We tried these wines at Pig+Fig last week:
1. RhonedonneeWines Trailside Flowers WW WillowCreekDist (13.0%; 100% Roussanne; www.RhonedonneeWines.com) Rhonedannee/SanLuisObispo 2023: Med.light gold color; very fragrant Rouss/floral/honeysuckle slight herbal/chalky/hay mow some Alpine flowers quite lovely nose; bit soft quite rich/lush/mouthfilling strong floral/Rouss/honeysuckle/honeyed huge fruit lovely Rouss flavor; very long rich Rouss finish that tracks flavor; fairly intense w/ loads of Rouss fruit; maybe a bit monochromatic but should do well w/ some 2-6 yrs yet; one of the best Paso Roussannes I can recall. $40.00
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2. RhonedonneeWines TrailSecret Mourvedre AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (15.1%) 2019: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; very strong plummy/Mourv/licorice bit ripe/PR jammy light earthy bit alcoholic classic PR Mourv nose; soft bit PR/jammy very strong Mourv/plummy/licorice bit dusty/OV huge Mourv nose; soft slight PR/jammy intense Mourv/plummy/licorice bit dusty/OV classic PR/Mourv flavor w/ light soft tannins; very long finish tracks the flavor; loads of ripe PR Mourv fruit. $50.00
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3. RhonedonneeWines TrailSecret Mourvedre AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (14.7%) 2020: Very dark color; bit less intense strong plummy/licorice bit more subtle/quieter nose; very strong plummy/Mourv bit more subtle/quieter bit alcoholic flavor w/ light ripe tannins; very much like the '19 but a bit more subtle & quiet. $50.00
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4. RhonedonneeWines TrailSecret Mourvedre AdelaidaDist/PasoRobles (14.9%) 2021: Very dark color; nose very much like the '20 w/ slight pencilly/oak but a bit more complex nose; bit softer more lush/rich bit more balanced not quite as intense classic PR/Mourv flavor w/ light ripe tannins; quite a lovely PR Mourv. $60.00
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5. RhonedonneeWines NightRide Syrah EdnaVlly/SLOCnty (14.6%) 2020: Very dark color; strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah bit peppery/c-c light toasty/pencilly/oak some complex fairly classic EV Syrah; rather tart/tangy very strong c-c/black pepper very strong blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/spicy light toasty/oak structured some complex flavor w/ modest brisk tannins; very long/lingering finish that track flavor w/ some lightly chewey tannins; a pretty classic structured EV/c-c/peppery Syrah; reminds a lot of the Darren Delmore EV Syrahs; quite a good example of EV Syrah not in the remotest like an Alban. $60.00
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6. RhonedonneeWines NightRide Syrah EdnaVlly/SLOCnty (13.9%) 2021: Very dark color; much the same c-c/EV Syrah nose but not quite as spicy or intense; very much the same flavor but a bit softer/quieter less spicy flavor; very structured & a classic example of an EV Syrah. $60.00
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More dribbleskip from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Rhonedonnee Wines is a new wnry in San Luis Obispo (www.RhoneDonneeWines.com), sorta a stealth winery. Owned By Aaron Guerrero and Kirsten Thom. I stumbled across them when they showed at a recent Garagiste Festival. They specialize in Rhone style wines from the Central Coast. So I ordered a mixed half case to give their wines a test drive.
I was fairly impressed by the four PR wines. The Rouss was one of the better ones I've had. Of the Mourvs, I slightly preferred the two younger ones. They reminded me a lot of the Saxum Mourvs but not quite as over the top & overripe. But loaded w/ pure Mourv fruit.
Of these 6 wines, I much preferred the EV Syrahs. Both were very structured & will benefit from 3-8 yrs of age.
Overall, I was pretty impressed by these Rhonedonnee wines. Jeez....another Rhone producer I have to keep track of. I look forward to trying more of the Rhonedonnee wines down the road. Definitely a producer to keep your eye on.
Tom