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[[File:Wine Spectator 1989-04-15 cover - The Rhône Ranger.jpg|thumb|upright|The term "Rhône Ranger" was coined by ''The Wine Spectator'' in their April 15, 1989 issue for winemaker [[Randall Grahm]].]]
The '''Rhone Rangers''' are a group of [[American wine]]makers who promote the use of [[grape]] varieties from the [[Rhône wine|Rhône Valley]]. They are mostly based on the West Coast, particularly [[California wine|California]], and have created a [[not-for-profit organization]] for the promotion of [[wine]]s containing at least 75% of the 22 Rhône [[List of grape varieties|grape varieties]]. The name is a pun on ''[[The Lone Ranger]]'', and was coined by ''[[Wine Spectator]]'' to describe [[Randall Grahm]] for their 1989 April 15 issue, which featured Grahm dressed as the Lone Ranger under the title "The Rhône Ranger" (singular). The name was subsequently used for other winemakers.
Originally formed in the 1980s, without the name and with no formal structure or organization, the group disbanded in the early 1990s. It was revived again in the late 1990s and is considered a catalyst in making [[Syrah]] more prevalent in [[California wine|Californian wine]]. The structure is loosely based on that of the [[Zinfandel Advocates and Producers|ZAP]], which has been successful in promoting [[Zinfandel]] in the industry.<ref>{{cite news |author=M. Worobiec |url=http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Rhone-Rangers-Are-Back-in-the-Saddle_20199 |title=Rhone Rangers Are Back in the Saddle |work=[[Wine Spectator]] |date=1999-03-01}}</ref>
==History==
[[File:Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon.jpg|left|thumb|180px|[[Randall Grahm]] of [[Bonny Doon Vineyard]].]]
In the 1980s, [[Randall Grahm]] of [[Bonny Doon Vineyard]], Joseph Phelps of [[Joseph Phelps Winery]], John MacCready of [[Sierra Vista Winery]], Bill Crawford of [[McDowell Valley Vineyards]], Fred Cline of [[Cline Cellars Winery]], Steve Edmunds of [[Edmunds St. John]] <nowiki/>and Bob Lindquist of [[Qupé Wine Cellars]], among others, began popularizing the marketing of the Rhône [[varietal]]s. Their success helped to revive plantings of many traditional Rhône grapes that were dying out in California like [[Grenache]], [[Mourvedre]] and [[Viognier]]. Syrah also saw a dramatic increase in plantings<ref name="Oxford pg 575">{{cite book |editor=J. Robinson |title=The Oxford Companion to Wine |edition=3rd |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-860990-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/575 575] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/575 }}</ref> after Gary Eberle, then with Estrella River Winery (now [[Meridian Vineyards]]) planted it in Paso Robles and made available the clone he used to other interested growers.<ref>http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-review/534/Syrah-conundrum.html "The Syrah Conundrum", Appellation America</ref> With Beginningno aroundformal 1990,structure aor secondorganization, wavethe ofgroup innovationdisbanded in the Rhoneearly Rangers1990s.<ref movementname=":0">{{cite began,news which|author=M. includedWorobiec investment and grapevine cuttings from the|date=1999-03-01 |title=Rhone itself,Rangers asAre [[Château de Beaucastel]] entered into a partnership with American wine importer Robert Haas to found [[Tablas Creek Vineyard]]Back in Paso Robles. Tablas Creek imported new clones of many of the 13Saddle varieties allowed in [[Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC|Châteauneuf-du-Pape]], including work=[[GrenacheWine blancSpectator]], [[Counoise]], and [[Picpoul blanc]] that had never before been used in California<ref>|url=http://tablascreekwww.typepadwinespectator.com/tablaswebfeature/2011show/08id/tablasRhone-creekRangers-101Are-whyBack-andin-howthe-we-use-so-many-grapes.html Tablas Creek BlogSaddle_20199}}</ref> and made the clones available to other vineyards. Other key innovators in this newer phase of development included [[Alban Vineyards]], [[Domaine de la Terre Rouge]], [[Unti Vineyards]] and [[Zaca Mesa Winery]], many of whom also imported their own clones.
Beginning around 1998, a second wave of innovation in the Rhone Rangers movement began with John MacReady of Sierra Vista Winery as its executive director. The structure was loosely based on that of the [[Zinfandel Advocates and Producers]], which had been successful in promoting [[Zinfandel]] in the industry. MacReady credited the new group's success to its acceptance of the use of Syrah as a blending grape,<ref name=":0" /> a controversial view in the eyes of some.<ref name="Oxford pg 575" /> Tablas Creek imported new clones of many of the 13 varieties allowed in [[Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC|Châteauneuf-du-Pape]], including [[Grenache blanc]], [[Counoise]], and [[Picpoul blanc]] that had never before been used in California<ref>http://tablascreek.typepad.com/tablas/2011/08/tablas-creek-101-why-and-how-we-use-so-many-grapes.html Tablas Creek Blog</ref> and made the clones available to other vineyards.
==See also==
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