Much has been written and said about Force of Nature Matthew Rorick and his label: Forlorn Hope. As a vigneron he commands 75 acres of limestone soils beneath a top layer of schist in Calaveras County. His energy is much like the sort that ferments at 924 Gilman. It’s present in the effervescent sparkle of his Rosé, the deep mystery of his Trousseau Noir, and in the noble character of his Verdelho. The power of his presence is undeniable. In a crowded room the gravity of his personality tends to make him the center of attention and improves the mood of anyone in his orbit. Like the man himself, his wines do the same.

Rorick and his creations exist on a similar temporal plane as land-speed attempts, the feeling you get when you land your first kickflip, a Marshall stack building up feedback, and a sunset on the banks of a winding creek high in the Sierras. There’s room for it all within the scope of possibility at Forlorn Hope. 

How does one achieve a well-rounded collection of attributes which are seemingly contradictory and perfectly complementary? We decided to ask the Rorick himself, and he graciously accepted. 

So, grab yourself a bottle of Forlorn Hope Grenache, Rosé, Mondeuse, or any other of his creations, and let’s dive into the secret world of Matthew Rorick!

Revel Wine: Where did you grow up? 

Matthew Rorick: Oceanside, CA - right on the beach

RW: What were you like as a kid? 

MR: I was a bookworm until High School, when I became a punk rocker

RW: What was your first job? 

MR: Domino’s pizza maker!

RW: What was your passion as a young person (teenage through early 20s)? 

MR: Skateboarding and the punk rock music scene in San Diego.

RW: Was there a major success as a young person? 

MR: I managed to stay out of jail, until I decided to get myself together and joined the Navy.

RW: Did you have any notable failures when you were young? 

MR: I was kicked out of boarding school.

RW: When did your relationship with wine begin?

MR: After the Navy, I moved in with my grandfather and he taught me how to cook – and how to pair wine with my cooking.

RW: Did you settle on a favorite varietal and region early on, or did it evolve over time? 

MR: Still evolving! My grandfather’s cellar was full of old Bordeaux and Burgundy from the 60s and 70s, and Californian wines from the 70s and 80s. So my early palate was formed on classics.

RW: What interested you about wine? 

MR: Mainly the social element of wine – the culture that grows up around communities that produce wine; the way wine almost always is better when enjoyed with company – but also the mystery of it, the impossibility of making the same wine twice, its refusal to be broken down into a simple formula.

RW: Are you a winemaker, a winery owner, a label owner, a farmer, or some mixture or those? 

MR: Vigneron: farmer, winemaker, winery owner.

RW: Why did you decide to start your own label?

MR: My DIY punk rock roots demanded it!

RW: Do you enjoy being a business person? 

MR: Sometimes?

RW: Is there something you hate about business? 

MR: Administrative work! I’m terrible at it!

RW: What is the biggest challenge about putting wine on shelves today? 

MR: Skyrocketing costs in the vineyard and winery are making it incredibly challenging to produce wines that can be sold at affordable prices.

RW: Is there a higher appreciation of natural wine techniques today vs 10 years ago? 

MR: I believe that there is, but there is just as much misunderstanding of ‘natural’ techniques, what ‘natural’ means, and plenty of folks misrepresent what they do to be seen as ‘natural’... 

RW: Who are the new wine drinkers? 

MR: Please let me know! I want to talk with them!

RW: How do trends shape Forlorn Hope? 

MR: Slowly, if at all – we like what we do, and we’ll probably keep doing it in spite of or regardless of trends. 

RW: What is the near-big goal of Forlorn? 

MR: We’re reducing size! New smaller project, to give me more time for naps!

RW: How do you fit into the wine making community in California? 

MR: EVERYONE MAKING WINE IN CALIFORNIA IS A GREAT BIG FAMILY come over here and give me a hug!! Let’s go!

RW: What is the best thing about the community? 

MR: Most of the folks in this community are always willing to help each other out when times are tough. As Robert Mondavi said, we’re in competition with each other, not in competition against each other.  

RW: What is the most annoying thing? 

MR: Probably me.

RW: How did you meet your partner? 

MR: We met at a pool party! Thanks Clayton!