GOOD MONDAY MORNING P.O.U.!
This week’s series will focus on African American Winemakers.
IRIS RIDEAU
Rideau Vineyard
Santa Barbara County, California
(From Rideau Vineyard)
Rideau Vineyard was founded in 1997 by New Orleans native, Iris Rideau. Early on in the winery’s inception, Iris Rideau decided to dedicate her estate vineyard entirely to Rhône varietals. She felt that Rhône wines were not only ideally suited to the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, but also instinctively felt that they were best suited to the Creole cuisine of her childhood. Indeed, as the vines matured, and the first estate wines were produced, Iris soon began hosting a series of Creole-inspired dinners, with each dish paired with a Rhône varietal. The dinners were wildly successful, and soon became full-fledged winery events, attracting food and wine lovers from around the country. Today, Iris continues to host frequent events held at the winery grounds, pairing the food of her homeland with Rhône varietals.
Now, almost a decade later, Iris has opened the front parlors of the historical adobe for exclusive reserve wine tastings for Cellar Club Members and a special segment of the public wishing to taste our estate and reserve wines.
Winery & Vineyards
Our production facility includes separated stainless steel tank, pressroom and a barrel room. We press off 150 tons of fruit (10,000 cases) and are able to store 500 barrels in our barrel room.
The Estate Vineyard is dedicated solely to Rhône varietals. Within our 16 acres of planted vineyard, one can find Syrah, Viognier, Mourvedre, Roussanne and Grenache.
We farm our vineyards in a sustainable manner, and feel that our location is ideally suited to the expression of Rhone-inspired wines of great merit.
We also honor long-standing contracts with some of Santa Barbara County’s most esteemed vineyards, including Bien Nacido Vineyard, Str Hills, La Presa and Paradise. From Bien Nacido we receive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from our winery designated block year after year. From Str Hills , we purchase Pinot Noir grapes for our Award Winning Pinot Noir.
For more information, check out Rideau Vineyard.