by Frank Mangio
If you want to call me a Rhonie, I guess I’m guilty as charged. In case you just dropped in from Mars, the Rhone Valley in the south of France is one of the most talked about wine countries in the world. It straddles the Rhone River where, from Lyon in the north to the Mediterranean in the south, you have some 250 miles of old worls and romantic wineries and vineyards.
To put it in perspective, Napa Vallley is just 30 miles long. From the northern boundary at Lyon to the middle of the Rhone at Hermitage, Syrah rules. It’s Syrah’s birthplace and it explodes with a certain wildness. At the most recent Rhone tasting at Vittorio’s Trattoria in San Diego , the Estates Group introduced Gerard Bertrand, a leading winery in the southern district of the Rhone . Syrah is still important wine here, but this district includes Chateaneuf -Du-Pape, Vacqueyras, Cotes-Du-Rhone and others including Languedoc which is home to Gerard Bertrand. Here, grapes are blended into a rich mix of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and occasionally Cinsaut.
The southern Rhone region is clearly a marriage of warmer weather, rockier soil and the Mediterranean influence, where Grenache is king. There is no wildness, only a smooth, visceral, velvety pattern of gracious flavor. Marcus Mizzau of The Estate Group presented each of the dinner wines from Gerard Bertrand, articulating its prominence in Languedoc . “The focus is on quality with this wine,” he said. “The best example is the 2013 Chateaux l’Hospitalet “La Reserve” La Clape, Coteaux du Languedoc ($17. at the dinner) which absorbs long summer heat, rocky soil and a higher elevation than most.” Here we have Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre in perfect harmony.”
The Sun is Shining on Abruzzo Wines
Montepulciano is the location named for a red wine varietal sourced from the Italian wine district of Abruzzo. The Abruzzo region of central Italy is a rugged, mountainous body of land whose western boundary includes the Apennines and its highest peak on mainland Italy, Corno Grande. To the east lies the Adriatic Sea . Its most popular native grape is Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo, although there is no known tie to Montepulciano, a medieval city in Tuscany that draws 8.5 million visitors a year. In Abruzzo, near the city of L’Aquila is the Nazzare’ Winery. It has joined a special team of marketing professionals in wine, olive oil and natural sauces, in a move to gain a greater share of Italian table products. The organization is Re d’ Abruzzo.
Nazzare’ wines include Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo, Pecorino and Cerasuolo. The minerality is complex and intriguing, with red berry, and black pepper, and subtle hints of oregano. And here’s an amazing statistic. Abruzzo has only 38% of the vineyard land that Tuscany has, yet it produces 40 million cases of wine, twice the amount of production than that of Tuscany . To learn more about this vibrant farm to table land, visit redabruzzo.com.
Showing posts with label rhone valley wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rhone valley wine. Show all posts
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
France’s Rhone Valley: Roots are Getting Deeper
by Frank Mangio
It was five years ago that I first heard the Rhone Valley story from an early enthusiast, the late Leon Santoro who made wine at Orfila in San Diego County. He could hardly contain his excitement when talking about Syrah and Viognier, his two favorite Rhone grape varietals from this ever-more interesting wine country in the south of France.
He had joined the “Rhone Rangers,” an organization of mostly Paso Robles winemakers dedicated to showing the wine world that Rhone grapes can be made into rich and satisfying wines. Names to know that are Rhone Valley based include: Syrah (also known as Shiraz in Australia) the most planted Rhone grape in California. Full flavored berry, with aromas of smoke, bacon and crushed rock. Petite Sirah is a cross between Syrah and Peloursin. It’s extremely dark in color with big tannins and needs some lay-down time to flourish.
Grenache is the world’s 2nd most planted wine grape with aromas of red fruit, licorice and black pepper. Lots of cherry flavor.
Carignane produces wine high in acidity and tannin and does best in old vineyards. Mourvedre is the latest ripening grape and is now undergoing a big popularity push. Chocolate, leather and earth aromas. Plum and spice flavors. Viognier is the highly aromatic white wine with excellent peach, apricot and mango flavors and aroma with low acidity. Roussanne has tastes of honey and pear, with rose petal and nutty aromas and moderate acidity. Others to look for are Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Picpoul Blanc, Cinsault and Counoise.
The vintage to look for, both in France’s Rhone Valley and Paso Robles is the 2005, considered to an inflection point for southern French style wines. The latest releases are now up to 2007, with some 2008 bottles showing up on the shelves of wineries and wine shops. An elite area in the south Rhone Valley is Chateauneuf-du-pape where a blend of Granache and Mourvedre, grown in the rockiest soil in France, yields ripe, fleshy definition to the wines. This is well known to Jason Haas, whose family combined with a leading vineyard in the south Rhone area, Chateau de Beaucastel, chose Paso Robles in 1989 for a new vineyard. They purchased a 120 acres to grow Rhone style wine grapes, a first for Paso.
They named the new winery Tablas Creek. It took quite a while to plant and develop the old world cuttings and clones. Finally they enough to do business in 1992. Now, they are used not only by their winery, but by some 400 others. Tablas Creek itself sells about 18,000 cases. Easily the most elegant of the Rhone style, the winery chooses to blend, making wines that are richer and better balanced. Its 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel combines Mouvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise and sells for $50. in most shops.
The Rhone Rangers promotional group will have their annual Southern California Tasting in Santa Monica at Pier 59 Studios West on Sunday August 8 from 2 to 5pm. 50 wineries will join in the event. For questions and pricing, check 800-467-0163 or access their web site, full of detailed information about this leading French terroir at www.rhonerangers.org
Wine Bytes
Delicias Restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe is kicking off complimentary wine tastings every Thurs. and Fri. from 6 to 7:3opm. General Manager and wine man extraordinaire Gino Campbell is building up his wine cellar and wants customers to tell him what’s great, so come by and try. No RSVP required. For more info, call 858-756-8000.
Belle Marie Winery in Escondido has its summer pre-release party Sat. July 17 from 2 to 4pm in the Barrel Room. Favorite new wines are being served at no charge. Open house format so stay as long as you can. No food served. Try the newest and the best. Call 760-796-7557.
Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas presents a Napa Valley Vintners Tasting Sat. July 17 from 6 to 8:30pm. Food from nearby Bentley’s. Wine names like Lail, Elyse, Frank Family and many more top quality wineries are expected to pour. Cost is $40. pp. Call 760-479-2500.
Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula brings Hollwood U2, the best U2 Tribute Band to its stage Sat. July17 from 7 to 10pm. Cost is $49. ea. $44. for club members. Make contact at www.wilsoncreekwinerycom.
Mille Fleurs in the heart of Rancho Santa Fe is hosting an elegant dinner with award winning Fritz Wines of Napa Valley Tues. July 20. Meet winemaker Clay Fritz. 5 course dinner cost is $95. Details call 619-221-8024.
Soro’s Mediterranean Grill in Old Town Temecula has a fun filled night at its first Fedora Hat Night Wed. July 21 at 6pm. Classic Mediterranean flavors will be paired with wines, with live music to perfect the atmosphere of Fedora hats and 30’s style outfits. RSVP at 951-587-8082.
Carlsbad Wine Merchants has their Wine, Music and New Menu rockin’ on Friday nights. Small bite food offerings are heavy on luscious salads. First music set starts at 6pm. Call 760-804-9994 for this week’s lineup.
Canapes in San Marcos has outdoor entertainment in the patio with a Frank Sinatra Review on Sat. July 24, 6:30 to 9:30pm. Enjoy unique dining selections, smart wine list and great music at James Allyn’s Canapes. RSVP a table at 760-510-2088.
It was five years ago that I first heard the Rhone Valley story from an early enthusiast, the late Leon Santoro who made wine at Orfila in San Diego County. He could hardly contain his excitement when talking about Syrah and Viognier, his two favorite Rhone grape varietals from this ever-more interesting wine country in the south of France.
He had joined the “Rhone Rangers,” an organization of mostly Paso Robles winemakers dedicated to showing the wine world that Rhone grapes can be made into rich and satisfying wines. Names to know that are Rhone Valley based include: Syrah (also known as Shiraz in Australia) the most planted Rhone grape in California. Full flavored berry, with aromas of smoke, bacon and crushed rock. Petite Sirah is a cross between Syrah and Peloursin. It’s extremely dark in color with big tannins and needs some lay-down time to flourish.
Grenache is the world’s 2nd most planted wine grape with aromas of red fruit, licorice and black pepper. Lots of cherry flavor.
Carignane produces wine high in acidity and tannin and does best in old vineyards. Mourvedre is the latest ripening grape and is now undergoing a big popularity push. Chocolate, leather and earth aromas. Plum and spice flavors. Viognier is the highly aromatic white wine with excellent peach, apricot and mango flavors and aroma with low acidity. Roussanne has tastes of honey and pear, with rose petal and nutty aromas and moderate acidity. Others to look for are Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Picpoul Blanc, Cinsault and Counoise.
The vintage to look for, both in France’s Rhone Valley and Paso Robles is the 2005, considered to an inflection point for southern French style wines. The latest releases are now up to 2007, with some 2008 bottles showing up on the shelves of wineries and wine shops. An elite area in the south Rhone Valley is Chateauneuf-du-pape where a blend of Granache and Mourvedre, grown in the rockiest soil in France, yields ripe, fleshy definition to the wines. This is well known to Jason Haas, whose family combined with a leading vineyard in the south Rhone area, Chateau de Beaucastel, chose Paso Robles in 1989 for a new vineyard. They purchased a 120 acres to grow Rhone style wine grapes, a first for Paso.
They named the new winery Tablas Creek. It took quite a while to plant and develop the old world cuttings and clones. Finally they enough to do business in 1992. Now, they are used not only by their winery, but by some 400 others. Tablas Creek itself sells about 18,000 cases. Easily the most elegant of the Rhone style, the winery chooses to blend, making wines that are richer and better balanced. Its 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel combines Mouvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise and sells for $50. in most shops.
The Rhone Rangers promotional group will have their annual Southern California Tasting in Santa Monica at Pier 59 Studios West on Sunday August 8 from 2 to 5pm. 50 wineries will join in the event. For questions and pricing, check 800-467-0163 or access their web site, full of detailed information about this leading French terroir at www.rhonerangers.org
Wine Bytes
Delicias Restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe is kicking off complimentary wine tastings every Thurs. and Fri. from 6 to 7:3opm. General Manager and wine man extraordinaire Gino Campbell is building up his wine cellar and wants customers to tell him what’s great, so come by and try. No RSVP required. For more info, call 858-756-8000.
Belle Marie Winery in Escondido has its summer pre-release party Sat. July 17 from 2 to 4pm in the Barrel Room. Favorite new wines are being served at no charge. Open house format so stay as long as you can. No food served. Try the newest and the best. Call 760-796-7557.
Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas presents a Napa Valley Vintners Tasting Sat. July 17 from 6 to 8:30pm. Food from nearby Bentley’s. Wine names like Lail, Elyse, Frank Family and many more top quality wineries are expected to pour. Cost is $40. pp. Call 760-479-2500.
Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula brings Hollwood U2, the best U2 Tribute Band to its stage Sat. July17 from 7 to 10pm. Cost is $49. ea. $44. for club members. Make contact at www.wilsoncreekwinerycom.
Mille Fleurs in the heart of Rancho Santa Fe is hosting an elegant dinner with award winning Fritz Wines of Napa Valley Tues. July 20. Meet winemaker Clay Fritz. 5 course dinner cost is $95. Details call 619-221-8024.
Soro’s Mediterranean Grill in Old Town Temecula has a fun filled night at its first Fedora Hat Night Wed. July 21 at 6pm. Classic Mediterranean flavors will be paired with wines, with live music to perfect the atmosphere of Fedora hats and 30’s style outfits. RSVP at 951-587-8082.
Carlsbad Wine Merchants has their Wine, Music and New Menu rockin’ on Friday nights. Small bite food offerings are heavy on luscious salads. First music set starts at 6pm. Call 760-804-9994 for this week’s lineup.
Canapes in San Marcos has outdoor entertainment in the patio with a Frank Sinatra Review on Sat. July 24, 6:30 to 9:30pm. Enjoy unique dining selections, smart wine list and great music at James Allyn’s Canapes. RSVP a table at 760-510-2088.
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