Aromatic Gold Country Winery: Lavender Ridge’s Rhone Blends Delight The Senses in Historic Murphy
A wave of lavender aroma greets you at the door of this California winery. Lavender Ridge pegs its name on the purple flower common in the central valley and rolling hills here.
In the Golden Hills of the Sierras Rhône blends are their game. Wine grapes imported from the south of France and grown in California’s Gold Country between 1,000 and 1,800 foot elevation make up their world.
Wine like Grenache, Roussanne, Viognier, Mourvedre, Barbera, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet. Since it is California Gold Country you need to throw in Zinfandel to the mix.
Native Yeast Fermentation and French oak barrels are part of their process. Their Salt Springs Valley estate, 25 miles south of Murphy, is Certified Organic Vineyard. Their tasting room is in Murphy.
What did we taste?
2021 Cotes Blanc (Marsanne) $24✰
2020 Viogneir $28 star+
2020 Rose (Grenache) $22 ✰+
2020 Cotes Rouge $26 ✰+
2019 Syrah (2% Viognier) $30 ✰
2019 Petite Sirah $36 ✰
Our pouring host Alex was a busy man. Not only does he pour wine and explain wine iterations, he is creating cheese samples to pair with your wine. The two complementary cheese tapas paired well with his offerings.
If you have a sensitive smell, if strong aromas are hard on your sensitivities, be warned. The lavender aroma competed with the aroma of wine. It was difficult to smell the wine nose with all that lavender flower fragrance wafting through the air.
The town of Murphy in California Gold Country rolling hills hosts 24 wine tasting rooms and is well worth a visit. You’ll find the usual stores, art galleries & hotels.
You owe it to yourself to visit this historic and beautiful area to sample their wines.
Some notes on our wine ranking system.
Bill & Erin Hodge write about California Wine, the estates & winemakers producing them and educational information about Vino. Living in California Wine Country provides a front row seat to the places you want to visit the most here in the Golden State.
– -✰ means -What’s next on your list of wines
-✰ means -Not liking it too much
✰ means -We’ll drink this wine, especially if it’s hosted!
✰+ means -You’ve got our attention and we might buy this wine.
✰+ + means -We’re hooked and we’re going to buy this wine.
When you see -✰/✰+ with a slash, it means we disagree.
