From Rhône to the Sierra Foothills: Ride with an Original Rhône Ranger

From Rhône to the Sierra Foothills: Ride with an Original Rhône Ranger

The Rhône Rangers are a group of American winemakers and vintners who champion grape varieties from France's Rhône Valley but are grown in the United States, primarily in California. Producers such as Bonny Doon, Alban, Tablas Creek and others have made standout wines for decades, carving more than a niche of distinctive and age-worthy wines. In simple terms, the Rhône Rangers are more than ambassadors of Grenache, Syrah. Mourvèdre and Viognier; they make unique wines that demand serious consideration for your cellar. On April 2, please join us for our final tasting of the 2025-2026 season: a very special tasting presented by an original Rhône Ranger, Bill Easton! Bill's Terre Rouge is one of the most serious and age-worthy Rhône-style producers in California. We will be tasting 10 Terre Rouge wines using Rhône varietals; Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Marsanne, and Roussanne. There will be a mix of blends and single varietals with vintages ranging from 1999-2018. The wines are made from fruit grown in granite and volcanic soils at high elevation with expert winemaking, but what really sets them apart is that they are aged at the winery and released ready to drink; there is no better provenance. 

About Bill and Terre Rouge 

Terre Rouge and Easton Wines were founded in the late 80s by husband-and-wife team Bill Easton and Jane O’Riordan. Bill began his career in the wine business working for small California wineries. In the late 70's he founded Solano Cellars, a wine shop in Berkeley, California, specializing in small artisan producers from around the world. From years in the shop and traveling extensively in Europe, Bill's palate and style of winemaking developed. He began making wine for himself seriously in 1986 with his first Rhône red blend and opened the current Terre Rouge winery in the Sierra Foothills in 1994. Bill’s wines are balanced and elegant, with complexity that develops as the wines age in bottle. The French call it élevage, which is "raising" the wine in the bottle. There is an art to this style of winemaking and great pleasure in a wine that is ready to drink, while still showing great promise for future aging. Bill is one of the original Rangers and pioneered Rhône varietals in the Sierra Foothills. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhône Rangers in 2016.