Do you know the three ways that Rose wines are made? Did a tasting of Rose wines this month and even thought I say it every year, no one remembers how they are made.
1. Sanguinee – where juice is drawn from the vessel where the pressed grapes and skins are when there is light color on the juice. Then the Rose is finished fermenting and treated as a separate wine. This makes the red wine have more skin contact and can add tannins and flavors to it, while the vintner has a wine they can finish and sell next season with a Rose.
2. Draw off the juice from the skins after limited contact, then finish the wine is a typical fashion. This is how wines in Provence and Tavel are made.
3. A mixture of red and white grapes/wines are mixed and create a Rose wine.
Now for the Wines this Month:
2017 Natale Verga
Barbera Passito Piemonte, Italy
"Pours a pretty violet with vibrant fuchsia highlights. Pronounced aromas of sweet plums and raspberry jam. The palate is light on its feet, featuring dark forest fruit intermingling with a delicate minerality that's fresh and clean. This is an homage to the artistry of winemaking ? the deep, elegant flavors are a truly pleasant surprise considering the light and nimble body. If you like Pinot Noir, you have got to try this Barbera! 90 Points, Wine and Spirits Guild of America
This wine is a rediscovery of the old tradition of using partially-dried grapes to add richness and concentration. The Barbera grapes were grown on southwestfacing slopes in the Monferrato hills, at 250-400m altitude. Soils here are clay and limestone. Following the traditional passito technique - a portion of ripe Barbera grapes (around 20%), left on the vine for nearly a month after the main harvest to sun dry, were blended with fresh Barbera grapes before fermentation. This sweetens, enriches and softens the resulting acidity. 100%Barbera, this is a wine that uses generations of history to create something that’s very modern and slick with notes of fresh cherries, raspberries and plum on a super fresh and silky palate.
This is a rich wine meant for hardy Italian fare. The biggest surprise is the touch of sweetness on the finish. Not cloying, just an unusual bit of flavor. I see it available for around $13 online, it is worth a try if you can find it.
Nicolas Feuillatte NV
D'Luscious Demi-Sec Rosé (Champagne), France
87 POINTS
The onion-skin pink color sets the stage for an off-dry, just-sweet wine, that is crisp, yet soft and rounded. It has good weight, fresh raspberry flavor, and delicate sweetness, resulting in a wine that's crisp and textured.
This attractive Rosé is dry and slightly sweet with notes of red fruit. Cherry and raspberry flavors lead in to a beautifully balanced palate.
Blend: 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Meunier, 10% Chardonnay
Like most Champagne (the Real stuff), this is a very pleasing bottle of bubbly; a little sweet but not cloying, crisp with light berry flavor and hints of yeasty bread. Very nice – on sale for around $30 – excellent bottle to surprise friends or just yourself.
USA Cabernet is produced in the Golden State’s heartland, Lodi, California, a working-class town that makes world-class wines. Like the rest of America’s heartland, we don’t aim for pretension or snobbery. We just work hard at being good. Our origins may be modest; our ambitions are anything but. We simply want to be America’s favorite cabernet.
Just how American is USA Cabernet? Well, it’s rumored to be made from red, white and blue grapes. It pairs nicely with big game tailgating, family barbecues or lakeside fireworks on the Fourth of July. It’s the perfect complement for Texas chili, Philly cheese steak, Yankee pot roast, Maryland crab cakes, Kansas City burnt ends, New Orleans gumbo or Alabama catfish. Soon, you’ll be seeing it everywhere. On a picnic blanket in the park. On a kitchen table during March Madness. At outdoor country music concerts and State Fairs. In both luxury suites and RVs. Wherever Americans gather, whatever they eat, USA Cabernet is there to help you celebrate with friends and family.
Scotto Cellars, a fifth generation, family-owned winery based in Lodi, CA, has introduced a patriotic new wine brand, “USA Cabernet” in celebration of the nations’ favorite red wine and its most popular regional dishes. And while the wine comes from the heart of California wine country, the concept comes from a boutique ad agency in Houston.
Just like its name – this is a humble sippable cabernet that goes with food. Not a lot of power in the cab, just limited red and black fruit, very little tannin or aftertaste. About what you expect for a $10 Lodi cabernet.
2019 King Estate Rose
of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR
Leading off with a gorgeous strawberry, peach color in the glass, the 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir has vibrant aromas of ripe strawberries, rose petal, wet stone and hibiscus flowers. There are immediate fresh and juicy flavors like strawberry, Key lime and ripe raspberry that are framed by subtle hints of rose water and chalk. This is light and bright up front and builds a pleasant roundness in the mid-palate that crescendos with mouthwatering acidity.
A classic Rose from
the gang at King Estate in Oregon – this wine is very good for just sipping
(Porch pounding) but has enough body and acidity to make it a wine to have with
a meal. Very enjoyable – priced around $20.Made in style #2 in the intro…
2017 Rose de
Chevalier, Bordeaux, France
A Bordeaux Rosé with Bright Red Fruit Flavors
Domaine de Chevalier, located in Leognan in the Graves region on the Left Bank of Bordeaux, was first purchased by the Bernard family in 1983. Since then, the historical estate has been run by Olivier Bernard, and has produced wines with a reputation for quality. The estate's namesake First Wine and one of the great classified growths of Bordeaux, the Domaine de Chevalier red has been a flagship of the Pessac-Leognan appellation since its very first vintage. Meanwhile, the estate's signature white has been recognized as one of the best dry white wines of France.
The frost at the end of April 2017 devastated the vineyards of Bordeaux, not sparing those of Domaine de Chevalier. Nevertheless, a favorable climate during the summer months allowed the grapes to reach ideal ripeness. The harvests were carried out quite early, between September 11th and 29th, yielding grapes with a great balance between sugar and acidity, and concentrated flavors.
The Domaine de Chevalier 2017 rosé is made from a blend of the same varietals used to produce the estate's famous Grand Vin: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. In the glass, this Bordeaux rosé displays a beautifully bright red currant color. On the nose, the wines is very fresh, offering aromas of red berries and a hint of spice. On the palate, the wine reveals a juicy texture and wonderful freshness. The finish is long and complex, echoing its noble terroir of origin.
Not quite as
approachable as the King Estate, this wine still has very good flavors of red
fruits and a lightly acidic finish. Works as a sipper or as a food wine for
lighter summer fare. Priced around the $20 mark as well – made in the number 1 in the intro…
2018 Can Sumoi “La
Rosa”, Penedes, Spain
Grape Varieties: 50% Sumoll (red), 30% Parellada (White) and 20% Xarel.lo (White)
Type: Natural Rosé Wine Alcohol Volume: 11%
Production: Can Sumoi is the latest project from the Raventós family (Raventós I Blanc). Their new acquired estate in the Serra de l'Home in the Pla de Manlleu, DO Penedès, dates back to 1645 and comprises 20 ha of vines. Here, at 600 meters of altitude, is where the family, following their passion, produce their exceptional range of high-altitude natural still white wines from local varieties growing on limestone soils, farmed organically and made without the use of additives or any other manipulation. Grapes are hand-picked from sustainable, organic and biodynamic vineyards. Fermented in stainless steel vats at 16ºC for 21 days, only using native yeasts. Bottled unfiltered. Natural SO2: 9mg/l.
Best enjoyed in its youth within 1 – 2 years.
Tasting Notes: Wine with a strong Mediterranean character of a pale salmon color with scents of elegant fresh red fruits and floral notes, good fresh acidity finishing with a pleasantly nutty touch.
This is a different
type of Rose. Less of a porch pounder, but one that goes well with all types of
summer fare. Very good wine from Penedes – think the east side of Spain,
towards Barcelona, whre a lot of Cava is produced. Price runs about $25 for
this organic wine and it is made by #3 in the intro…
2017 Tenet “Le
Fervent” Rose, Costieres de Nimes, France
Deeply concentrated red cherry and strawberry flavors are balanced by crisp acidity and invigorating mineral undertones here. It's a dry yet bold fruit-forward sipper, with a plump, juicy palate. Structured by fine tannins and savory, herbal flair, it's elegant and versatile enough to enjoy year round. Drink now–2021.
The term “fervent” is defined as “having intensity of spirit, feeling and enthusiasm,” an apt description of winemaker Michel Gassier’s passion for Syrah. Le Fervent is produced in Costières de Nîmes, the southern-most appellation of the Rhône Valley nestled on the shore of the Mediterranean, and is sourced from some of the coolest vineyard sites of the Southern Rhône, thanks to the strong maritime influence.
BLEND
65% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
The wine is very pale pink with violet hues. Intense nose of crushed strawberries, pomegranate and floral notes. Very dynamic wine with a rich mouthfeel, fresh red berries and mineral flavors, and a long lively finish.
This was a well
balanced Rose – flavorful as a sipper and flavorful with enough acidity to go
with most summer fare. The region is actually Southern Rhone, although at one
time was considered to be in the French wine lake of Languedoc. Priced around
$20, maybe available for slightly less. Produced by #2 from the intro…
Hope you enjoyed the
wines and everyone is staying safe. Keep popping those corks and I’ll meet you
out behind the grapevines. I’m still easy enough to recognize with a mask on!
