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Terre Rouge Winery is located in the town of Fiddletown in the Sierra Foothills. Winemaker Bill Easton makes wines with many different grapes grown in several regions. He specializes in Rhone varietals and Zinfandel.

Bill Easton makes wine under the Terre Rouge and Easton labels. His Zinfandel from the legendary Eschen-Rinaldi Vineyard is particularly good. This is an incredible piece of property that is part of California’s wine history. The vines were planted in the same year the Civil War ended; 1865.

Terre Rouge refers to the red color of the ground in Easton’s vineyards. The soil in this part of the Sierra Foothills also contains a lot of granite. He bottles several Rhone varietals under Terre Rouge including Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier and Roussanne.

Mr. Easton makes four different Syrahs, each with grapes from different locations. He uses grapes from Sentinel Oak Vineyard for my personal favorite, but he also makes a Syrah called Ascent that is outstanding. Easton picks his Mourvedre late in the season when it has a very high sugar level.

Under the Easton label, he makes an excellent old vine Zinfandel with fruit from the Eschen-Rinaldi Vineyard. Amazingly, these vines were planted in 1865. They produce a little over a ton of grapes per acre. This wine is aged in 100% French oak and has the ability to age for several years.

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Comments & Reviews

December 28, 2006 | Brad Jones

Terra Rouge makes an incredible high altitude Syrah with good acidity.

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