CA Rhône Whites Equal Summer Delights:

Did you know that California has almost 90k acres of Chardonnay– the most popular white wine in the world? Coming in second is Sauvignon blanc with less than 17k acres. What about white grapes originally from the Rhône region of France planted in California? Not so many! There’s only 2.5k acres of Viognier, 620 acres of Grenache blanc, and 150 acres of Vermentino grown in California according to the California Wine Institute. If you add in miscellaneous rows of Rhône white grapes, it’s unlikely that there’s much more than 4k total. No surprise Americans are more familiar with Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc than Viognier and other white grapes from the Rhône region– an area of southern France where red grapes like Syrah and Grenache are better known and more widely grown (stay tuned and subscribe for Grenache Day in September!)

One winery has taken the lead with white Rhône grapes: biodynamic and ROC Tablas Creek in Paso Robles (see below). Long ago Tablas Creek partnered with Chateau Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley of France, and cuttings of these and lesser known grape vine cuttings have made the leap across the pond to land on our shores to be planted in the verdant hills of Tablas Creek where they have found a ready audience for more obscure wines. Acquiesce in Lodi ONLY makes white rhone wines and is getting recognition for doing it well (read more here and here ); they too are getting cuttings and advice from Beaucastel and Tablas.   Ballard Canyon AVA in Santa Barbara is also well known for their Syrah and other Rhones, with Rousanne and other whites planted too and made available for purchase by winemakers like Dusty Nabor in Camarillo.

Viognier, the most planted Rhone in California, is being grown in more places including Santa Barbara County, and being made into wines by Four Brix as well as our Ventura County Viognier Day featured wineries The Ojai Vineyard and Wildflower Winery; read about them here. 

Totally Local Ventura County Farm to Fork dinner in downtown Ventura featured Four Brix Viognier

The Four Brix Viognier isn’t released yet but we enjoyed an early tasting at the Totally Local Ventura County Farm to Fork dinner in downtown Ventura a few weeks ago. I volunteered to pour wine and it was really fun to see how enthusiastic so many people were about it (realize how close Chardonnay and viognier sound at a party…). Four Brix owner Karen is the red head in the right hand side in the middle of the long table where everyone sat. In fact it was this positive reception to this Four Brix viognier that inspired us to feature three California white Rhône Wines alongside three Rhône Valley Vineyards white wines; read about that here.  We also have two Rhone wines from Demetria and Roark coming soon!

All three wines come from the central coast; two come from grapes grown in Santa Barbara County, about an hour away from where they are made in Ventura County, and the third is grown biodynamically and made at Tablas Creek. 

Three Central California White Rhône Wines and pairings

Three Central California White Rhône Wines

• 2023 Four Brix Viognier, Sanger Vineyard, Santa Barbara  
• 2021 Bolt To Roussane, Ballard Canyon AVA, Santa Barbara 
• 2019 Tablas Creek “Esprit Blanc de Tablas”, Adelaida District, Paso Robles

Menu for California White Rhône Wines

• chipotle deviled eggs 
• anchovy fritter Caesar salad 
• California black cod (aka sable fish) with capers, lemon, butter
• organic Italian lemon Torchietti pasta with organic zucchini

2023 Four Brix Viognier, Sanger Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

2023 Four Brix Viognier, Sanger Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

ABV: 13.6%
SRP: not released yet but will be under $35
Grapes: Viognier
sample for my review 

This Viognier is grown conventionally, and they produce less than 200 cases, so very small production, from a winery that is overall focused on small production, sometimes as small as 25 cases! Located in Ventura’s warehouse district, they regularly offer special events and music on the weekends. 

This wine will be part of their fall wine club shipment and available then online and at the tasting room– just in time for Thanksgiving! It would pair well with turkey and various salads and sides as well as aperitif.

• Read more about Four Brix on their website here.
• Read what we’ve written about Four Brix and other local wineries here.
• Read about their Scosso Italian blend here.
• Four Brix also produces Pier City Cider which we wrote about here.

Appearance:  Very pale straw, platinum rim

Aroma: Banana, sweet tropical fruit, the coconut of Hawaiian tropics suntan lotion, lemon curd, vanilla. 

Palate: Tart lemon, lemon phosphate, Eureka lemon, bright acidity, lemon verbena, lemon curd and vanilla on the finish, like a lemon pastry, citrus blossom, elderflower. 

Pairing: Works nicely with the chipotle mayo deviled eggs as the viognier likes the kick from the chipotle. The bright fresh Viognier contrasts nicely with the richness in the salad; the anchovy fritters are also quite fun with the wine. The bright lemon flavors in the pasta bring out a nice rich lemon flavor in the wine. Perfect with the black cod dish again loving the rich salty flavor of the dish with its capers, butter, and lemon.

2021 Bolt To Roussane, Ballard Canyon AVA, Santa Barbara 

ABV: 14%
SRP: $30
Grapes: Roussanne
purchased at a discount 

Camarillo based winemaker Dusty Nabor often gets access to super premium organically grown fruit from Santa Barbara and Paso Robles — but he’s not always allowed to say publicly  exactly which vineyard! The beautiful label is by Sara Rowley. Read about Dusty’s Pinot Noir here.

Appearance:  Golden, daffodil, pale straw rim, very clear in the glass, glows like sunlight 

Aroma: Ocean breeze, rose geranium, nutmeg, creekside, honeysuckle, citrus blossom, there is a lot going on, we had a hard time putting our finger on every nuance 

Palate: White sage, bright tart Eureka lemon, lemon phosphate, fennel finish, there is a coolness throughout the palate, nice refreshing wine

Pairing: Both the tart lemon in the black cod dish and the wine are exceptional together, the lemon pasta is perfect with the wine as well, simple and elegant together, we were very pleased with the salad and the fritters paired with the wine, with the deviled eggs the wine accentuates the richness of the egg and is enhanced by the smoked paprika on top. 

2019 Tablas Creek “Esprit Blanc de Tablas” Adelaida District, Paso Robles

ABV: text 13%
SRP: 2019 $65; sold out  
Grapes: 64% Rousanne, 20% Grenache Blanc, 14% Picpoul Blanc, 3% Picardan  
This bottle was a gift from someone who knows me well! Read about the 2018 here.

Tablas Creek is the GOAT when it comes to California Rhone region wines. Read about my recent visit there.

Appearance:  Bright lemon yellow, golden, platinum rim, very clear and bright in the glass,

Aroma: Chamomile, meadow, lemon, warm earth, chaparral, creekside, definitely a sense of place concentrated  in the glass 

Palate: Richness due to time in the bottle, salinity, lemon, nectarine, vanilla, eucalyptus, sage, minty lemony,  freshness,  cucumber, the finish is almost zingy and clean, in just a few sips the wine evolves in the glass, 

Pairing: The deviled egg brings out a rich sweetness in both the dish and the wine, great with the Cesar salad bringing out a nice pepper quality in the dish, the wine intensifies the flavors in the salad, and the dish intensifies the flavors in the wine, the pasta and the wine together are a solid summer pairing, just yum with the black cod dish, not only do the flavors match but there is a matching richness in the mouthfeel of the food and the wine.