with Justin Kahler here and tasted more of the wines after trying one at the seminar earlier. I ended up liking it so much I bid on their lot in the auction and won!

Had to include a shot of the two happy wine tasters.

Yey I won!

All in all, it was a successful day in the wine world! I learned a lot, tasted a bunch of things I had never tried before and met some cool folks we are going to stop by to see while on our Paso trip in April!

Cheers!