Seminars

Seminars


Many minds and bottles of wine go into our seminars to keep them on the forefront of Rhône thinking.  Each presents a focused educational opportunity led by producers and moderators striving to broaden knowledge of international Rhône wine, and offer memorable tasting experiences.

Get your seat at all four seminars with a Weekend Pass, not sold individually.

Please note, seminars will be indoor seating, three people per table, 315 people total capacity plus presenters. Capacity has been reduced by 50 seats to allow for more spacing between rows and wider walkways. 

Seminar One | Cave de Tain: A Magical Assemblage
Friday, April 22, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Cave de Tain, the esteemed wine cooperative of Tain l'Hermitage, France has been producing wines in the Northern Rhône for over 85 years.  David Quillin will guide us through their Hermitage Appellation offerings, focusing on the Hermitage Gambert de Loche 2015. In a fascinating dissection of the final blend, we will taste through the wines from the six individual Hermitage Appellation plots used to create the final Hermitage Gambert de Loche 2015 vintage, gaining a nuanced understanding of the numerous differences in terroir on the Hermitage hillside. A true discovery of each individual plot, concluded with a tasting of the magical assemblage - Hermitage Gambert de Loche 2015.

Ambassador:
David Quillin, Cave de Tain

Moderator:
Kelly McAuliffe, Sommelier

Wines:

  1. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Thouet (plot) 2015
  2. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Torras (plot) 2015
  3. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Coteau Puits Gambert (plot) 2015
  4. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Meal (plot) 2015
  5. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Granit (plot) 2015
  6. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Hermite (plot) 2015
  7. Cave de Tain, Hermitage Gambert de Loche 2015

     


Seminar Two | Horsepower Vineyards: The Hoofbeat of Tradition
Friday, April 22, 2022 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

In 1997, vigneron Christophe Baron launched Cayuse Vineyards by planting the first vineyard in the stones of the ancient Walla Walla River bed. In 2011, Christophe created Horsepower Vineyards, focusing on high density vineyards cultivated by draft horses. Currently, Horsepower Vineyards creates five wines with a production of 2,300 cases. Moderator Jeb Dunnuck will explore the terroir and wines from this truly one-of-a-kind estate.

Producers:
Christophe Baron, Vigneron, Horsepower Vineyards, Bionic Wines
Elizabeth Bourcier, Resident Vigneronne, Horsepower Vineyards, Bionic Wines

Moderator:
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

Seminar Three | Ventoux, red hot cause it's cool
Saturday, April 23, 2022 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

The Ventoux AOC region in the Southern Rhone has been in the spotlight lately: its cooler climate, making a fresher style of wines, has made this area particularly well prepared against climate change. High-altitude enclaves yielding bright mountain fruit is attracting winemaking talent from very diverse backgrounds to uncover a patchwork of exciting micro-terroirs in the valley, while inspiring new generations of local growers to rediscover their potential and go for gold. Five of the benchmark estates of the Appellation will be presenting their wines to showcase some of the quality and diversity of this remarkable region whose star is rising.

Producers: 
Mathieu Rabin, Château Juvenal
Frédéric Chaudière, Château Pesquié 
Nicole Sierra-Rolet, Chêne Bleu
Simon Chiuppi, Domaine de Fondrèche
Kelly McAuliffe, Saint Jean du Barroux

 Moderator:
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com
 

Seminar Four | Syrah to Rock the World: The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
Saturday, April 23, 2022 | 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

The basalt stones of The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater in the Walla Walla Valley form one of the most distinctive viticultural regions in the world. It has quickly become a pre-eminent growing area for Rhône varieties. This engaging session will dig into Syrah of The Rocks District and consider the question of site versus style, while looking at the region's unique growing conditions, hallmark producers, and evolving farming practices.

Producers:
Todd Alexander, Force Majeure and PÁŠXA
Sean Boyd, Rôtie Cellars
Devyani Isabel Gupta, Valdemar Estates
Billo Naravane MW, Rasa Vineyards
Steve Robertson, Delmas

Moderator:
Elaine Chukan Brown, Executive Editor US, Jancis Robinson