The decorations are very New Orleans, or as the wine’s proprietor, Iris Rideau, would call it, “old world French Victorian New Orleans.” They even have beads! Not to mention all of the fleur-de-lis decorating both the walls and the wine labels. Iris is inspired by Rhône Varietals, especially Syrah. On this day, the white wines were really standing out to us. However, I do tend to veer towards white wines as the weather starts to warm up.
Not too far from the outdoor tables is the tasting room. It’s quite a large space, ranging from indoor bar sitting and some sofa chairs, to additional outdoor seating protected by a large canopy.
So here’s what we tasted:
2014 Estate Viognier
2013 Lagniappe White #flightfavorite
2014 Pinot Noir
2013 Estate Mourvèdre
2013 Tempranillo
2014 Riesling
Bonus Pour: 2013 “Daliet” Estate Reserve Syrah
Heres’s what we bought:
2013 Estate Mourvèdre
2014 Estate Viognier
2013 Lagniappe White (of course)
Outdoor seating protected by a large canopy.
- It’s a dog friendly winery- you might even catch Iris greeting visitors along with hers!
Side Notes:
- They offer wine tours, which we partook in about a year ago. Reza was our tour guy at the time, and was also in the tasting room during our last visit. He actually remembered us, but I think that’s because we were totally geeking out and asking a ton of questions on the tour.
- They have a jug program. You buy the jug and have it filled with either a red or white blend, that’s on tap for $40. Bring it back when it’s empty; you get a refill for $35!
Inside the main tasting room.
Michael being greeted by Iris Rideau's dogs.
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Rideau Vineyard-
I have been visiting the Rideau Winery for years now. I was even a club member for a few years. It’s an absolutely beautiful property covered in tons of roses! Which, a quick side note, the roses serve two purposes- they are aesthetically pleasant to look at, of course, but they also are susceptible to the same diseases as grape vines are. Therefore, a lot of wineries plant roses as an early warning of mildew, which is fungal disease. If the roses start showing any signs of trouble, the winery knows they need to act fast on their vines! Fungus is not a friend of grapes, my friends. Fruit will not grow properly and will eventually split and rot. No Bueno.
In addition to the roses, there is a somewhat large lawn with a few tables and chairs. It’s a perfect setting for a picnic lunch on a beautiful day. They also frequently have live music and food on the weekends, in fact, this last visit we had a very yummy margherita pizza!