When exploring wines produced with various different grapes, it can take years of experimentation to sample enough wines with dinners to get a good feel for which wineries produce the style that you like, and what foods they go with best. Fortunately there’s an efficient, cost-effective way to find new favorite wines: wine tastings. I like to visit temperate regions and visit wineries while I travel, but there are many tastings where producers from all over the state, or all over the world, will come to you. The annual Hospice du Rhone (HdR) wine tasting event coming up in April in Walla Walla, Washington features top wineries from the United States, France, Australia and more.
Many wine lovers are familiar with syrah, one of over 20 wine varietals traditionally grown in the Rhone region of France. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier and the other Rhone varietals have done well in the New World as well, particularly in California, Washington and Australia. In Australia they call syrah “shiraz”, after a region in the Persian Empire that produced notable wines at the time, although those were apparently white wines, and not syrah. But I digress.
The first year that I attended the HdR was 2001. Earlier that year I had toured the Australian island of Tasmania enjoying their pinot noir, then I flew to the shiraz-laden Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale wine regions near Adelaide. The Australians were enjoying the release of wines from their fantastic 1998 vintage, which was in a string of strong vintages. I was enjoying them too. Upon my return, I checked two cases of wine as luggage and packed more in my carry-on baggage, for a total of 39 bottles in all! Ah, the days before airline restrictions on liquids. Then a couple of months after returning from Australia, I attended the Rhone Rangers tasting event in California, offering American-produced Rhone varietals, and I enjoyed many fine Rhone lineage wines there.
So I started 2001 with a great survey of Australian and American Rhone style wines, and Hospice du Rhone would be a great opportunity to add French wines to the mix, and try them all in one place. Let’s start with the American wines and wineries that I particularly enjoyed at the Rhone Rangers event. Although wines change from year to year, the best grapes are consistently grown in the best sites, and wineries and winemakers that have tuned their winemaking practices for those sites will consistently produce great wines year after year. So finding your favorite vineyards, winemakers and producers is a great first step. I also attended HdR again in 2002, so I’ve consolidated my favorites from both events below. Among this year’s 125 wineries pouring at HdR, some of these fine producers will again be pouring great wines:
1997 Elderton Wines Barossa Command Shiraz 06/02/01 – Syrupy boysenberry, supple with toasty oak, blackberry and supple tannins on the very long finish. 95
1996 Elderton Wines Barossa Command Shiraz 06/01/01 – Syrupy and extracted, raspberry and elderberry, spices, acid and supple tannins on the finish. 95
1999 Henshke Mount Edelstone Keyneton Vineyard Shiraz 06/01/02 – Dense and extracted ripe berry, toasty oaky vanilla, firm and chewy, long and intense. 95
1999 Kilikanoon Clare Valley Oracle Shiraz 06/02/01 – Very dark with ripe blackberry nose, syrupy blackberry fruit, bracing acidity ensures a long finish. A winner for the vintage. 94
2000 Neyers Napa Valley Hudson Vineyard Syrah $40.00 06/01/02 – Supple, extracted and fruit forward, some herbal notes (oregano?), long mouth-watering finish with menthol/basil. 94
1999 Torbreck Barossa Valley The Factor Shiraz 06/01/02 – Berry extract with toasty notes, some caramel, dark fruit, long finish with fine tannins. 94
1998 Wirra Wirra Mclaren Vale Chook Block Shiraz 06/02/01 – Perfumed with sweet spices, syrupy black fruit and vanilla bean, very intense with earthy black fruit on the finish. 94
1998 Alban Vineyards Seymour’s Syrah 06/02/01 – Opaque, dense yet soft, a sublime combination of power and grace, subtlety and concentration. Remains supple through the long finish. 93
2001 Cayuse Walla Walla Valley Cailloux Vineyard Syrah 06/01/02 – Barrel Sample – Syrupy and supple, soft texture, plush, some caramel and toast, plum-blueberry, fine tannins on the finish. 93
1998 Coriole Mclaren Vale South Australia Lloyd Reserve Shiraz 05/31/02 – Big and refined with ample fruit extraction and oak, with a touch of vanilla on the finish. 93
1999 McCrea Cellars Yakima Valley Boushey Grande Cote Vineyard Syrah $38.99 06/02/01 – Vanilla nose, firm and supple, dark fruit, integrated tannins. 93
1998 Peter Lehmann Barossa Eight Song Shiraz 05/31/02 – Ripe and fleshy yet elegant with fine texture, big and restrained at the same time, extracted ripe blackberry-plum flaovrs linger well into the finish. 93
2000 Torbreck Barossa Valley The Steading $40.99 06/01/02 – Understated yet powerful, supple with fine tannins, blackberry and some raspberry-cherry, cassis and some mint on the finish. 93
1994 Wirra Wirra Mclaren Vale Jones Shiraz 06/01/01 – Ripe, full and dry, coffee, vanilla, black fruit, finishes with black cherry and charcoal, chocolate, some complementary bitterness, long with good acid. 93
1997 AusVetia South Australia Shiraz 06/02/01 – Spice nose, syrupy caramel-coffee, very toasty with oak, ample tannins and acid on the finish. Roughly half of the small production goes to Switzerland (Helvetia). 92
1993 Brokenwood Rayner Shiraz 06/01/01 – Supple, syrupy, exotic spices and toasty oak on the finish. 92
2001 Cayuse Walla Walla Valley En Cerise Vineyard Syrah 06/01/02 – Barrel Sample – Slightly barnyardy nose, reductive and syrupy dark fruit, herbal notes, syrupy on the finish. Rhone-like. 92
1999 Chapoutier Hermitage Le Pavillon 06/01/02 – Dry and refined with white pepper, fine texture, long earthy finish. 92
2000 Elderton Wines Barossa Shiraz 06/01/02 – Darl fruit nose, syrupy and extracted berry, mint, dry and firm with blackberry on the finish. 92
1996 Elderton Wines Barossa Command Shiraz 05/31/02 – Currently showing a restrained style, dry and smoky with hyper-ripe plum-prune, fine texture, oak, rolls off your tongue. 92
2000 Garretson Paso Robles Rozet Vineyard Syrah $45.00 06/01/02 – Syrupy and extracted dark fruit, sweet spices, blueberries on the finish. 92
1998 Glaezter Barossa Valley The Bishop Shiraz $38.99 06/02/01 – Supple, syrupy, generous and fruit -forward, sweet spices, nice length with dark fruit on the finish. 92
1999 Henshke Eden Valley/Barrossa Valley Keyneton Estate Shiraz Cabernet Malbec 06/01/02 – Syrupy plum-berry, supple and soft, nice intensity and length. 92
1998 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz 06/01/02 – Ripe nose, full bodied and supple, berry-blueberry, intense and long. 92
1999 McCrea Cellars Yakima Valley Ciel du Cheval Syrah 06/02/01 – Very ripe, black fruit, powerful tannins and acid, blackberry on the finish. 92
1998 Mount Langi Ghiran Victoria Langi Shiraz 06/02/01 – Toasty, syrupy, supple and intense, vanilla on the long finish. 92
1996 Peter Lehmann Barossa Stonewell Shiraz 05/31/02 – Blackberry and raspberry nose, monty, chalky testure, dark fruit, long chewy yet refined finish. 92
2001 Torbreck Barossa Valley Juveniles 06/01/02 – Slightly barnyardy nose, very concentrated yet supple and refined, black fruit, long syrupy finish. 92
2000 Alban Vineyards Edna Valley Alban Estate – Reva Syrah 06/01/02 – Ripe berry pie nose, fine texture, sweet spices, nice intensity and length. 91
1999 Alban Vineyards Edna Valley Alban Estate – Reva Syrah $40.00 06/02/01 – Dark with magenta edges, ripe berry nose, ample intensity (nice acid). 91
1992 Alban Vineyards Roussanne 06/01/01 – Soft and supple, with good body, creamy, leesy bread aromas and flavors, some oak, nice acid remaining. Youthful; never would have guessed that it was a ’92. 91
1996 Andrew Murray Vineyards Viognier 06/01/01 – Ripe, full nose,youthful and sweetish, ripe fruit, nice intensity and vanilla oak on the finish. 91
2000 Beckman Vineyards Santa Ynez Valley Cuvee Le Bec 06/01/02 – Syrupy dark fruit, supple, vanilla on the finish, good intensity. 91
1999 Cayuse Walla Walla Valley Syrah 06/02/01 – Supple, concentrated, toasty, syrupy, sweet spices. 91
1990 Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne 05/31/02 – 91
1999 Chateau Reynella McLaren Vale Basket Pressed Shiraz 06/01/02 – Ripe dark fruit, nice balance of concentrated fruit and toasty notes, mouthwatering finish with firm tannins. 91
2000 Craneford Barossa Valley 95 Year Old Single Vineyard Grenache 06/01/02 – Fine chalky texture, supple berry fruit, strong toasty finish with ample tannins. 91
2000 Cuilleron Gigondas Les Pimpignoles 06/01/02 – 91
1998 David Traeger Victoria Australia Shiraz $21.99 06/02/01 – Dark fruit, plush texture, spices, nice balance of components. May seem too oaky for some. 91
1999 E.Guigal Hermitage 06/01/02 – Ripe fruit, refined, fine texture, supple. 91
2000 Fox Creek Mclaren Vale JSM Shiraz-Cabernet Franc 06/01/02 – Smooth and refined with fine chalky texture, soft dark fruit, integrated “skin tannins”. 91
1999 Gangloff Condrieu 06/01/02 – Soft, smooth, focused honey-apricot. 91
2000 Garretson Paso Robles The Aisling Syrah $30.00 06/01/02 – Barnyardy nose, toasty dark fruit, supple and focused with dark fruit on the finish. 91
2000 Garretson San Luis Obispo County Bassetti Vineyard HDR Cuvee Syrah 06/01/02 – Gamey bacon nose, dry and toasty, nice crispness, intensity and focus on the finish, with sweetish fine chalky tannins. 91
1998 Garretson Paso Robles The Aisling Syrah 05/31/02 – Ripe and supple with dark fruit, firm tannins, long, complex dance on the tongue. 91
2000 Gibson’s Barossa Vale Barossa Valley Shiraz 06/01/02 – Berry fruit, fleshy, vanilla, sweet spices, fine skin tannins. 91
2000 Hardys South Australia Eileen Hardy Shiraz 06/01/02 – Toasty and supple dark berry fruit, supple skin tannins, more velvety supple fruit on the finish. 91
1999 Havens Wine Cellars Carneros Hudson T Reserve Syrah 06/02/01 – Dark, firm, dryish dark fruit, toasty on the finish. 91
1999 Henshke Barossa Valley Johann’s Garden Grenache $30.00 06/01/02 – Smooth, supple and refined, blueberry, oak, menthol on the finish. 91
2000 Jade Mountain Contra Costa County 100 Year Old Vines Mourvedre 06/01/02 – Berry fruit, fleshy and full-bodied. 91
1997 Jade Mountain Napa Valley Paras Vineyard P-10 Syrah 06/01/02 – Supple, tight, vanilla oak, dark fruit (blackberry). 91
2000 JC Cellars Monterey Ventana Vineyards Syrah $35.00 06/01/02 – Ultra syrupy with an oily texture, blackberries on toast, acid-supported finish. 91
1999 Jim Barry McCrae Wood Shiraz $35.00 06/01/02 – Dark fruit, slightly gamey nose, toasty oak. 91
1999 Kilikanoon Clare Valley Prodigal Grenache 06/02/01 – Forward dark fruit, supple, sweetish. Generous and appealing. 91
2000 Linne Calodo Paso Robles Red 06/01/02 – Pepper and dark fruit nose, elderberry, syrupy fruit, supple intense, and firm, long finish. 91
2000 Novy Family Winery Paige Nord Vineyard Syrah 05/31/02 – 91
1997 Ojai California 50% Roll Ranch Vineyard 50% Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah 05/31/02 – Nice juxtaposition of smoky and herbal notes with ripe dark fruit undertones. 91
1997 Ojai Santa Barbara County Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah 05/31/02 – Supple with oregano, mint, ample structure in a refined package. 91
1999 Penfolds Barossa Valley RWT Shiraz 06/01/02 – Deceptively supple with ample syrupy fruit, toasty, more syrupy dark fruit on the finish. 91
1996 Rosemount Estate Mclaren Vale GSM Grenache Syrah Mourvede 05/31/02 – Medium bodied, full intensity with jammy blackberry, vanilla toast and firm tannins on the finish. 91
1998 St. Hallet Barossa Old Block Shiraz 06/01/02 – Syrupy fruit, supple, nice intensity with some herbal overtones, long finish. 91
1998 Tait Wines Barossa Valley Shiraz 06/02/01 – Ripe, a little toasty, syrupy, long toasty finish. 91
1995 Tim Adams Clare Valley The Fergus Grenache 06/01/01 – Nice intensity, dark fruit, blackberry, nice acid on the finish. 91
1999 Wirra Wirra Mclaren Vale R.S.W. Shiraz 06/02/01 – Toasty, intense, eucalyptus. 91
1991 Alban Vineyards San Luis Obispo County Roussanne 05/31/02 – Leesy nose, dry and chalky, refined character, floral with bread, pear (and a touch of apricot) on the finish. 90
1999 Barnadown Run Heathcote Shiraz 06/02/01 – Soft, intense. 90
2000 Beckman Vineyards Santa Ynez Valley Syrah 06/01/02 – Firm with dark fruit, toasty/smoky. Made from 7 clones of syrah on two rootstocks. 90
1991 Brokenwood Hunter Valley Graveyard Shiraz 06/01/01 – Dark fruit nose, dry spices, caramel and some remaining tannins on the finish. 90
2000 Cedarville El Dorado County Zinfandel $22.00 06/01/02 – 90
2000 Cedarville El Dorado County Estate Grenache $22.00 06/01/02 – Syrupy with fine texture, supple berry (elderberry) fruit, some graphite, nice intensity and fine integrated tannins on the finish. 90
1998 Cedarville El Dorado County Estate Syrah 05/31/02 – Elegant with graphite, fine texture. 90
1996 Clarendon Hills Shiraz 06/01/01 – Dark fruit, syrupy, darrk cherry, spices, ample tannins. 90
1998 Craiglee Shiraz 06/02/01 – Ripe, syrupy and fruit-forward. 90
1997 Daniel Gehrs Paso Robles Syrah 06/01/01 – Coffee, sweet spices, toast. 90
1998 E.Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape La de ma mere 06/02/01 – Spice nose, syrupy with vanilla (oak?), supple dark fruit, sweet spices on the finish. Seems Australian in style. 90
1995 E.Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape 06/01/01 – Brick color, supple dark fruit, dry, some leather, nice intensity, some mushrooms. 90
1996 Foxen Santa Ynez Valley Morehouse Vineyard Syrah 06/01/01 – Nice supple texture, decent body, “Ridge-y”. 90
1998 Gangloff Cote Rotie La Sereine Noire 06/01/02 – 90
1997 Gangloff Condrieu 06/01/02 – Dry, focused, restrained, floral nose. 90
2001 Garretson Paso Robles Vogelzang Vineyard Viognier 06/01/02 – Honeysuckle, honey, good body and intensity, nutty with some apricot on the finish. 90
2000 Hardys South Australia Eileen Hardy Shiraz 04/12/03 – Tied for fourth place in my notes, with notable concentration, intensity and complexity. 90
1999 Hardys South Australia Tintara Shiraz $18.00 06/01/02 – Ultra ripe with some gamey notes, greenish herbal notes on the finish. 90
1999 Jade Mountain Napa Valley Paras Vineyard P-10 Syrah 06/01/02 – Dark fruit, supple tight, oak, long tannin-supported finish. 90
1999 Jaffurs Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah 06/02/01 – Dryish, firm nice concentration of fruit, intense and long on the finish. 90
1998 Larrikin Barossa Valley Shiraz 06/02/01 – Dark fruit nose, supple syrupy texture, sweetish berry fruit. 90
1998 Lindeman’s Coonawarra Limestone Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 05/31/02 – Tight and smooth with graphite. 90
2000 Loxton Cellars Russian River Valley Timbervine Ranch Syrah 04/12/03 – One third place vote. 90
1999 McCrea Cellars Yakima Valley Viognier 06/02/01 – Floral nose with some peach, very intense on the palate. Explodes with peach, citrus (lime zest), vanilla on the crisp finish. 90
1995 Mount Langi Ghiran Victoria Langi Shiraz 06/01/01 – Dark fruit, sweetish toasty oak, syrupy dark fruit and tannins on the finish. 90
1992 Mount Langi Ghiran Victoria Langi Shiraz 06/01/01 – Caramel nose, coffee, nice intensity and length. 90
2000 Novy Family Winery Garys Vineyard Syrah 05/31/02 – Supple and refined with bacon and herbal notes. 90
1997 Ojai California Roll Ranch Vineyard Syrah 05/31/02 – Firm yet smooth, smoky oak, ample life left. 90
1998 Pike’s Clare Valley Reserve, Old Vines Shiraz 05/31/02 – Toasty with dark fruit, nice complexity in the mouth. 90
1999 Ross Estate Wines Barossa Valley Old Vine Grenache $17 AUD 06/01/02 – Syrupy, supple, extracted fruit, blackberry, some pepper, black pepper and dark fruit on the finish. 90
1999 Simon Hackett Mclaren Vale Reserve Shiraz 06/02/01 – Dark fruit, berry, nice mouthwatering finish. 90
1997 Spring Mountain Vineyard Napa Valley Syrah 05/31/02 – Solid from start to finish with ample smoky aok influence, oily texture (bacon fat) on the finish. 90
1999 Tablas Creek Paso Robles Reserve Cuvee 05/31/02 – Ripe dark fruit, firm backbone with tannin-supported finish. 90
1996 Truchard Vineyards Napa Valley Carneros Syrah 05/31/02 – Interesting gaminess on the nose, very solid integration of supple texture, a touch of herbs, dried flowers and dark fruit on the finish. 90
2000 Turley Wine Cellars San Luis Obispo County White Coat $35.00 05/31/02 – Oily texture/body, crisp with peach -honeysuckle nose, toasty nutty flavor. 80% Roussanne, 20% viognier. 90
1999 Vieux Telegraphe Ch. du Pape La Crau $40.00 06/01/02 – Dry, tight, smoky, graphite, fine texture. 90
1999 Vieux Telegraphe Ch. du Pape La Crau $40.00 05/31/02 – 90
Obviously this list misses some newer producers, and ones I’ve found outside of the prior HdR events. I’ll be looking forward to trying wines from Washington’s Gramercy Cellars, California’s Alban Vineyards, Jeff Cohn Cellars, Lava Cap Winery, Linne Calodo, and Tablas Creek Vineyard. Of course from France Château de Beaucastel and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe are no-brainers. Beyond that, a great way to find new favorites is simply to talk to other attendees. Happy Hunting!
My Background in Wine
What qualifications did I have for attempting such a feat? I started enjoying Ridge Vineyards wine since the early 1980s: my mountain biking route took me past their tasting room. A friend of mine worked there. They had performed well in the famous Judgement of Paris in 1976, and ultimately they would be named one of the top 5 wineries in the world, so I was spoiled by quality from the start. As I worked in Silicon Valley’s high tech industry for a couple of decades, I had access to great wines and my budget enabled me to collect them. I started taking tasting notes in 1994. Given that my day job was selling servers to Netscape, Yahoo! and other startups, I set up a Web site and posted my notes there. That got me into the big wine tastings, often early as a wine trade journalist, before the crush of public made it a little more difficult to access the more popular tables and wines. Even just trying a wine each night with dinner would tune my palate with over 3500 wines in 10 years. But my friends and I got together for a “boys night out” every Wednesday night, and we quickly settled on blind tastings as the agenda, with the host selecting the theme each week. Add in a few trade tastings each year, and you start to develop an experienced palate, along with a pretty sizable database. Eventually I decided to be a wine broker for a few years, representing small wineries to wine shops and restaurants. I started making my own wine at home in 2002, and also planted a vineyard that year. I now make wine from close to 400 grapevines that I’ve planted in California and Nevada. In recent years I’ve also sourced grapes from Idaho. The next step is probably to go work for a winery. Then eventually start one.
My taste in wine may not be identical to yours (the whole subject of reviews, ratings and rankings has been covered ad nauseum for decades elsewhere). But you can try wines and a producer or two that I’ve liked, and if we like similar styles, my experience may come in handy for you.
I both take notes on the flavors and characteristics of a wine, as well as assign a score on a 100-point scale, like the ones American consumers have become familiar with from Wine Spectator Magazine and Robert Parker’s newsletter, Wine Advocate. There’s a love-hate relationship with such systems in the industry as a score over 90 points can help sell a wine, and higher on the scale may mean bigger, bolder and more in-your-face, but that’s not what you want with every meal. There are many excellent balanced wines that score in the high 80 to 90 point range that might pair better with food. I think that many or most wine consumers have become educated enough to make educated choices, so there’s no particular need to shy away from putting a stake in the ground regarding where on such a scale a wine might fall.
Fortunately events like Hospice du Rhone event provides one of those opportunities for you find what you like, and cut months or years off your search time, while you save many hundreds of dollars on the cost.
Maybe I’ll see you there!
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