You know you are on to something when there is a large, nonprofit organization promoting the wine you are considering buying."Rhone Rangers" is an organization devoted to promoting Rhone-style wines made in the United States. In the Rhone Valley, France, 22 grapes are approved for growing by the government. The best known to Americans are probably syrah, grenache and viognier.
At least 12 of those 22 grapes are grown in substantial numbers in the United States, and they go with a wide range of foods. My wine-tasting group compared a half dozen Rhone-style reds. We found some flavorful values. The results of our blind tasting are below.
- 2006 Stephan Vineyards Paso Robles L'Aventure Optimus. $49.99. A lively nose high in alcohol showed scents of tobacco, mocha, leather, evergreen, cedar and eucalyptus. On the tongue, we tasted cherries, tobacco, leather and dusty fruit. This wine had a nice transition from fruit to dusty to more fruit. Nicely dry, it needed duck confit. We voted it first place.
- 2006 Robert Hall Central Coast Rhone de Robles. $19.99. We smelled cranberries, blueberries, dark chocolate, cherry cola and wet earth. Flavors included dark fruit, chocolate and black currants. This was a really dark wine from aroma to finish. It tied for second.
- 2007 Liberty School Central Coast Cuvee. $16.99. The Liberty School was very aromatic, with rose petals, potpourri, lavender and wet earth. The palate echoed the aroma. It was delicate, feminine and seductive. It tied for second.
- 2008 Villa Creek Willow Creek Paso Robles Cuvee. $35. The nose reminded us of raspberries, blueberries, cedar and blackberries. The taste of raspberries flowed over the tongue, along with notes of blueberries and cedar. My panelists called this "killer juice, not overbearing."
- 2007 Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Lodi Alicante Bouschet. $17.99. The bouquet suggested milk chocolate, clove, cinnamon and acetone. The palate had stemmy fruit tastes plus herbs and cloves. Our bottle had a baked fruit character.
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