|
Copyright
Evans-Walls 2006.
Tonya,
Iris Rideau, and Russel
in
the Rideau Tasting Room |
It
is with great pleasure that we feature Rideau Vineyard, owned by
Iris Rideau, in conjunction with the official launch of
JoyoftheTable.com. Prior to our trip to the central coast in August,
our friend and noted sommelier and chef Tony Lawrence, gave us our
marching orders while visiting Solvang which included a must-stop at
Rideau, one of the few African-American owned vineyards in the area,
and indeed the country.
When
we arrived as asked to meet Iris and she just happened to be on
property preparing for a meeting with her wine maker, Andrés
Ibarra.
She
graciously took time out from her busy schedule to speak with us and
we became instantly enamored with her grace, elegance and charm. Her
wines exude the same characteristics. We have a case + to prove our
heads over heels experience with Rideau Wines.
|
|
Courtesy
of Rideauvineyard.com
Copyright
2006 Evans-Walls
Copyright
2006 Evans-Walls |
IRIS, A RISING STAR IN THE WINE WORLD
When
Iris Rideau purchased what is now known as Rideau Vineyard in Santa
Barbara County’s wine country in 1989, she had no intention of
going into the wine making business. After all, she was a successful
Los Angeles entrepreneur who had just sold the Insurance Agency and
Securities Firm she had founded in 1967 and thought she was headed
toward retirement. But in 1997 Rideau Vineyard, opened for business.
The 3200 square foot winery sits adjacent to the elegantly restored
adobe farmhouse, which serves as the tasting room facility.
With
little knowledge of wine making, Iris set out on a predestined path
to learn the business from the grown up (literally), to grow
exceptional fruit, and to use painstakingly complex practices to
produce world-class wines. By 1998 Rideau was fully established with
13 acres of all Rhone Varieties (Syrah, Viognier, Grenache Noir,
Mourvedre, and Roussanne).
Rideau's
1997 & 1998 Syrahs have both won high scores from Wine Spectator
Magazine. Since then, over 90 percent of Rideau wines have won
Medals, including a Chairman’s Best of Class for their
Tempranillo, and Best of Show in the New Orleans Wine Competition for
the Chateau Duplantier Cuvee, a Syrah blend.
Grapes
are hand-harvested in whole clusters and bottling and labeling is
performed on the premises three to four times a year to produce 6500
cases annually. The grounds are immaculate and well-tended, with lush
lawns and a scenic picnic area.
|
|
Copyright
2006 Evans-Walls |
THE
WINES
When
we arrived we were greeted by Herman, a cheerful
tasting room attendant, who immediately started to recite the
amazing history of Rideau as he provided us with glasses and tasting
sheets. The
New Release Bar tasting is $10 per person and the Reserve Bar
Tasting is $15 per person. Tastings include a logo glass that is
worthy of accompanying your fine china.
The
New Release tasting included:
The
Reserve Release tasting included:
Not
available for tasting, but for sale:
MUST-BUY
WINES
Usually
in our reviews we will mention one or two (maybe three) wines that
we loved and highly recommend at a particular winery. That is not the
case at Rideau because we fell in love with virtually every offering
on both tasting lists. Trust us. This wine is the real deal. So the
list below notes merely the "must-have today" wines,
because every last wine was not just quaffable but darned near
orgasmic. At some point in every wine lover's wine appreciation life,
they have a "moment" when they finally understand the
beauty of wine. We had such an experience at Rideau.
-
2004
Sangiovese
- 2004
IC Petite Syrah
- 2005
Estate Viognier
- 2004
Reserve Chardonnay
- 2004
Pinot Noir
- 2003
IC Estate Syrah
- 2003
Lagniappe
Order
at www.RideauVineyard.com. |
