2022 Sans Liege Cotes du Coast, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

This is a white blend using Rhone varietals and made in Tin City, Paso Robles, California. It is a blend of 48% Viognier, 19% Marsanne, 13% Roussanne, 11% Grenache Blanc and 9% Clairette. My first time trying this wine and producer and it is delightful. Light golden in color with some green hues. Clear and bright. The nose has a whiff of fruit but then is dominated by wax, sea air and spice. With air a bit more pineapple emerges. Lovely slightly oily texture. Drying tannins. On the palate, more pineapple with some lime notes on the finish. 13.7%abv. It is so hard to say how this will age. While it likely will last longer, drink over the next five years. Very nice on its own, this worked well with soft cheeses.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2022

Current Price:

$23.00USD

America's Best Rhone Style White Wines: 11th Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting Reviewed

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. Like many lovers of Rhone style wines from America, we have just returned from the 2008 edition of the annual Rhone Rangers tasting event at Fort Mason in San Francisco (March 18). This was the 11th year that the Rhone Rangers , a group of about 200 American producers of wines using 22 varietals traditional to France’s Rhone Valley, have shown off their wines at this public tasting event. This year, about 138 wineries presented approximately 520 wines. During the tasting, we enthusiastically tasted as many wines as we could within the 5 hours (3 public and 2 trade/media) the event was open. We tasted 30 white wines first, and then we tasted 50 reds. We skipped the rosés, not because we don’t love them, but because we didn’t have time. Kudos to Rhone Rangers for providing eco-friendly paper spit cups instead of the plastic cups so common at other tastings. We divided our attention between wines and producers we have known previously, producers new to us, and specific bottlings we didn’t already know. While we found many wines to admire, we are sure we missed other gems.

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2022 Alban Vineyards Viognier Sarments, USA, California, Central Coast, Wine Review

Vintage:

2022

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$39.00USD

I wish I knew more about this wine. I loved it! Alban makes (not counting this), two different Viogniers. They make and estate Viognier and a Central Coast Viognier. Both are labeled as Viognier. This one is neither of those two. It carries the additional labelling as Sarments. The word means cutting or scion, so I assume these vines were propagated from other vines somewhere... Anyway, I like the Alban Estate Viognier but don't love it. I prefer Viognier more like a Condrieu which is a region making Viognier in the Rhone Valley in France. I would like to say the difference is in

2015 Denner The Dirt Worshipper, USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

Another winner from Denner. A blend of 96% Syrah, 2% Roussanne, 2% Viognier. Inky purple in color, a thin ruby rim. The nose is big and warm. Black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted meats, slight black olives. On the palate, this is delicious. Full bodied. Black raspberry fruit, roasted meats and herbs and a bit of black pepper. Lush texture. Long finish. This is easy to drink. On its own, this is perfect, however, it will continue to evolve over the next five to seven years and be more complex and food friendly. It will go well with roasts and meat casseroles.

2018 Fingers Crossed White, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

A+

This is my first time trying this producer. It is a blend of 72% Roussanne, 24% Chardonnay, and 4% Viognier. Opened and allowed to breathe for an hour prior to consuming. Delicious. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose shows some toasty oak, roasted almonds, Lemon flan, and slight wax/vanilla. Yet, for all those oak notes on the nose, it takes a back seat on the palate which has lemons, waxy lemons, and slight ginger notes. It is a big wine, but not a fruit bomb, more of a presence. Enough acidity to carry the fruit. Long finish. This is delicious on its own, but also worke

2015 Donelan Vénus, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage:

2015

Score:

Grade:

This is a white Rhone blend of grapes; Rousanne and Viognier. Golden in color. This was served at red wine temperature which for me was ideal. It really cut down on the acidity and brought out the aromatics. YMMV. The nose is really nice with candle wax, slight peach, floral notes and minerals. On the palate, this is dry and full bodied. A bit of honey nevertheless along with peach and vanilla. Lovely texture. Good finish. This worked quite well with food. There is a nice depth to this. It drinks very "red" like.

2022 Sans Liege Cotes du Coast, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

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