Rhone Rangers DC

Longview Gallery - Washington, DC
Tasted Wednesday, June 4, 2014 by isaacjamesbaker with 520 views

Introduction

I couldn't attend the trade tasting, so I went to the evening tasting, which was packed with people. I only had two hours, so I made the rounds as best I could, but I wasn't able to visit half the tables. Oh well, I tasted some really solid wines. Great event. The Rhone Rangers need to come to DC more often!

Flight 1 - Donelan (4 Notes)

I've appreciated Donelan's Syrahs and blends before, and I'm always glad to try their wines again. Good juice all around, as expected.

  • 2012 Donelan Vénus 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Nose: floral, melon, lime. Palate: Mineral, lively, lime and quince, white flowers, fresh acid, lingering with notes of honey. Includes 3% Viognier.

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  • 2012 Donelan Cuvée Moriah 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Aromas of raspberries and strawberries, earth. Fresh but bold, fine tannins, showing restraint. Some cedar, green olive, red licorice. Complex, versatile, a Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre blend.

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  • 2011 Donelan Syrah Cuvée Christine 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Nose: cool berries (blackberries, raspberries), sweet rose and violets. Palate: rich, bold, nice grip, chewy texture, fresh acid. Love the purity of the berry fruit. Some tobacco earth, long finish. 2-3 years would do this good.

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  • 2011 Donelan Syrah Cuvée Keltie 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Nose: dark berries, violets on the nose, warm and inviting. Juicy berry fruit on the palate, ripe but tangy. Also some meat, olive, tobacco and violet notes. Zingy, with a long finish. I’d cellar this for two years and see what it’s up to.

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Flight 2 - Cornerstone (2 Notes)

I generally think of their awesome Napa Cabs and Sauvignon Blancs, but Cornerstone makes a pair of Syrah-based wines as well.

Flight 3 - Wrath (4 Notes)

I've never had a Wrath wine before, although I've wanted to try some. These four wines were quite impressive. Love the fresh, earthy, tangy approach of their 2011 reds.

  • 2012 Wrath Muscat Ex Anima 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Seco

    Aromatically, this is a dead ringer for Fruity Pebbles cereal. And I love it. Also some floral and peach notes. Dry but so fruity, with flavors of orange peel, green melon, lychee and peaches & cream. I'm rarely a big fan of California Muscat but this is seriously fun stuff.

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  • 2011 Wrath Grenache Destruction Level 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Seco

    Nose: mixed berries, floral, some red berry jam. Palate: pepper and earth accents, sweet flowers, berry compote, just a bit of candied fruit. Still, it takes a nuanced stance.

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  • 2011 Wrath Syrah Doctor's 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Nose: smoke, crushed granite, meat on top of red currants and plums. Palate: firm, medium+ acid, currants and plums, but not too rich. Tangy throughout, with smoke, earth, meaty, jetty rock elements. Yup, this is doing it for me.

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  • 2011 Wrath Syrah San Saba Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey

    Aromas: Smoke, earth, mushroom on top of raspberries and strawberries. Silky, smooth but still structured. Bold cherry, dark plums, mixing with eucalyptus, charcoal and chestnut notes. Long, pure, velvety. Very impressive stuff, showing boldness but the sleekness of the 2011 vintage.

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Flight 4 - Thacher (4 Notes)

  • 2012 Thacher Winery White 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Nose: floral, waxy, apricot. Palate: Juicy, rich, full, apricot, honey, orange blossoms. Flowers, waxy, bold but medium acid. A blend of 74% Viognier and 26% Grenache Blanc.

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  • 2011 Thacher Winery Controlled Chaos 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Nose: bright red fruit, roses, meat tones. Palate: cherry pie, juicy red currant, lovely chewy texture, almost a ruby red grapefruit note to the fruit. Juicy, tangy, with smoke, earth, charcoal undertones. Unique style. A blend of 47% Mourvedre, 33% Zinfandel and 20% Grenache.

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  • 2012 Thacher Winery GSM 86 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Nose: bright red fruit, roses, meat tones. Palate: cherry pie, juicy red currant, lovely chewy texture, almost a ruby red grapefruit note to the fruit. Juicy, tangy, with smoke, earth, charcoal undertones. Unique style. A blend of 47% Mourvedre, 33% Zinfandel and 20% Grenache.

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  • 2011 Thacher Winery Vin Rouge 89 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Cool berries on the nose, olive, jerky, dried roses. Big but juicy with medium acid, chewy tannins, mixed berry fruit. Earth, teriyaki sauce, sweet root beer and roasted chestnut accents. 2011 is something of an anomaly, but I'm loving this restrained style. 74% Syrah and 26% Grenache.

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Flight 5 - Kenneth Volk (4 Notes)

I know Kenneth Volk mostly for their Chardonnays and Pinots, but perhaps I need to pay more attention to their Syrah and Mourvedre offerings.

Flight 6 - Two Shepherds (6 Notes)

  • 2012 Two Shepherds Grenache Blanc Saarloos Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

    Smells of seashells, salt, mix of citrus and tropical. Creamy but so tangy with crisp green fruit, some floral notes, minerals and sea shells. Lean but not weak.

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  • 2012 Two Shepherds Pastoral Blanc Saralee's Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Peachy nose with saline, floral. Crisp and creamy, with interesting floral, tea, wax and honey notes. Love this for $28. A blend of 50% Roussanne, 35% Marsanne, 10% Viognier and 5% Grenache Blanc, fermented and aged in neutral oak. I'd like to try this again in two years.

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  • 2013 Two Shepherds Viognier Saralee's Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Love the peach, apricot and white tea aromas. On the palate, creamy yet lean, with orange peel and apricot, so pure and lively with lingering acid and mineral tones. Not your average sweet flower honeypot California Viognier, this is so clean and crisp. Yeah, digging this like crazy.

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  • 2013 Two Shepherds Grenache Gris Rosé Gibson Ranch 91 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino

    A unique and special wine from a 100-year-old vineyard in Mendocino, I love it. Smells of olive oil, strawberry greens, tangerine and melon peel. Juicy, tangy, mineral-driven, with white cherry and tart strawberries, lots of tea and herbal-spice tones. Beautiful. Fermented on the skins with native yeasts and aged seven months in old oak.

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  • 2012 Two Shepherds Grenache Saralee's Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Love the nose, so floral, cool fruit, elegance. Fine tannins, crisp acid, a lighter, more elegant style at 13.3% alcohol. Cool red fruit, mixed with spice, earth and roses. Complex, versatile, I don't remember the last California Grenache I thought of as thirst-quenching.

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  • 2011 Two Shepherds Syrah | Mourvedre 91 Points

    USA, California

    A beautiful blend of 55% Syrah from the Russian River Valley and 45% Mourvedre from El Dorado County. The aromas are so complex: tea, beef, charcoal, crushed rocks on top of black cherries. So airy and elegant on the palate, with earth, pickle and rose accents to the fresh cherry and currant fruit. Lingering roses and minerals. William Allen is making some great stuff, as this tasting proved.

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Flight 7 - Qupé (5 Notes)

  • 2010 Qupé Roussanne Hillside Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard 89 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Aromas of peaches, honey and lemon curd. On the palate, apricot, honey, rich (some time in French oak, on the lees) but this shows some minerals and white tea, and it’s also clean and fresh, exciting acid, with saline notes on the finish. Much more sleek and restrained than your typical Central Coast Roussanne.

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  • 2012 Qupé Syrah 86 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    Nose: cherries, sweet raspberries, cola. Easy-drinking, juicy, with cherries and raspberries, sweet cola, subtle spice. Very pleasant and a good entry-level wine.

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  • 2011 Qupé Grenache Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    Nose: Ripe berries, earth, some smoke and rose notes. Rich but still quite silky, with some nice sweet herbal components. Includes 13% Syrah.

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  • 2010 Qupé Syrah Sonnie's Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    So spicy on the nose, with olive, earth and pepper. Rich and chewy on the palate, with dark cherries and blackberries. This is seriously peppery, and I get some cola, sage and earth tones. Long and packed, needs two to four years, but this is really good.

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  • 2009 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Hillside Estate 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Dark berries, charcoal, some smoke on the nose. Quite elegant on the palate, with a velvety mouthfeel and some crisp acid. Pure berry and currant fruit, with complex notes of pickle, spice and soy. Rich, lasting, pure, plenty of time ahead.

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