Mourvedre

Hospice du Rhône is a pilgrimage of the faithful. This year it had a decidedly French accent. More French than ever showed up to remind us that we are beholden to them for these 22 varietals that have become the foundation of one of the most popular events in wine industry culture. We are also beholden to the French for the whole concept of winemaking. You knew that, right? J Bien sur!

To indulge in a little factualizing, here are some tidbits about the event:

• This was the 19^th Annual Hospice du Rhône: it began in Mendocino, and gradually migrated to Paso Robles
• 158 Rhône Producers worldwide
• 10,000 pieces of Riedel Stemware were used daily just for the seminars
• 110 Volunteers kept the whole thing going
• 22 Sommeliers contributed their talents behind the scenes (and we presume they drank quite a lot of wine in payment for their services)
• Official HashTag – #HdR2011

This year’s theme was “So you know how to Rhône?” One person who sure knows how to Rhône is winemaker Tiffinee Vierra from Derby Vineyards in Paso Robles. I ran into Ethan Heller from Derby Estates winetasting at Poetic Cellars this weekend, and he was virtually spouting verse about the beauty of their upcoming Grenache Blanc bottling, as well as their new Grenache, which they got about a half-ton of this past harvest of 2010.  They were pouring a vertical of 2006 – 2008 Fifteen 10, which are varying percentages of Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne at HdR and they all exhibit the rich, fleshy, deeply minerally, yet acid-driven core that Vierra is looking to capture.  Tiffinee is one of those blessedly few Rhône renegades who doesn’t pontificate about how alcohol content doesn’t matter as long as it’s balanced. Once you’ve crossed 15%, you’re just about in portland, and we’re not talking about Oregon here.

Not quite to Oregon, is Humboldt County’s amazing Cabot Vineyards, and you know with a name like that, a solid product is shining through. John & Kimberly Cabot have that steadfast pioneering attitude and acumen that got their ancestors across the plains in covered wagons to establish a new frontier in one of the still wildest parts of the West. Humboldt county makes no apologies or excuses: you love it or leave it and frequently you do both in the same sentence. But the wines are amazing and worth your time to reflect on how high altitude makes syrah all the more better with each upward thrust into the atmosphere. One thing is clear: when it comes to syrah, the higher the better.

This is bar-none among the most fun wine events of the year, in one of the hotbeds of Rhône varietals. Paso Robles is perhaps better-suited to growing a wider range of Rhônes with great success than any other region in California. I can hear the arrows headed my way now…regardless, I say, show me a US wine region that is currently producing a more impressive offering of Rhône wines than Paso. Go ahead, show me!

Here, roughly in order of how they made my heart pound, are the top ten wines I discovered at the 17^th annual Hospice du Rhône:

1. Ken Volk’s 1996 Wild Horse Syrah from the James Berry Vineyard in Paso Robles. This was for me the most memorable wine of the day: simply fantastic Syrah, powerful, elegant and built to last. Ken’s 2007 Mourvèdre under the Kenneth Volk label, from the Enz Vineyard in Lime Kiln Valley, is also stunning, with mesmerizing flavors of honey, mulberry, prosciutto and white pepper: it comes from head trained vines that grace the oldest vineyard on the Central Coast, planted in 1922. Talk about terroir.
2. Kukkula’s 2009 Pas de Deux, a divine blend of fourth leaf Grenache & Syrah from Kevin Jusilla’s dry-farmed vineyard on Chimney Rock Road, in the far westside of Paso Robles. Ooh, la la! Dense, sinfully dark chocolate, unctuous anise and spicy cherries make this a truffle of delight. The cat’s meow in every way.
3. Augie Hug’s very first vintage of Hug Cellars Syrah, 1994, from John Alban’s vineyard. Shows the staying power of a well-made, well-structured wine. Go, Augie!
4. Tensley Wine’s 2009 Turner Vineyard Syrah from the Santa Rita Hills, a stunning powerhouse of peppery goodness, made with 25% whole cluster, and exuding Ancho chile pepper in a fleshy, extreme wine of great depth.
5. 2008 Anglim Grenache, a Cherry Kiafa explosion of sensational fruity goodness. Says Steve Anglim, a veteran Paso Robles winegrower, “It took us a while to figure out we had to farm Grenache like Pinot Noir.” He nailed it.
6. 2006 Cabot Kimberly’s Vineyard Syrah, Humboldt County, a huge, powerful, intensely self-sufficient wine which John Cabot says was “a gift from the grape gods.” It’s like blueberry waffles with blackberry syrup, another breakfast of champions wine. This will age nicely for at least 10 years.
7. 2010 Dragonette Cellars Rosé, Santa Ynez Valley, a summer love affair of 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah. This whole cluster pressed paragon of pinkness is racy, lithe, texturally perfect watermelon and strawberry candy.
8. 2009 el Pape from Hug Cellars, made from 70% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah. It oozes the juicy, free-flowing good intentions of Grenache, with the subtly conspiratorial undertones of mysterious Mourvèdre and the spicy jamminess of Syrah. So drinkably delicious, it takes your breath away.
9. 2001 Austin Hope Syrah, a beautiful blend of earthy chanterelles and magnificent meatiness, still available at $38, and only 14.5%, which from Paso, is considered restrained. In fact, this wine is both restrained and elegant in a way few Syrahs from this region achieve. Bravo to Austin, who makes the Treana wines as well.
10. 2008 Venteux Vineyards Mourvèdre, from the Never Idle and Cass Vineyards of Paso Robles. Scott Stelzle, winemaker, coaxed spicy layers of violets and cherries out of this otherwise meaty and slightly earthy wine. Very impressive. Another tasty reason to say Merci Beaucoup to the vignerons and vineyardists of the Rhône Valley, and to be grateful we have so many brilliantly made domestic ones to choose from as well.

If you are as besotted by Rhônes as am I, there’s an app for that.

Check it out: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id365241853

And if you’ve had enough wine for a while, have some tequila…

Laura Ness writes for many wine publications, including AppellationAmerica.com, Vine Times and Vineyard & Winery Management. She enjoys writing about wines of character and the characters who make them. Email: highperf@got.net.