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RAEN, “The Monarch Challenge” Rosé

California, United States 2017 (750mL)
$34.00
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SommSelect

RAEN, “The Monarch Challenge” Rosé

Nothing destroys a beautiful vineyard vista like the sight of someone in a ‘hazmat’ suit, spraying chemicals between the rows. It’s usually the herbicide Roundup being sprayed, and it’s not just wine grapes that feel the effects—herbicides have found their way into every food crop imaginable and are probable carcinogens.
Today’s wine, produced by Carlo and Dante Mondavi’s RAEN Winery and bottled under the imprimatur of The Monarch Challenge, is a rosé with an important distinction: It is the first wine in a series whose proceeds fund a new initiative to eliminate herbicides in vineyards (and other farm applications). Founded by the Mondavis and other like-minded growers, winemakers, and scientists, The Monarch Challenge is named for the Monarch butterfly, whose numbers have diminished by 90%, said to be due to the introduction of Roundup in 1974. It may go without saying that The Monarch Challenge is wholeheartedly embraced by all of us at SommSelect, and we’re proud to participate in the effort by offering this wine to our audience: Chemicals like Roundup’s glyphosate contaminate the food and liquids we drink, endanger pollinating insects, and denigrate subsoils and rivers. In short, glyphosate needs to go, and The Monarch Challenge is devoted to creating workable alternatives and educating those who use them about the harm it causes. Help us help them by drinking some of this delicious rosé—all net proceeds go to the initiative.
As most SommSelect subscribers are likely aware, we have followed RAEN since its inaugural vintage a few years ago, not just because Carlo and Dante Mondavi are friends but because the Sonoma Coast vineyards they’ve assembled—and the wines they’ve produced—have established RAEN as a Pinot Noir player to be reckoned with. What is also clear is that the Mondavi brothers are not just talking the sustainability talk (RAEN stands for ‘Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally’) but walking the walk—not only in their own practices but, through The Monarch Challenge, their efforts to educate others on the dangers of chemical farming. 
 
“First, I want to note that there are very few food crops that escape the treatment of herbicides these days,” says Carlo Mondavi. “From corn and soy to wheat just before harvest, almonds, apples, lettuce, lemons…the list goes on. Ideally none of these crops would be sprayed and the goal [of the Monarch Challenge] is to change what we do and elevate Napa and Sonoma as leaders in the global farming community.”
 
What’s also notable about The Monarch Challenge is that it makes a concerted effort not to be preachy—California’s farming costs are already exorbitant compared to those of other wine-producing regions of the world; Carlo is cognizant of the cost savings inherent in chemical farming and the reluctance to change because of it. The success of The Monarch Challenge will be determined largely by its ability to demonstrate that alternatives are not merely beneficial to public health but financially viable. “I don’t want anyone telling me what I can and can’t do with my land and I sure as hell don’t want to tell other people what to do with theirs,” Carlo continues. “But once people know what these herbicides have been linked to, they will not only walk away motivated to change but also to spread the word. It all starts with education. Teaching farmers why we need to change and actually giving them tools to change is what the funds raised from this bottle will go towards.”
 
And the wine? Well, it’d be hard to find a better time of year to have some of this 2017 on hand. It is an assemblage of Sangiovese from Mendocino; Grenache Blanc from Russian River; and Pinot Noir from RAEN’s Occidental vineyard, made in a fresh, lively ‘direct-press’ style (as opposed to saignée, where some juice is ‘bled off’ at the start of a red wine fermentation). It is crisp, nervy, and substantially textured at the same time, designed for immediate consumption at 45-50 degrees alongside the best—and, hopefully, organically farmed—summer produce from your local farmer’s market. Now is the perfect time to assemble a classic panzanella and this wine is the ideal partner. Nothing like drinking well and doing good at the same time! Cheers!
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Country
United States
Region
California
Sub-Region
United StatesSonoma Coast
Soil
Sandy Loam
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Sangiovese, Grenache Blanc, & Pinot Noir
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
None
TEMP.
45-50
Glassware
All-Purpose Whites
Drinking
Now
Pairing
Panzanella

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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