Pesquera, McCrea and La Chapelle

[bills]

Notes from a dinner with friends while on a wine buying expedition:

1996 Pesquera – this crianza was showing quite well, with slightly funky cherry vanilla nose, good concentration and the tannins still slightly on the firm side. No rush. I have enjoyed the 94,95, and 96 vintages of this wine – all are continuing to drink well.

2003 McCrea Sirocco – from Washington, this Rhone blend is 55% Grenache, 27% syrah, 14% mourvedre and 4% counoise. The Grenache comes through in the nose, and it is fairly ripe but not to the degree that you’d be thinking of Australia if you were tasting it blind. In fact it does a better job of emulating a Rhone than many Californian Rhone blends do. Good length and the fruit enjoyable but not too sweet nor over the top. I much prefer this to Cigar Volante, for instance.

1982 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle – this one is an old friend – I split a case with my host on release and we have been drinking it back and forth for the last 20 years – his cellar is warmer than mine, so it has been interesting to note differences. My last tasting was a year ago when my friend also opened it (I brought an 82 La Lagune). Edges were browning a bit, medium garnet colour, warm slightly sweet nose with earth, soy and coffee notes, tannins now soft, smooth and long. All that a mature Rhone should be!

[Rebel Rose]

I really like Doug McCrea's stuff. It's very clean but layered. And I'm not a fan of Cigare anymore--it tastes too artificially smoky for me. (But I used to love it, back when I was first introduced to Rhones.)

In fact it does a better job of emulating a Rhone than many Californian Rhone blends do.

Do you think that California Rhones should emulate a French Rhone? Perhaps this is something we could follow more in the terroir thread. We do frequently encounter the theory that a Rhone is a Rhone is a Rhone--or should be.

But local producers here generally refer to "Rhones" as a historically established origin, and not necessarily a definition of style and flavor. We ask our grapes to offer up the best of their genetic makeup but also their individual personality. In fact, the Quality Alliance established with local vintners and growers has regular monthly tastings (except during harvest) where we taste through samples of a single varietal and ask ourselves Does this taste varietally correct? and Does this taste like Paso Robles?

[mikeycook]

Do you think that California Rhones should emulate a French Rhone? 

This is an excellent point. I am of the opinion that the term "Rhone" should be eliminated except in cases where it refers to French wines of the Rhone Valley. I can certainly understand why the phrase "Rhone Rangers" was necessary when Syrah was a virtually unknown grape in the U.S. and California vintners needed to raise awareness of what they were making, but I think it has outlived its usefulness. We don't refer to California Cabs and Merlot as California Bordeaux and we don't refer to Pinot Noir as California Burgundy.

In fact, the use of the term "Rhone" wines does a disservice, even when referring to Rhone Valley wines. If someone has Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a restaurant and then goes into their local wine store asking for a Rhone wine, if they get a Cotes-du-Rhone or Crozes-Hermitage they will likely be disappointed that it doesn't taste much like the restaurant wine and may not know why.

[Rebel Rose]

I agree, it's sloppy reference on our, the American wine industry's, part. It's a "quick reference." Perhaps it is a practice we should drop?

But as in any field, when marketing our product, we need to convey as much as possible in as few words as possible, so telling a restaurateur, for example, that the "Bone Blend" is a Rhone blend with a dog on the label works in a 30-second, hello, howareya, buymywine presentation. It is indeed a disservice to the French regions, and American consumers alike.

But what would you call a California or Paso Robles syrah~mourvedre~grenache blend? P.Rone? Calzone?

[KatieLoeb]

But what would you call a California or Paso Robles syrah~mourvedre~grenache blend? P.Rone? Calzone?

Cal-GSM?? Cal-SMG? Califragilistic?