André Simon Awards: ‘American Rhône’

The following extract is taken from ‘American Rhône: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink‘ by Patrick Comiskey. Published by UC Press it is one of the books shortlisted in this year’s André Simon Awards.

Several of the early Rhône-variety wine producers report on the powerful draw of Chez Panisse, Kermit Lynch’s retail shop, and the whole of Berkeley’s food and wine scene. John Buechsenstein, Randall Grahm, Bob Lindquist (and his non-Rhône oriented colleague Jim Clendenen), Steve Edmunds, Adam Tolmach, and Bill Easton, all spent formative years living in or visiting Berkeley, making regular visits to Waters’s restaurant and Lynch’s wine shop, collecting mixed cases of southern French wines, dreaming of making their own wines one day.

As the Rhône movement started to take shape, Chez Panisse and Chez Panisse Café were eager and generous supporters of its early efforts. Panisse was one of the first restaurants to sell the wines of Joseph Phelps, including its Syrah, and was an early supporter of the wines of Qupé. In fact Steve Edmunds, by now a friend of Kermit Lynch, had his first taste of an American Rhône wine, Qupé’s Central Coast Syrah, at Chez Panisse—it was this very wine that proved to him that Rhône varieties were worth a taking a chance on in California—he founded his winery the following year.

Lynch meanwhile, became a sideline cheerleader for domestic versions of the varieties and blends he’d introduced into the American market. Bob Lindquist recalls an early encounter with Lynch and his friend and drinking buddy, the winemaker Joseph Swan, who was waiting for Lynch to close up shop so they could go to dinner at Chez Panisse. Lindquist remembers Lynch practically cornering him, fervently holding forth on the virtues of these as yet untested Rhône varieties. Lynch regularly set up meetings with his producers and these fledgling winemakers during the formative years, either in France on their home turf or when his producers made sales visits to the states.

As for Mourvèdre, it got its star turn at table at Chez Panisse as well. Old Mourvèdre vineyards were revived in Oakley, on the San Joaquin river delta east of San Francisco, on the strength of demand from new producers, which saved them from being ripped out. Waters noted this in her foreword to Olney’s 1994 cookbook, chronicle, and memoir, Lulu’s Provencal Table:

“Because of his enthusiastic promotion of Bandol and the influence of its flavors, a new generation of talented wine makers in California has planted many new vineyards of Mourvèdre (the grape that is the essence of Bandol) and are also happily harvesting fruit from recently rediscovered venerably plantings of Mataro (the state’s legal name for Mourvèdre). I think this is as exciting a change in direction for California wine making as the shift to Cabernet and Chardonnay was a generation ago, and not only because these wines go so well with the kind of simple, garlicky food I love to cook at Chez Panisse.”

In 1987, Kermit Lynch arranged a meeting between newly bonded Rhône-variety producer (and Berkeley resident) Steve Edmunds, of Edmunds St. John Winery, and Francois Peyraud, son of Lucien and Lulu and winemaker at Domaine Tempier. Edmunds had made some older-vine Mourvèdre from Brandlin Ranch that he was really happy with and wanted Peyraud to try. Peyraud tasted a number of wines before the Mourvèdre and Edmunds remembers him politely tasting his wines but not betraying much excitement—until he was poured the Mourvèdre.

“When he got to the Mourvèdre,” says Edmunds, “he stuck his nose in the glass, and he absolutely just stopped and stood there, for about two minutes. And then very slowly he lowered the glass and his head came up and his eyes rolled back and he took this deep breath and he said, “La terre parle.”2

One could hardly imagine a more heartfelt or meaningful validation for an American producer. And it meant that the Rhône movement, guided by broader influences that reached across oceans to France and traced back decades, was on an unstoppable path.

The André Simon Awards were founded in 1978 to recognise the achievements of food and drink writers. It is the longest running award of its kind. Previous winners have included: Elizabeth David and Rosemary Hume (the very first winners), Michel Roux, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Nigel Slater and Rick Stein. Last year’s drinks book winner was Suzanne Mustachich for ‘Thirsty Dragon’. The awards website can be found here.