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Rob Folin doubles down By MJ Daspit for the Mail Tribune Jul 03, 2019 12:00 AM A A I met Rob Folin nine years ago when I was working on “Rogue Valley Wine” (Arcadia Publishing, 2011), a history of the local wine industry that I co-wrote with winemaker Eric Weisinger. A Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Oregon State University, Folin learned winemaking through on-the-job training at Domaine Serene in the Willamette Valley, where he worked seven vintages. In 2001, Folin’s parents, Scott and Loraine, converted their baby kiwi and alfalfa farm in Sams Valley to viticulture, planting viognier, syrah, tempranillo, petite sirah, mourvèdre and grenache on 25 acres. Folin produced Folin Cellars’ first commercial vintage in 2005. The well regarded brand, recognizable by its black label embossed with an elegant cursive ‘F’ was also distinguished by use of a glass stopper, the Vino Seal, which ensured no bottle would ever be spoiled by a bad cork, hence the phrase “No Cork, No Worries” on the back label. Several years ago, the Folin winery was put up for sale as Folin took a step back to rethink his brand. The winery and tasting room, an exquisite building designed by Heiland Hoff, features gravity feed from the harvest deck to the crush pad and natural cooling of the caves situated 10 feet below ground level. The high, open-beam ceilings and large windows of the tasting room give it a feeling of airy lightness while affording the visitor expansive views of the surrounding vineyard. As one of the Rogue Valley’s premier wine venues, it was sorely missed. When winemaker Heather Nenow left Belle Fiore, Folin took over the Ashland winery known for its unprecedented style — the winery and tasting room are located in an Italian-inspired wine pavilion with architecture and interior touches that suggest a posh hotel — and its contentious relationship with the neighboring gun club. Speaking of his commitment to the Belle Fiore brand, Folin pointed out, “This place is super important to Southern Oregon, the Rogue Valley, because of what it looks like. People are always going to come here, so I want the wines to show well, and I want this place to keep moving forward and keep doing the right thing for the area.” Folin’s first Belle Fiore vintage will be the 2018, about 4,000 cases made with estate fruit, starting with a beautifully restrained pinot noir rosé to be released soon. He’s already had an influence in other ways, with a new label featuring a subtle black-on-black Belle Fiore logo, and logo glasses with a lower profile that will keep them from blowing over when used at outdoor tables. Having been in his new role at Belle Fiore almost a year, Folin decided to reopen his iconic Upper Rogue winery and tasting room under his Ryan Rose label. “Last winter I had maybe five minutes with nothing to do and I thought, I need to fix this,” he explained. “I need to make sure I never have free time ever again. Let’s make wine at two different places.” He found the prospect somewhat daunting, but said, “It’ll be fun — I think. I like making wine.” In terms of marketing, Folin will use a different approach for Ryan Rose. Instead of being primarily focused on estate wines, Ryan Rose will be highly eclectic and limited in quantity. “The idea is bring in one ton of fruit and make 50 cases of a particular varietal. My plan is to change it up, not always have the same stuff. I would love to do a Walla Walla merlot. I would love to buy some Napa cab — make stuff I want to drink. It would be awesome to get some viognier from Virginia. I need to keep my brain going. Once it’s routine, you fall asleep, and so will your customers. I want to run out of wine by the end of summer. When we release the next one we can say, remember last year this all sold out, so you probably want to pick this up this weekend and instead of two bottles you probably want to get half a case.” For Ryan Rose, Folin will no longer use the Vino Seal. “Cork manufacturers have caught up. Corks I use now are guaranteed to be free of TCA [trichloroanisole, the substance responsible for wine being “corked”]. They’re $1.10 apiece.” As wine shops increasingly use openers that operate by pushing a needle through the cork, the glass closure is less practical, he said. Ryan Rose opened June 23 to a big crowd of appreciative fans. The venue is even more beautiful than I remembered since the landscaping has matured and comfortable patio seating has been added. Five wines are on the list: 2018 grenache rosé, 2016 chardonnay, 2017 mourvèdre, 2016 cabernet franc and 2016 malbec, each one intense and elegant and very Folin. What’s your take? Email MJ Daspit at [email protected]. For more on this topic, check out her Backstory Blog at mjdaspit.com.