The Return of Hospice du Rhône

I will never forget being in the presence of Philippe Cambie. I was fortunate enough to witness first hand his tasting wizardry at many Hospice du Rhône events and also privately as he worked with my friends Justin Smith and Sasha Verhage on the Downstream project at Saxum winery. During these visits to America he generously tasted and offered his insights into barrel tastings of the Ledge wines, which he pinned time and time again with descriptions so accurate that they left me dazzled. I'm proud to say he was very complimentary of our wines and it moved me beyond words. This man could create brilliant final blends from dozens of barrel samples in the bat of an eye, with complete confidence. I really am out of my lane here, as he was one of the most well respected wine consultants in France  - but as we continue to celebrate Hospice du Rhône, I felt it necessary to try to explain how much he meant to me. Jeb Dunnuck wrote a brilliant piece about him which can be read here. Please check it out.