CleverRoot

6 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t Pushing the Envelope with Rhône Valley Vineyards This year Rhône Valley Vineyards organized "Wine O'Clock" experiences around the U.S., tastings built around a casino theme and with the pur- pose of showcasing their wines as modern, fun and entertaining. One of their stops was San Francisco for "Pairing with Purpose," where a group of sommeliers and wine retailers from the Bay Area recently explored the intricacies of how Rhône wines work with American cuisine at Salt House. Star Chef Evan Gotanda crafted flavorful courses designed to push the envelope with the Rhône Valley AOC selections chosen by gifted Wine and Spirits Director Haley Guild Moore. The Clever Root's Deputy Editor and Advanced Sommelier Allyson Gorsuch and Rhône Ambassador Eileen Fabunan also joined in the discussion and pairings. During her introduction to the hosts, Gorsuch said she has been very impressed with the progression of the high-quality wines from Côtes du Rhône-Villages, as well as the producers from the 20 selected villages that can include their names on the label. "It's very nice to see attention to de- tail and how producers in these small communities are raising the quality of wines being made in the valley as a whole," Gorsuch added. To prime our palates, the reception featured crudités and charcuterie paired with a selection of red and white wines. The whites included the Côtes du Rhône of Ferraton Père et Fils 2016 Samorëns and Ogier 2015 Artesis, as well as the graceful Michel Gassier 2014 Nostre Païs from the Costières de Nîmes AOC near the Mediterranean. We enjoyed the daz- zling Château d'Aqueria 2016 Rosé from Tavel AOC—a Côtes du Rhône Cru—and the reds consisted of Domaine Grosset 2014 Côtes du Rhône- Villages Cairanne, Château de Bord 2014 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Lau- dun and Les Dauphins 2014 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Puyméras—each a beautiful expression of its individual village. As a featured white wine paired with the first course, a great example of this style is the Domaine de Montine 2016 Viognier, a bright and expressive wine made with fruit grown in Grignan-les-Adhémar AOC in the northern sector of the Southern Rhône. The second wine was from the Saint-Péray AOC: Jean-Luc Columbo 2015 La Belle de Mai, which is a modern-style blend of Marsanne and Roussanne with fragrant aromas and soft, elegant flavors of fresh melon, pear, citrus, white truffle, vibrant acid- ity and a kiss of oak. To play on the texture of these two wines, the first course featured pan-seared scallops, fresh peach and apricot, grilled little gems with creamy avocado dressing, baby corn and chicories. Regarding her choices, Moore said, "Rhône whites are some of my favorites to work with. On one hand, they are textured, balanced and weighty, but there are also plenty of other examples that are more focused on delicate flavors and lingering acidity." When the course finished, Wilfred Wong, Chief Storyteller at Wine.com, said he enjoyed how the lively flavors and vibrant acidity in the Jean-Luc Colombo blend paired with the plate as a whole; Gorsuch, meanwhile, was particularly intrigued by how the Viognier helped lift the salty or briny component of the scallops. For the second course, the focus shifted to two Grenache-based red wines from the Côtes du Rhône, where grapes can be grown anywhere around the 171 villages located within its borders. Gotanda's dish featured a heritage chicken breast garnered with herbes de Provence, roasted strawberry sauce, fennel and potato terrine. When completing the course, the guests agreed they liked the way the soft notes of ripe plum and strawberry in the Ferraton Père et Fils 2014 Samorëns (a blend of Grenache and smaller portions of Syrah and Cinsault) brought out the herbal accents of the dish. Others (myself included) commented on how the balanced attack of dark fruits and mineral and savory spices in the Ogier 2015 Artesis (60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Mourvè- dre) matched perfectly with the sauce-dipped chicken. Lamb saddle, the main course, was paired with wines from opposite The dynamic duo: Chef Evan Gotanda at Salt House in San Francisco and Haley Guild Moore, Wine and Spirits Director at Stock & Bones. "Pairing is 70 percent of what I do," said luncheon attendee and Rhône Valley fan Erika Szot, Beverage Director at Chez TJ in Mountain View, CA. Magician Ryan Kane, who provided entertainment during the reception, with wine specialists Marie Mertz of Elk Grove's Todo Un Poco restaurant and Karine Adolphe of Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco.

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