RhoneRangers Seminars

They’ve put up the participants in the three RhoneRangers seminars:

SEMINAR #1: RARE WINES, COME TASTE THE UNUSUAL, Saturday, March 24, 2012, 12:00 PM, Fort Mason, The Firehouse. Participating Wineries include Clos Saron, Holly’s Hill, Lagier Meredith, Ridge, Tablas Creek, Two Shepherds. $45/ticket—> BUY NOW

SEMINAR #2: WINE & SWINE, A PAIRING OF RHONE VARIETIES WITH BACON, Saturday, March 24, 2012, 2:00 PM, Fort Mason, The Firehouse. Participating Wineries include Inspiration Vineyards, Katin, Mount Aukum, Skylark, Treana/Hope Family Wines. Our “Baconologist” is Duskie Estes, Co-Owner, Black Pig Meat Co & Zazu Restaurant. $65/ticket—> BUY NOW

SEMINAR #3: AMERICAN SYRAH FROM A VARIETY OF REGIONS, Sunday, March 25, 2012, 11 AM, Fort Mason, The Golden Gate Room. Participating wineries include: Big Basin, Caliza Winery, Chateau Ste Michelle, Cornerstone Cellars, Domaine Berrien Cellars, Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Donelan Wines, Folin Cellars, Tarara Winery, Zaca Mesa. $55/ticket—> BUY NOW

Can purcahse at:
RhoneRangersEvent

Rumor has it that there’ll be a trouble maker out in the audience to [stirthepothal.gif]

Tom (shilling once again)

Thanks for posting this, Tom. Overall it seems like a fair number of repeat panelists at the seminars this year. It would be nice to see more new faces there.

It looks to me that less than a third of them are repeat panelists, Ken.
I’m particularly delighted that they’re having Ridge om the one panel. Because those wines speak so heavily of Ridge and less of Syrah/Grenache,
I don’t think they’re as fully appreciated as they should be. I’m hoping they have something older that illustrates how they can (sometime) age well.
Tom

Tom, I was looking at the seminar panel participants over the past two years. There are 3 of 6 from the first seminar who were also on panels from either 2010 or 2011, 2 of 5 from the second seminar, and 5 of 10 from the third. With the number of producers pouring in the Grand Tasting (just over 100 last year), I just thought there could be more new faces on the seminar panels - though I know it’s not always a simple thing to get winemakers to commit to being on those panels. That said, all of this year’s panelists should be interesting and worthwhile to listen to.

Ken and Tom,

As you can imagine, it is not easy coming up with new seminar topics year in and year out, or getting wineries to commit to taking part. We do work hard (and I say ‘we’ but I’m just one of many on the board of the Rhone Rangers) to ensure we have as many non-repeat participants in the seminars as possible . . . but we also look at making sure we have the right types of wines there and the types of folks who will be interesting to listen to as well (something that is not as easy as it would seem).

I’m pretty psyched about the seminars and hope they play out well. The non-traditional variety seminar should be interesting, with the likes of Carole M pouring a Mondeuse and Tablas pouring a PicPoul blanc; the swine seminar will feature a wide variety of wines to try to pair with bacon, including a viognier . .(and I will take credit for coining the term ‘baconologist’ for this seminar - thank you [wow.gif] ); and the syrah seminar on Sunday will feature examples of the variety from Michigan, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, and 6 different regions throughout CA.

Cheers.

Thanks for the info, Larry. I can imagine that getting new panelists to commit to seminars is not easy. And as you say, you need to have people who are good at talking about their wines and tying them into the seminar topics, something which not even the best winemakers are necessarily going to be good at doing. So from that standpoint I suppose it makes sense to have some “tried and true” panelists on each seminar. Looking forward to the event - see you there.

Well, Larry…you could simply ask for some suggestions from knowledgeable folks who have followed Calif Rhones from the very start. You don’t gotta do it all yourself.

I’m pretty psyched about the seminars and hope they play out well. The non-traditional variety seminar should be interesting, with the likes of Carole M pouring a Mondeuse and Tablas pouring a PicPoul blanc; the swine seminar will feature a wide variety of wines to try to pair with bacon, including a viognier . .(> and I will take credit for coining the term ‘baconologist’ for this seminar - thank you > [wow.gif] > ); and the syrah seminar on Sunday will feature examples of the variety from Michigan, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, and 6 different regions throughout CA.
Cheers.

Wow…that should obviously make you as famous as the guy who coined “DollyPartonViognier”, Larry. neener
Tom

Just got this list:

Participating WIneries

Adelaida Cellars
Alta Colina
AmByth Estate
Andrew Murray Vineyards
Anglim
B Cellars
Baiocchi Wines & Vineyards
Beckmen Vineyards
Big Basin Vineyards
Bonny Doon
Calcareous Vineyard
Caliza Winery
Campovida
Chamisal Vineyards
Chateau Ste. Michelle
Clavo Cellars
Clayhouse Wines
Cline Cellars
Clos Saron
Core
Cornerstone Cellars
Cosa Obra
Crystal Basin
Curtis WineryCypher Winery
David Girard Vineyards
Davis Family Vineyards
Derby Wine Estates
Domaine Berrien Cellars
Domaine de la Terre Rouge
Donelan Wines
Edward Sellers
Epiphany Cellars
Fess Parker
Folin Cellars
Frick Winery
Hagafen Cellars
Hahn Family Wines
Halter Ranch
Hearthstone
Holly’s Hill Vineyards
Inspiration Vineyards
J C CellarsJ. Lohr
Jada Vineyard & Winery
Jemrose
JK Wine Company
Justin Winery
Kaleidos
Krutz Family Cellars
kukkula
Lagier Meredith Vineyard
Landmark Vineyards
Lone Madrone
MacLaren Wine Company
MartellaMartian Ranch & Vineyard
Martinelli Winery

Meyer Family Cellars
Michael-David Winery
Michelle Thacher
Minassian-Young Vineyards
Miner Family Winery
Miraflores Winery
Mitchella Vineyard & Winery
Montemaggiore
Morgan Winery
Mount Aukum Winery
Mounts Family Winery
Niner Wine Estates
Paradise Vineyard
Pear Valley Vineyard
Peterson Winery
Petrichor Vineyards
Pomar Junction
Prospect 772
Proulx Wines
Quady North
Qualia Wines
Quivira
Qupe
Refugio Ranch
Renaissance Winery
Ridge Vineyards
Robert Hall Winery
Sanglier
Sayler-Tait Family Cellars
Shannon Ridge Inc.
Sheldon Winery
Sierra Vista Winery
Skinner Vineyards
Skylark Wine Co.
Stage Left Cellars
Stark Wine
Steele Wines
Stephan Vineyards
Stolpman Vineyards
Tablas Creek Vineyard
Tarara Winery
Tercero Wines
Thomas George Estates
Topel Winery
Treana & Hope Family Wines
Truchard Vineyards
Two Shepherds
Unti Vineyards
Valley of the Moon Winery
Venteux Vineyards
Vina Robles
Waterbrook
Wesley Ashley Wines
Wrath
Zaca Mesa Winery
Zenaida Cellars

Oh, Tom, you KNOW I’ll never be as famous as THAT guy . . .though I have followed him from the very start (or at least MY start [wow.gif] )

Cheers!

For example…I think it would be a hoot to put together a Seminar of those first pioneers in Syrah…JohnMacCready/GaryEberle/AdamTolmach/BobLindquist/
RandallGraham/SteveEdmunds…and listen to these old geezers reminisce about the old days (by crackey) of the Rhone movement. Some of them aren’t
RR members…but I think you could figure out a work-around. Why…I even know a young guy who’s followed these old geezers from the very start!!! neener
Tom

On a related note, I picked up an April issue of Wine Enthusiast (Steve Heimoff lives in my area and often leaves a bunch of copies at the local UPS Store) and there’s nice article on “The Sierras’ Rhône Warriors” in there. There’s a brief intro that mentions Sierra Vista’s John MacReady’s pioneering efforts, plus one-page features on Bill Easton of Terre Rouge/Easton, Ann Kraemer of Shake Ridge/Yorba, Hank Beckmeyer of La Clarine Farm, and Jonathan Lachs & Susan Marks of Cedarville.

The Sierras’ Rhône Warriors

Nicely done article by Virginie. Thanks for the link, Ken.
Though the focus is on winemakers up there, she does mention some of the Napa winemakers using Ann’s grapes.
If she is going to digress in that way, she was negligent to omit Steve/Tracey&Jared doing some very good stuff w/ Fenaughty.
Tom

Interesting thing is that the additional paragraphs on the Napa winemakers using Ann’s fruit from Shake Ridge are only in the online article, not the print one. I didn’t read through the online article carefully, so there may be other minor differences, but that was a big difference that jumped out at me right away.