Katnip Rosé 2020
An intentional Rosé made from Sacramento Delta Mourvèdre and Tempranillo, the Katnip has a brilliant, rusty peach skin color, a peppery wild strawberry, jasmine & melon nose and a spicy, dry, barely-fruity flavor. A dead-ringer for Bandol/Provence Rosè (no kidding) at a 2010 price for one of this quality, this is an easy pick-up for […]
Belharra Rose of Syrah 2020
This “intentional Rose” made from 100% Syrah from “Las Madres” smells of raspberries, yellow plums, cracked peppercorns and pink rose petals. Textural and a little creamy in the mouth, it reminds me of the more substantial Provence Roses in this way. I taste red apple, apricots, blood orange and tarragon along with perky acidity and […]
Dancing Crow Rosé 2020
83% Syrah, grown intentionally for Rosé, 17% Sauvignon Blanc for cut and dimension. On the nose this could easily be mistaken for Provence with it’s savory, spicy, orange zest, not fruity nose. In the mouth it tastes like California with apparent ripe red berry/plum and mouth-filling texture. Yet dry – very dry, with the spice […]
Post & Vine Rosé 2020
Old-vine Carignane was whole cluster pressed after a short soak on the skins. Dark-ish salmon skin color, peppery watermelon, raspberry and blood orange and herbs de Provence smells and flavors, all neatly packed in a dry, vibrant Rosé that’s equally fruity and spicy. I tasted this in early March 2021 and, typical of early release […]
Poseidon Rosé For The Bay 2019
The Poseidon Rosé for the Bay is an altruistic venture and a damn good wine to boot. 100% Pinot Noir from Poseidon’s Carneros Estate vineyard, picked intentionally for Rosé. Wild red cherry, watermelon Jolly Rancher, lime sqeeze and dried orange peels come to mind in this crisp, vibrant Rosé that is both restrained yet not […]
AZUR Dry Rose 2019
“Intentional Rosé” made from Syrah and Grenache. Sierra Foothills and Oakville, Napa Valley fruit. Yellow plum and watermelon rind nose suggest a very dry, tingly style of Rosé wine. Take a big sip and that’s exactly what you get: very dry and bursting with acidity. With the tang are definitive flavors of cracked black peppercorns, […]
Brockmeyer Rosé of Grenache 2019
Orange/pink, peach skin color points to the dry, savory style of Rosé that this is. Cracked black pepper, light strawberry and fresh bread crust (from brief aging on the lees). The taste combines weight and a healthy acidity. Flavors of tarragon, red berries, peach pit, watermelon and light caramel – all in unison. Bone-dry, medium […]
St Romedius Rose of Sangiovese 2019
Bright cherry, blood orange and dried Italian herb nose, moving to a tangy, juicy, mouth-watering taste of red berries, cherries, red plums, white pepper and fresh violets. Its sharp corners were rounded by a brief aging in neutral barrels. This friendly Rosé wine, while classically light, has enough “meat on its bones” to pair nicely […]
601 Rose of Grenache 2019
Black peppercorns, blood orange rind and red roses come forth on the deep and savory nose. The same goodness continues in the taste – strawberries and blood orange for sure, but spice, flowers and texture are the major takeways where. And balance: not too fruity nor light nor rich. It hits the middle ground in […]
Post & Vine Rosé of Carignane 2019
The tiny-production Post & Vine Rosé of Carignane has a bright, brilliant red color, a pronounced tang of acidity, focused flavors of tangy raspberry, watermelon and strawberry plus peppery spice, tarragon and white roses. As it breathes the fruitiness comes out, softening the wine’s cutting acidity. Reminds me of Italian Sangiovese Rosato in this way. […]
Hudson Grenache Rosé 2019
Hudson Ranch harvests one block of Grenache for this “intentional Rosé.” Pressed off its skins the morning it is harvested, making for a VERY light Rosé hue. Smell and taste fresh pink rose petals, lilacs, lemon-strawberry, papaya and white pepper. In the middle of this more austere wine is a fruity core of citrus, tropical […]
Navarro Rosé of Pinot Noir 2019
On the light and delicate side of Rosé wine with light wild red cherry, pink rose petals and mandarin orange smells and flavors. The light, transparent color will please the army of Rosé drinkers who judge by color. And the flavor is in line with the look: very dry, shining acidity and subtle flavor. On […]
Angry Kiwi Rose of Pinot Noir 2019
A Saignée Rosé from the three vineyards sourced by co-owner/winemaker Martin MacKenzie’s for his Three Furies Pinot Noirs. The “electric red Kool-Aid” color while striking is not consistent with the dry, spicy, food-friendly smell and taste of the wine. Those who judge Rosé with their eyes will have a hard time getting past the color. […]
PESTONI FAMILY Rose, Rutherford 2018
Merlot and Sangiovese from Pestoni’s vineyard between their winery and Highway 29 is the source for this dry, spicy Rosé wine. All saignée, which is surprising based on the peach skin color. Lite spice, fresh strawberries, blood orange, peppercorns, etc. You know, all the good Rosé smells and flavors. Very dry and nicely fruity too. […]
PRIMA MATERIA Zinfandel Bianco 2018
A Provence-like orange and peach skin hue followed by a crisp, blood orange, faint cherry/rasperry and white pepper flavor makes me think more Southern France than Zinfandel Rose, quite frankly. No complaining. It’s tasty, and I think it’s a style and quality that will make the majority of Rose drinkers happy. It’s tangy not tart, […]
AERENA Rosé 2018
Provence-style Rosé by recipe: 1/2 Mourvèdre, 1/2 Carignane. Grapes pressed off. Stylistically, it straddles France and California. Reddish hue, raspberry/strawberry smells and flavors along with some black pepper, mandarine orange and pink roses. Fermented dry to a modest 12.9% alcohol, making for a pretty, berry-laden Rosé with ample acidity and spice. This is a Rosé […]
FROG’S LEAP Pink Wine 2018
Made from 70+ year old vine Carignane and 12% Valdiguie, Frog’s Leap “La Grenouille Rougante” (The Flying Frog) is an intentional rosé, i.e. made like a white wine: grapes pressed off with juice barely affected by the red skins. The result is a style of rosé that Frog’s Leap makes as well as anyone in […]
HOGWASH Rose 2018
Almost 100% Grenache, most coming from “Bokisch Vineyard” Lodi. I call this a “Provence Style” Rosé because of its dryness and citrus/stone fruit/strawberry smell/flavor trifecta. Very dry and a low 11.8% alcohol, the 2018 Hogwash is set up to drink bottle after bottle. At $18/bottle it’s a DDWA Awesome Value and makes my “Best of […]
TRES SABORES Rosé 18
The Tres Sabores Rose 2016 is made from Tres Sabores Estate Zinfandel and Calistoga Petite Sirah. Picked in August, well before the red wine harvest, for great acidity. Like any of the best California Rosés, the wine perks up the palate with acidity then satisfies with a wheel-barrel full of fresh summer fruits. As owner/winemaker […]
Benevolent Neglect Rosé 2018
60% Mourvedre, 40% Carignane intentional Rosé. Co-harvest, press and ferment. This is very much a Provence/Bandol style of Rosé. White pepper, cherry and plum skins, orange zest and Provence herbs are what you get start to finish. While its reddish hue makes one think strawberry and watermelon, not so. This is a dry, savory style […]
BELHARRA Rose of Syrah 2018
Get red plums, strawberries, raspberries, cracked black and white pepper and a whiff of violets in the Belharra Rose of Syrah. Dry and light, showing more subtlety than most Syrah Rosé wines I taste. Careful lees-stirring adds texture to the wine without going overboard. This is all Syrah from “Las Madres Vineyard” Carneros. Picked early […]
VIVIER Rosé of Pinot Noir 2017
Pinot Noir’s wild cherry and violet/rose jump out on the nose along with some talc and blood orange. The taste is pure pleasure…a smack of melon, plum and red berry/cherry and bright acidity that lifts the fruitiness up a couple of notches. Has a lightness and tang that appeals to those that seek the driest […]
GATHER Rosé of Tempranillo 2017
So darn tasty…wild strawberry, peach, Meyer lemon and white pepper nose transitions to flavors of blood oranges, berries and that peppery spice. I love the acidity…high enough to make it come across as VERY dry, yet it allows the ripe fruit to come forth. All is balanced to a T. While on the higher side […]
HUDSON Grenache Rosé 2017
On the lightest, crispest side of Rosé. Smell and taste wild strawberries, pink rose petals, red plums, peach, fennel and green tea. Tangy, fat-cutting acidity and intense. A much better food companion than a porch-sipper. I compare this more to a cool northern French (Loire, Burgundy) Rosé than a southern French style. One of Hudson […]
