I hope you are doing well and are safe & healthy. Places are finally opening up here in sunny San Diego, CA and I couldn’t be more excited. California leaders have given the green light to open most establishments and have offered new guidelines allowing most wineries to open their tasting rooms. I wish I could make a quick weekend getaway to Sonoma & Napa Valley. We have also had some awesome weather this past week and it makes it hard to tell if it’s spring or summer. It goes from 75°F one day to 85°F the next, and that means it’s perfect Rosé weather.
To celebrate National Rosé Day I wanted to share some amazing Rosé wines with you that I’ve discovered recently, and are making these beautiful California weekends even more enjoyable for me.
Rosé to Try This Summer from California to France
2019 Banshee Rosé, Mendocino County $25
The 2019 Mendocino County Rosé is one of my favorite Rosé from California, beautiful pale salmon color with aromas of stone fruits, salinity and bright red berries. Incredibly balanced and perfectly integrated, medium weight, dry+, crisp, ripe fresh berries and juicy cantaloupe. Very refreshing for a hot summer day.
2019 – 48% Sangiovese, 25% Grenache, 16% Syrah, 8% Barbera, 3% Zinfandel
or
2018 – 47% Grenache, 27% Barbera and 26% Syrah (I bought a cheap case at Truly Fine Wine for only $180)
2019 Tessier – Rose California “Femme Fatale” $25
I personaly enjoy knowing that one of my favorite wines I’m drinking is made and owned by a woman. Founder and winemaker Kristie Tacey built her wine brand and business from scratch. This wine is a stainless steel fermented, refreshing rosé, perfect for a warm summer day with its bright acidity, silken notes of white lily, strawberry, grapefruit zest, and wet stone.
92% Grenache, 8% Pinot Noir
2019 Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Rose $34.99
A stunning example of how rosé can ride the fine line between accessible and deep, this is Provence Mediterranean wine at its loveliest. From 40,000 bottles per year aproximately 6,000 bottles are only allocated to the US market. Cool fermented and lightly filtered Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault from the south of France and distinct way. The winery makes only a small quantity of this, so if you’re able to find a bottle don’t hesitate and buy it, it’s extremely hard to find, and highly desirable. Dry, elegant minerality and well textured, fresh and slightly saline. Flavors of citrus while retaining the saline accents on the finish.
55% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and 15% Cinsault
2018 La Ferme Julien $5.99
Hellooo did I mention it’s only $5.99 at Trader Joes’s? YES this is the real deal and it is in stock in most Trader Joe stores. A rosé blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah from France. Fruit, freshness and a beautiful colour. Produced by the Perrin family. It was produced in the Saignée method which is the traditional way they madeRosé before it became popular. Medium body and acidity, on the nose strawberry, tropical fruits and a bit of citrus. Perfect table Rosé.
… and finishing with a sparkling wine:
Faire la Fête Wine Brut Rosé $20
This is another must have! Why pay $50 or more for a bottle of Champagne when you can buy Faire la Fête for only $20, and have all the same qualitys that are just as good or better than most non-vintage Brut Champagne? Coral in color with aromas of white cherry and just-ripened wild strawberries. Fresh citrus acidity is balanced by minerality and a brioche and shortcake finish.
70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc, 10% Pinot Noir
California New Normal
I saw some news today that here in California we are starting to see several early wildfires which means the dry and dangerouse fire season is here. Every year wildfires are a big threat to vineyards and our economy and in some cases the recovery is sometimes impossible. “Our tasting room and hospitality operation was closed for a total of almost 60 days due to fires and floods in 2019, and we had not recovered from that when the coronavirus hit” says Pennie Haase, national marketing director for Alexander Valley Vineyards in California’s Sonoma County. This has been a challenging year for everyone, from a worldwide pandemic to another season of wildfires in California. It is very difficult to keep customers engaged when all of these events are taking place and you cannot run your business. However, California wineries are getting creative and are working on several new ways to bring thier wine to you, from online events such as virtual tastings, great wine delivery deals, and live events on social media that you can’t miss. I encourage you to look online and see if there is an event that interest you and give it a try. And as always support the CA wines and local businesses whenever you can.
