It’s almost that time of year again, Los Angeles. Hold on to your gallon hats, because the Rhone Rangers are coming to town. They’re holding a tasting Sunday, August 8th 2010, at Pier 59 Studios West with representatives from many of their 40+ member wineries.

We hope you’ll stop by these wineries’ tasting tables:

• Vines on the Marycrest

We’re just going to put this out there: Victor is the man. There aren’t many men about which you could say he started pursuing his dreams at a nunnery. The name Vines on the Marycrest comes from the hill in Culver City where he originally planted his vines, Marycrest Manor, in 2002. Yes, the nuns did call the police. Once he proved that he wasn’t growing the devil’s weed, his vines were able to stay in the ground until the higher-ups eventually requested that he move them. We’ll just assume that the Vatican didn’t want the competition. Fast forward to 2004 when Victor and his family including the vines have relocated to Paso Robles and started anew. Each wine is named after a song, sealed by screwcap and intended for your immediate enjoyment.

• Michael~David

The inter-hipster communication pathway was abuzz with the news that Michael~David would be at the Rhone Rangers tasting this year. When we finally get up to Lodi, we can say with certainty that we’ll be visiting their tasting room. Between the Incognito, Earthquake, Windmill Estates & Sin series, the hits just keep coming. Find our review of the 2005 Petite Petit here.

• Justin

If you said that going over to James Beach for a 6 oz pour of Justin Isosceles or stealth drinking a bottle of Justin Sauvignon Blanc from a Nalgene were some of our favorite things to do – Well, you’d be absolutely right.

• Zaca Mesa

A long time favorite of the Hipster clan; these guys do Rhone right! From their whites: Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier, red blends: Z Cuvee and Z Three, to their great Syrahs; they are a fantastic example of California Rhone style wines. Additionally, their tasting room and winery are certainly something special, especially if you fancy a game of chess or ‘truck sampling.’ (Please see our photo album.) If you make the trek to Zaca Station Rd, don’t expect to come away empty-handed. We still have a flight of the ’03, ’04 and ’05 Syrah sitting in the cellar for one hell of a vertical tasting.

• Clavo

We found Clavo at Rhone Rangers last year. If you’re lucky, Neil Roberts, the nail himself, will pouring this year as well. His fusion of new world grapes and old world style was enough to inspire a multiple hour detour to his tasting room on the way back from what was supposed to be a short jaunt to San Francisco and back. Go get nailed and find yourself a Reckless Moment. Pun intended.

WHO: Famille Quiot WHAT: 35% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Mourvèdre , and 5% other grape varieties from les Arnevels vineyard. WHEN: 2008 WHERE: Côtes de Provence, France HOW: The grapes are partly pressed and macerated with a short fermentation period of 12-24 hours for color. According to the bottle: “Special efforts are made to preserve freshness and fruit with the use of CO² gas to exclude oxygen during the harvest.” To this, we tilt our heads like curious kittens.

Wine Website: http://www.robertquiot.com/