The 2011 white wines will be released Memorial Day weekend, Saturday and Monday. The 2010 Cabernets, Petit Verdot and Syrah will be released Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Monday. Quantities are small.

The full link is at http://brucecass.com/roussanne/447/

"Prominent among the grape varieties on display was Roussanne. I’d barely heard of it before. But the style was very attractive. It had the weight and length of good Chardonnay. By which I mean serious flavor and complexity in the mouth. It had the ability to age well in bottle. By which I mean the ability to develop enjoyable smells and flavors beyond those that could be found in the wine when it was young. And it had nuanced fruit and floral aromas to which no Chardonnay has ever laid claim. Finally, there was this utilitarian, root vegetable patina to the wine which spoke of noble yeomen, honest labor, and good health.

Roussanne is often blended with other grapes: Marsanne in the northern Rhône; Grenache Blanc in the south. This trick is not to demean Roussanne wine quality, it is a relatively difficult grape to grow, subject to mildew in moist summers and not very productive. The blending grapes add some complexity, but mostly they are used because they are reliable producers, and there are lots of them planted. Assume what you may as to implications for the quality of white wines from the Rhône in the future. My advice: taste each vintage before you buy any quantity to cellar.

If there is a classic dish to pair with Roussanne, I’d vote for cassoulet. No question about the dish being a classic anyway. Personally, being a Californian, I’m more likely to have some Thai soup redolent of lemon grass and loaded with coconut milk. Those elements really have got Roussanne’s number. Put a little seafood in a tomato bisque. Add lots of vegetables. Light it up with some hot sauce. Put in the coconut milk, the lemon grass, and some turmeric. Light chill on the Roussanne. Not a first course; serve as a meal with crusty bread."
 

2011 Releases

It was a difficult year. The hot dry conditions of the 2010 harvest meant that tonnage was way down on the fruit, as the grapes were small, resulting in very little white wine. After Memorial Day, some white wine may be available to our wine store and restaurant customers. Despite the small production, the quality of the 2010 whites is excellent.

The 2009 reds were harvested in cold wet conditions. At lower price points on our second label, River Village Cellars, they are very attractive. There is no Petit Verdot or Syrah from the 2009 vintage.

Ron is "very happy" with all the wines.

2010 Kinkead Ridge Viognier/Roussanne

First review, Dan McGrew

"One of the best parts of late May is the annual release of wines by wineries in southwest Ohio. Yesterday was no exception as a number of them released their wines, and among the group was Kinkead Ridge with the release of their white wines from 2010. There wasn't much of it but it was worth the drive to Ripley OH to pick up a case, especially considering that the 2009 vintage was so poor that most of the whites were on the second label and there was no Riesling at all.

The Viognier / Rousanne was distinctly different this vintage and was far and away my favorite. The last several vintages this wine were predominantly Viognier but in this vintage it was predominantly Rousanne. There was much more of a white peach and pear element to the wine and less of the orange and citrus quality. The oily viscosity was still there - this is a wine that coats the mouth. That unctuousness was balanced with great acidity and this wine had by far the longest finish of any of the white wines. For me this is the best vintage ever for this wine and maybe the best white ever from Kinkead. I liked the way it tasted and I loved the mouth feel and refreshing finish. Time will tell. 15.1% alcohol and $15.95. 124 cases produced.

By way of comparison, the 2010 vintage is 42% Viognier, the 2009 was 79% Viognier and the 2008 was 57% Viognier, with the balance being Rousanne. Those figures probably explain the difference with past vintages. Come fall it may be time for a vertical tasting on this wine since I have five vintages in the cellar."

For seven years, the federal government approved this label with the sentence "A Rhone blend of aristocratic varieties." This year we were thrown into a tizzy with our label printer when the label was rejected. They wanted it to say a "Rhone STYLE blend of aristocratic varieties." Luckily, through WineAmerica, a lobbying organization for U.S. wineries that we belong to, we were able to get a "Use Up" approved to print the labels as is this year.

May 2012 review

The wine? Very light golden color in the glass. The aromas were rich with orange peel, a touch of honeysuckle, white blossoms, and a tiny bit of lavender. The lavender was not something I was used to with this wine so I went back to sniffing four or five times with a few minutes interval between, and the nose was consistent. Very full bodied for a white wine, almost viscous in the glass. Wonderful tastes of peach and apricot and perhaps a little bit of lychee. There was a bit of fully ripe apple tastes in the wine as well. Long, dry finish that had some mineral qualities on the very end.

This is a wine that is a little bit serious and not at all shy. It more than stood up to the smoky flavors of the chicken. I really think the wine might overpower a delicate fish or bland chicken, but it certainly had a great partner with the spatchcocked chicken from the grill.
 

"Revelation is a blend of the estate's white varieties, including sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and other white varieties. To my palate there seemed to be more sauvignon blanc in the mix this vintage since I got a greater then usual impression of herbs and fresh cut grass in the glass. The wine was citrusy and had a mineral quality similar to a French white from the Savoie. The wine had an austere and crisp quality to it that I liked. 14.8% alcohol and $13.95. 67 cases produced"

Kind words from Barolo!

Ciao from Barolo,

I am just sending you a quick e-mail because while on a trip to Cincinnati to sell our wines recently, I bought a bottle of your 2010 Riesling.
... I opened it on Thursday with the cellar-masters from Marchesi di Gresy and La Spinetta in Barbaresco, and finished it yesterday with our UK importer and several other producers here in Piemonte, including Bartolo Mascarello, Mauro Mascarello, Sarotto, Cornarea, Fratelli Alessandria, Mario Fontana, La Colombera and Cascina Luisin.
The universal opinion of the wine was that it was very good - yesterday with our importer and the other producers, we tried it after a line-up of 16 Loire Valley whites, including the likes of Huet and Cotat, and your Riesling was in the same class (though quite a bit cheaper!).
Complimenti on a lovely bottle - keep up the good work!

Best wishes,

Evan Byrne.
Azienda Agricola Giovanni Rosso.

From Brian Kirby, theother46.com

"I’m fortunate to try some of the best local wines produced each year. I’m well aware, at least in most cases, several of the wines I feature are near impossible to purchase. Blame it on shipping laws, limited production or small marketing budgets, at the end of the day, most of the wines I write about are not going to make it into your glass.

This is never more evident than with Kinkead Ridge Winery. Located in Ripley, Ohio, Kinkead Ridge has garnered more awards and acclaim than most wineries from the other 46. But plagued by difficult shipping laws, low production wines and pending retirement, most will never have the opportunity to try their outstanding lineup of wines. Which is all the more reason for locals and visitors to jump on the Ohio wine trail and pay them a visit. Trust me, you’ll thank me afterwards."

"Nothing says spring like Riesling and yesterday the wine was the 2010 vintage from Kinkead Ridge here in Ohio. It was light and spring like on the nose with definite white flower and blossom aromas, a bit of crisp apple and a small hint of citrus. Fruity taste with some lime and lemon, apple and honeysuckle. Just off dry and a wonderful mouth feel. The wine ended almost dry with limestone in the finish. Perfect wine for the day and eating outside before the insects arrive for the year. The neighbor stopped by and we finished the bottle about dusk.

It was paired was with a butterflied chicken done on the grill and some pasta tossed with 2011 vintage olive oil, fresh from the garden tarragon, rosemary, thyme and spearmint which are already to a small harvesting stage. The mint and the wine were a quirky and delicious combination."

Second review: Dan McGrew

"Cool, crisp, fresh and primary also describes the 2010 Kinkead Ridge Ohio River Valley Riesling we had with dinner Thursday night. When this wine was released back in May it had just been bottled and seemed loose and light. Four months bottle age helped this wine. Now it is definitely focused and the Riesling flavors are coming to the front. This wine had a very linear taste - most of the flavor seems to run down the center of the tongue while the sides pick up the acidity. Very good with two grilled Kurabota pork, rib chops. One was cooked with minimal seasoning of salt and pepper and the other had some added paprika and once it was flipped on the grill the top was coated with a mango chutney. Hard to choose between the two chops but the wine was great with both."

First review: Dan McGrew

"The Kinkead Riesling is usually my favorite white from this winery, but not this year. The wine was very reserved and not forthcoming with much in the nose. After some swirling there was a floral bouquet that began to peek out. Light and crisp on the tongue the apple tastes were dominant but balanced by a little residual sugar, 1.2%. I liked the wine, but this year it wasn't my favorite. Considering it has only been in the bottle for only a week or so I will put mine away for six months and try it again this autumn. 11.8% alcohol and $11.95. 82 cases produced."

Nancy's comment: Some people liked this wine the best! Different tastes for different folks!
 

Not entered into any competitions due to small quantities and lighter style.

The 2009 vintage in this area, southwest Ohio, was miserable from a weather standpoint. It was wet and cold and basically a washout. Still there were grapes and if there are grapes there must be wine. There was.

There was a pan roasted rib eye steak the other night so I grabbed a 2009 River Village Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the second label for one of my favorite wineries, Kinkead Ridge. The year's entire production of red wines was moved off the primary label and bottled under this second label and sold at a more than reasonable price.

Nice cherry flavors with some earth notes underneath it, and surprisingly it was dry earth and not the wet mud that dominated much of the harvest. There was a small suggestion of darker fruit, but this primarily stayed on the red end of things. Unmistakably Cabernet, but definitely on the light side.

Good wine with the steak, and there was no sauce or heavy seasoning on the meat, just a simple steak and a simple wine to go with it. Nothing wrong with that, and at the price a good buy.

Not entered into any competitions due to small quantities and lighter style.

Review of 2009 Cabernet Franc by Angela, wine-girl.net. As with our other wines, this wine has improved in the bottle with age, it was bottled in May of 2008.

"A Local Winery that Produces Some of the Best Cabernet Franc

I tasted the Kinkead Ridge Estate River Village Cellars Estate Bottled Cabernet Franc again. I love this winery, it's located in Ripley Ohio and their wine towers over so many California wines. The 2008 Cabernet Franc won the Jefferson Cup Invitational in which 600 wines entered and only 20 wines won in 5 different categories. Click here to view their other awards

The Cabernet Franc grape is usually blended with other red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. It's lighter than the Cabernet Sauvignon and more peppery. River Village Cellars Cabernet Franc is 100% Cabernet Franc. Tastes of cherry, raisin, and oak fills the pallet with medium tannins. The grapes were cold-soaked and fermented in small bins aged in American and French oak barrels. A great wine that goes with beef, stews, red sauce pastas, and pork."
 

There were no Kinkead Ridge red wines from 2009. All are second label. There is no Petit Verdot and no Syrah.
Thanks to Mother Nature.