ROCHIOLI VINEYARDS ROSE OF PINOT NOIR 2017

“What Tom Rochioloi does with Pinot Noir is like what Michelangelo did with chapels.” .... James McMillan

Then again, Luis Fernando Olaverri, said, “Wine is the only art work you can drink.” And someone, long ago said, “If the shoe fits,” but I’m getting carried away.  What’s relevant here is that I’m a Francophile, brought up, in the 60s, on the Burgundy of the Cote d’Or (when it was less pricey and I didn’t so much concern myself with what I was spending on wine).  Old world vs new, with the lines drawn decades ago based then on availability as much as anything else.  But then I went to Oregon’s Willamette Valley and subsequently to California (twice) and met with Tom Rochioli.  I’ve been a committed fan of Rochioli Vineyards and Winery since I first visited an met with Tom Rochioli in October of 2012.

Rochioli has estate vineyards in Russian River Valley, its own AVA within Sonoma California and produces estate and single vineyard estate wines. From Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc to Valdiguie (a good wine to blind taste with a SOMM or WSET graduate to see if she/her can identify the varietal – hint: it’s like a cru Beaujolais).  But it’s his Pinot Noir that amazes me.  Estate or Single vineyard (there are several) the Pinot Noir from this place continues to entice, thrill and amaze.  And, yes, even when his Pinot Noir is rendered as a rose, I am drawn into it; wanting to continue tasting to better understand what I’m experiencing.  Not “new world,” or “old,” it’s a mélange of the best of both. Fruit is evident, but always reserved and handled gracefully.

In the glass, the rose presents as medium-plus rose. And its nose is complex, especially for a rose: Fresh sea breeze, chalk, white peach and strawberry hulls, cherry, sweet floral notes, watermelon hard-candy. Fruit is opposed by chalk and minerality: a see-saw of interest enticing one to sip and verify first impression.  But it doesn’t stop there.  On the palate: contrasting notes: watermelon, cherry, vanilla but citrus opposes. The wine is dry, but fruity, sweet (just somewhat from the fruit) but tart in its finish. The finish is long, again – especially – for a rose. Cherry is forward, but tart and clean. Some white pepper announces on the finish balanced by strawberry balanced by tart cranberry. 

Don't Just Look At The Glass
Look INTO It.

The wine is a “Flying Wallenda” of balance with a constant see-saw of opposing notes that makes for an interesting experience. Fruit opposes tartness and minerality but the finish is always cleansing and, in that sense, “old world.”  Like a Provence, but not – weightier. 

Perhaps it is that balances that so attracts me to the wines of Rochioli Vineyards. The mystery in his wines that keeps unfolding and involving me in tasting more and continuing to do so.  It is “art that you can drink”.  The shoe fits.  And I am unabashed in my admiration.

It’s most certainly a food friendly wine with its acidity.  Perfect for picnics with cold fried chicken at the beach or on the deck and patio with summer’s lighter foods. I’ve enjoyed it with simple salads and chicken kabobs. It could easily be appreciated with a charcuterie or a chilled pasta salad, goat cheeses, some grilled fish (Salmon, Opah). Having the acidity of a white, but the fruitiness of a red, pair this wine against a grilled (Italian) cheese sandwich.  

Salad With Strips Of Grilled Chicken
Breast, Watermelon Radish and
Dried Raspeberry

Chicken Kabobs, Zucchini with
Stewed Tomatoes and Parmesan Reggiano

                                                                  

                                                                                           

Cheers!

…………………. Jim

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TECH SPECS & ETC.

Rochioli Vineyards & Winery

6193 Westside Rd

Healdsburg, CA 95448

707-433-2305

http://www.rochioliwinery.com

Avg Age of Vines:                             18 Years

Drinkable:                                          2-3 Years With Proper Conditions

Fermentation:                                 \   Steel, Temperature Controlled 62F

                                                           30 Days, 30 Days Malolactic Complete

                                                            No Skin Contact

TA:                                                     .62

PH:                                                     3.45

RS:                                                     0.1%

ALC:                                                 14%

WHOLE CLUSTER PRESSING and FREE RUN PINOT NOIR JUICE from Estate grapes with traditionally produced, barrel aged Pinot Noir added back in for color.

Cases Produced:                               308

Picked:                                                 Sept. 2017

Bottled:                                                                Jan. 17, 2017

 

For information on other Rochioli wines, see:

https://www.winemizer.net/2018/04/j-rochioli-russian-river-valley-old.html

For Their Sauvignon Blanc

https://www.winemizer.net/2014/12/j-rochioli-three-corner-pinot-noir-2010.html

For its (single vineyard Pinot Noir)

Production is limited. For availability, you may need to ask your retailer to order a sample bottle.  Exclusive agent in the U.S. is Terlato Wines

 

                

MALENE ROSE 2016

“Rosés are some of the easiest wines to like for their fresh, fruity flavors and their crisp appeal. They can match well with a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisines, from roasted fish to poultry."
–Kim Marcus, managing editor, Wine Spectator, from the video "Summer Pinks"

People ask why I pour wine and I continue to answer, “It’s fun. Meeting people and talking wine never gets old and it exposes me to wines I might otherwise walk past.  This Malene rose is a good example. Great wine. Nondescript label. And with so many wines displayed on the shelves of larger retail outlets, it’s easy to walk past something unfamiliar. 

Last August at the Medinah Country Club, I poured five wines, this being one of them.  With summer eventually coming again despite current temps, I’m reminded of rose and this one in particular.  And I’m reminded too that walking past this one ‘twould be a pity.  It was one of the best rose wines I’ve ever tasted.  And it’s from California’s cool Central Coast, not Provence or Tavel or other areas that serious wine people justly admire.

Malene Rose is a blend of five grapes. 

59% Grenache

13% Cinsault

13% Vermentino

12% Mourvedre

3% Counoise

The blend is not for show or to grab your attention.  It’s not even printed on the back label.  It is for taste, and taste well this wine it does. This is classically made wine. Grapes are hand-picked and hand sorted in the cool early morning temperatures of harvest day.  80% is whole cluster pressed with the balance having 24 hours of skin contact.  Pressing is very gentle; similar, in fact, to that used in Champagne in order that skin extraction is minimized. Fermentation is at cool temperatures to preserve freshness, fruit and aromatics as well as varietal character. It – and aging – involve tank (74%), oak puncheons (19%) and 1200-gallon French oak Foudre (7%) adding complexity in texture and taste.  Prior to blending, the wines are aged for six months on the lees in their respective vessels which adds to both complexity and mouthfeel.  And there’s more, but you’re more interested in drinking the wine than making it.

 

I suggest you do.  Light pink in the glass, it is everything

you want in a dry rose: mouth filling, creamy textured yet crisp. Seductive notes of rose petal on the nose. A complex wine. Honeydew and strawberry aromatics contributed from the Grenache. Weight is balanced by the Vermentino and offers lift and notes of white flower and lychee. Mourvedre imparts a savory character and a flinty minerality contributing to the wine’s length on the palate. Cinsault adds additional fruit (strawberry, cherry) and a zesty freshness.  The wine delights with limestone minerality. Its finish is crisp and cleansing.    

The blend was adjusted for 2017.  This is a common practice in winemaking, necessitated by a season’s weather and its impact upon the harvest. Such fine tuning is a testament to both the winemaker’s skill and palate and his/her commitment to producing a quality blend.  Most adjustments are typically within plus or minus 7%.   Having made an effort myself at blending wine, I learned that little changes make big differences.    For 2017, the blend was:

53% Grenache

19% Mourvedre

16% Cinsault

13% Vermentino (Rolle)

5% Syrah

Malene has to be dedicated to making exceptional rose.  It’s the only wine they make.  Its name is inspired by the semi-precious gen tourmaline which exhibits a watermelon-pink hue, like the wine itself.

Cheers!

……………. Jim

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TECH SPECS:

ARP:                      $20.

ALC:                       13.1%

PH:                         3.25

TA:                         6.6g/L

Appellations

45%                        Santa Ynez Vlly

29%                        Paso Robles

13%                        Rus Rvr Vlly

10%                        Monterey

3%                          Edna Vlly

91 Points             Wine Enthusiast

Malene Wines:  https://www.malenewines.com/

BRUNO MICHEL BRUT CUVEE ROSE (ROSEE)

“Remember, gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s champagne!” –Winston Churchill, British statesman and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Champagne is season less.  While I may change my preference from red to white wine, from Cabernet Sauvignon to Sauvignon Blanc depending on the season and what I’m eating, I can enjoy Champagne in every season.  In all weather. At all times.  And, if I put some thought into it, I can pair a Champagne to every meal. Each course!

But as with most wines (remember the Merlot crash after “Sideways”?) Champagne too has its trends.  “Pet Nat” was hot.  That alone is interesting given that Pétillant Naturel is an ancient technique (méthode ancestral, otherwise known as rurale) of making sparkling wine and it long pre-dates modern, twice-fermented Champagne.  While I have no concerns with people preferring the taste of wine that has not yet completed its first fermentation, has not been disgorged and may not have been filtered, I’m not jumping on the hipster bus just because some influential SOMM has discovered it in the 21^st century.

Another hot issue with Champagne drinkers is Recolant-Manipulant, known as “Grower Champagne.”  These bottles are identified by the abbreviation “RM” or the full wording on the label. It refers to a grower who makes and markets Champagne under their own label, from grapes of their own vineyards and processed on their own premises.  Conversely, the initials “NM” stand for Négociant-Manipulant.  These are the large Champagne houses that source a majority of their grapes rather than growing them.

  

Frankly, I’ve always been impressed by the wizardry of these Merlin-like Master Blenders for these large houses. Working with different growers, and perhaps even some estate grapes, and always different vintages, and reserve wines, they develop a house style that remains consistent year after year.  Weather is variable.  The wine is not.  Such skill is to be admired; not brushed aside casually because of a transient trend.

And as with still wines, grapes being estate grown is no guarantee by itself that the wine will be superior to that made from sourced grapes.   While estate grown grapes assure choice selection and other benefits, there are many wineries with huge numbers of fans that make consistently highly awarded wines from grapes that have been sourced.  So, if I haven’t blathered on too long already, let me just add that it’s really all about the wine, not the fashion.  It’s about what’s inside the bottle. And it’s either good or it’s not.  And most times, in these sophisticated times, with all of technology’s exactness, it is -  more so now than in the past.

I suppose that should position me well, or at least objectively, on the subject of Grower Champagne.  That said.  This wine is good.  And its price point (with an ARP of $42) is sounding the bargain gong.  Perhaps the ARP has to do with the layers of cost add-ons and not having to buy grapes.  And since I haven’t tasted all the Grower Champagnes out there, whatever my opinion should not be extrapolated to cover all such labeling.

Bruno Michel also produces a Cuvee Blanche brut, which I do think is the best value out there (at $39.99) for brut Champagne. But that’s just my personal palate. With few exceptions, I prefer “white” over rose.  And if I find occasion to open his Blanc de Blancs Cuvee “Pauline” (a vintage Champagne and aged in barrel), I suspect I’ll be singing its praises too.

The rose is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Meunier from the estate’s organic, biodynamic vineyards and made organically in the saignee winemaking method. In the glass, its color is assertive as is its aroma.  Notes of rose and vanilla waft from the glass joined by a faint taste of orange.  Others enjoy tart cranberry, pomegranate and spice.  On the palate, cherry and vanilla strike, followed by strawberry mid palate. Others enjoyed raspberry joined by tastes carried from the aromas.  This is very easy drinking and smooth. Unlike his Cuvee Blanche, fruit dominates in the rose, subduing – even obstructing – its autolytic character.  There’s a clean somewhat sweet lemon-lime hint (as in the soft drink) that make this wine perhaps too easy drinking for me.  But I suspect it is also what would make it perfect for those who do not relish the yeasty side of Champagne.

This is fresh, clean and fruity.  Light and fun.  Easy drinking.  The snobs may translate these references as pejoratives, but here it from me: it ain’t meant to be so.  It is meant to describe a Champagne that certainly does well as an aperitif, and pairs well too with a dessert made with red berries or a crumble of rhubarb and strawberries.  In between, consider it a natural for tuna, shrimp, duck breasts sauced with cherries. A beet risotto course, roasted chicken (red meat) or chicken sofrito (even better).  Consider it the bottle you want to keep chilled and at the ready when time is being strained by commitments and you need to put things together quickly.   A simple plate of vegetables and dip, joined with another of fresh and dried fruits, caramelized pecans and slices of cheese.  In between, conversation and sips.  Finish with a custardy tart with fresh berries.  Critics talk about complexity.  I found this wine a simple joy.  The innocence of just being happy for a moment.  Anything wrong with that? 

Sante!

……………. Jim

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ETC.

Bruno Michel:    http://www.champagnebrunomichel.com/en/portfolio-items/rose-2/

ALC:                      12%

Imported By:      Terraneo Merchants

RS                         6g/L                                                                               

        

MIRAVAL ROSE (Cotes De Provence)

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful …..” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Reading Goethe as a high school student decades ago wasn’t exactly a beautiful experience. But fast-forward to the 21^st century and I think he was on to something. This wine is a sense of the beautiful.  Just its color shimmering through the glass on the store shelf was seductive. Rose water. Petals with their essence extracted. Pure essence. If you cook Indian dishes and use rose water, you have an understanding of this color.  So I bought it, years ago, albeit reluctantly. I don’t like “celebrity” wines.  Wines with photos of long dead movie stars on the label; stars that had never worked a vineyard and whose only association with wine was that they could afford to drank too much of it. There is a chasm between marketing and winemaking, though I understand the need to bridge it if the business is to continue. But when a company indifferently relies more upon the skill of its marketing than upon its winemaking, they fail to attract me.  Labels with offensive double entendres, labels with photos of sports stars whose light has long diminished and never shined upon a vine anyway, singers…. oh, just spare me. Count me out.

But I bought Miraval years ago and have been buying it every year since my first taste.  Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought the estate in 2012 for an estimated cost of $60 million. Learning that actually discouraged me from buying the wine. Would this become just another wine whose appeal was its connection to movie stars?  I don’t follow their lives in fan magazines; don’t care about whom they marry or what they do off-screen.  And the bottle is oddly shaped making storage difficult and the label contains no information about the wine.  Was this another example of more attention being paid to marketing at the expense of making a good wine? Miraval was launched on Valentine’s Day in 2013 and the first 6000 bottles were sold out in five hours.  Oh, oh: the heard was being moved, it seemed, by stardom not quality. Even worse: the wine had previously been released (pre Pitt-Jolie) under the name “Pink Floyd” after the rock band that recorded “The Wall” in Miraval’s recording studio.  This had the markings of stardom fancying itself for an encore. 

But then I learned that the Perrin family was involved. Perrin on wine is like the words “Gold Note” on older paper currency.  It adds value. Wine Spectator ranked the first vintage of Miraval at 84 out of the year’s Top 100 wines of 2013. It was the only rose wine included. Decanter described its elegance and its mouthwatering finish. Turns out grapes for Miraval are selected from the best parcels: Muriers, Longue, Romarin and selected also from the best terroirs of Provence with clay and limestone soil and from elevation of about 1,247 feet: cool temperature vineyards with large diurnal swings. Turns out too that grapes are harvested in the early morning to preserve the fruit’s fresh character, and they’re sorted twice.

Grapes used are Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle and Syrah, the

Took a while to get the color right
taking the photo. It's all about
the lighting. Note: this is not a 750ml
bottle (also oddly shaped) but 1.5 liters.

latter being partially vinified using the “saignee” method. Similar to “drawing off,” “saignee” involves removing only a portion of the juice from its skin contact, the remainder being retained for use in red wine production. Rose made in this method will have higher acid, though it’s important to remember that in Miraval, only the Syrah is vinified this way and only a portion of it is  so used. Rolle may be better known as Vermentino, a light skinned wine grape made famous from Italy.  As in so many things of beauty, the composition is greater than its individual parts.  Call it teamwork. In the case of Miraval, call it experienced expert winemaking.

 Only 5% of the juice sees wood (with batonnage). The rest is vinified in temperature controlled stainless, or what I personally think qualifies as the greatest advance in winemaking since yeast was first discovered. The result is a wine that speaks freshness with delicate aromas of white flowers. Mineral notes with a sense of salinity. Lovely balance and seamless integration of raspberry, wild strawberry (I grew them, but then were they no longer wild?), cherry, pear, white tea and rose water. As with all wines of quality, for me, it’s not the individual taste notes (which can be discerned), bit how those notes play together. In Miraval, it’s a symphony of finesse.

Marc Perrin has said that Angelina and Brad have been intimately involved in the wine making process, attending “rose blending sessions” and helping to design a new shape and label for the bottle (the latter being something obviously successful but of which I’m not a fan). But as for the wine, I am a fan though I must disclose that when it comes to Rose wine, I have a preference for those of Provence.   

Decanter reports that the winery is considering making a red Provence wine in the style of Italy’s Super Tuscans (labeled as IGT because they don’t meet criteria of grapes or percentages of them used in Italy’s DOC and DOGC classification.  “We are planning to experiment with different grape varieties, from Syrah and Mourvedre to Cabernet Franc and others,” said March Perrin.  “There are no conclusions yet, but we will be happy to use the Vins de France label if need be.”

What spring-boarded California to world attention resulted from its ability to innovate and an appellation system not based on varietals but only zone.  As a lover of “old world” wine I have an appreciation of “old world” requirements: varietals must include certain percentages of particular grapes to be labeled with the appellation.  Yields must be restricted to meet established standards and there are other requirements.  So called IGT wines are not inferior to DOGC labeled wines; they just don’t meet the standard for DOGC or DOC labeling.  Wines labeled simply as “Vin de France”   (that term replaces the older “Vin de Table) allows for wines that are multi-regional and multi-varietal. Whether such a wine from Miraval will be “good” will ultimately depend upon the site decisions, the winemaker and consumers.  Personally, I look forward to Miraval’s introduction.

Sante!

…………….. Jim

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Dry Creek Vineyard’s “Petite Zin” (2011 Rose of Zinfandel)

“A rose by any other name, would smell as sweet.” ……….  William Shakespeare.

  

I would answer: Not necessarily, at least when it comes to a rose wine.  Rose wine is made worldwide. France garnished attention with rose wines made in Tavel and the Province, but Spain, Italy and other countries have been making rose wines for as long as hot weather has directed a preference for dry but lighter bodied wines.

 

Wine Regions of California



Grenache, syrah, cabernet franc, pinot noir, sangiovese, gamay and so many other grapes are used in the making of rose, one wonders if the simple moniker of “rose” on a label is sufficient disclosure. And rose is also one of the food friendliest wines you could want; and chilled, it’s excellent by itself as a summer refresher outdoors.  So given all this flexibility, why isn’t rose more popular in the U.S.?  I think there are three reasons:  First, it’s cultural. While much of Western Europe thinks “wine,” in the U.S. we think “red” or white” and rose is left somewhere in never land.  People feel comfortable telling you they like “red wine” or “white wine” and this cultural pigeon holing eliminates the joy of experiencing the world of wine.

Second, the damaged image of plop from a few decades ago still lingers through recalling and retelling. The U.S. was awash in a sea of cheap, characterless rose, much of it imported.  Having tasted some of those wines, my impression was that it was “wanna be” wine. It wanted to be like a red, but lacked body. It wanted to be like a white, but it lacked crispness. What it was, was thin, flat and without character.   

Sonoma County AVAs

Finally, some thought prejudices continue to exist: one being that rose is a woman’s wine. Maybe this is related to the first reason.  Indeed, while U.S. retail sales of rose wine increased 22% in the period of 2009 – 2011, further investigation reveals that most of that increase is attributable to women. Perhaps they know something we men don’t.

 I recently enjoyed a rose made (80%) from Zinfandel and (20%) Petite Syrah.  Appropriately, it is called “Petite Zin” Rose of Zinfandel.  It’s made by Dry Creek Vineyard in Sonoma Valley and grapes come from the Dry Creek Valley AVA (see map).  This wine offers a sweet impression of fruitiness, but is dry and fresh.  Deeper in color than most French and Spanish roses, it offers medium body and a good mouthfeel.  The nose is ripe strawberry with hints toward cherry.

An excellent way to enjoy rose

Serve this wine well chilled, but after your first tasty sip, allow the wine to warm in the glass slightly and pick up subtle tastes of clove, cinnamon and – of course – pepper that is so typical of zinfandel, though more subtle in rose than in the red wine.  Throughout the nose and tasting, floral senses disclose themselves and add to a wonderfully soft but enjoyably fresh and quenching finish.

This is a wine for summer, for outdoors, to enjoy aboard when the boat is docked, on the patio or deck or picnic, or to simply celebrate any moment of carefree living.  Zinfandel is “America’s grape” and this rose reflects what the family owned winery of Dry Creek Vineyard has done with this grape during their forty years of winemaking experience. As I continue to experience wines from this Sonoma Valley winery, I continue to be impressed by the price/ quality ratio of their offerings.   

WineMizer Jim w/ Joe Czesakowicz Last Fall
Checking Grapes Before Harvest

If you’ve not tried rose wine, or found it either boring or too sweet in the past, you owe it to yourself to give this rose a chance.  A rose by any other name wouldn’t be the same as this from Dry Creek.

It's All on the Label

Cheers!

………………….   Jim

Tech Specs:

Blend:                   80% Zin/20% Petite Sirah

AVA:                      Dry Creek Valley, California

Alc:                        13.5%

PH:                         3.61                                                                         

Vine Age:               Average 16 Years

Skin Contact:         4 Hours

Dry Creek Vineyard

3770 Lambert Bridge Rd

Healdsburg, CA 95448

Tel: 800-864-9463

Web: http://www.drycreekvineyard.com/

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2000 Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva

“The best kind of wine is that which is most pleasant to him who drinks it.”

                                                                        ---- Pliny the Elder

The longer I live and the more wine I drink, the more I appreciate the aptness of old Pliny’s thought on wine.  My rules for reviewing wines have always been just two:  (1) First, if I don’t like a wine, I won’t review it. For example, wines are sometimes sent me for review. If I don’t enjoy the wine, I don’t review it.  I won’t pan a wine with a bad review, and I won’t pretend to have enjoyed a wine if I did not. Better, I simply go mute (as so many of my friends must have wished over the years). The second rule is simple, for review on this blog, the wine needs to retail under $30: usually in the twenties.

The question is what to do with a wine I did not enjoy, but also did not dislike. And that question, after all these years of tasting, only now presented itself with this Gran Reserva.  The credentials for this wine are so formidable, I feel I should like it. Most people enjoy Spanish wine, after all. And this is a Gran Reserva. The juice matured in barrel for 4 ½ years and then was aged in the bottle for another 6 years.  At $23 a bottle, that’s only $2.19 a year for storage, not counting the actual wine, label, cork, labor, shipping and retail mark up!

I like the grapes: Tempranillo (30%), Garnacho a.k.a. Grenache (60%) and Viura (10%).  Vina Tondonia is a rose and it’s summer: good time for a rose. The wine has character. It is not bland as are many rose wines.  No, this wine presents as wine, neither washed out nor as a sweet soft drink. Parker gives it 90 points. And while we can debate the merits of the point system until boxed wine becomes haute, I think we’d all agree that a 90 point score is not the equivalent of a “C” grade.  The rating from International Wine Cellar was 91 points.

So what’s the problem?  It’s not the color. And it’s not the nose (ripe peach).  The initial taste presents a combo of ripe plum and tart cherry with the ripe plum more dominant.  It’s the back taste that troubles me: It is fino sherry like, and it overpowers and lingers.  While I like sherry, I like it best in sherry and in the fall. And while it is not unpleasant, it is not (to me) pleasing either.  This fino-sherry finish is so strong, it makes the wine one-dimensional by bullying away the other tastes. .

All which brings us back to Pliny and the open-mindedness of his position.

Cheers!

.............. Jim

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Lynfred Chambourcin Rose

“By making this wine vine known to the public, I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the national debt.”…………. Thomas Jefferson

Few things are more fun than learning you have more to learn. And, when it comes to wine, the opportunities are endless.  My most recent learning experience was at the Lynfred Winery in Roselle, Illinois. I had gone there to request a tech sheet for their 2006 Semillon Reserve (a great bottle). While there, I spoke with Andres Basso (Director of Winemaking).  We talked about the 2006 Semillon Reserve and Andres asked if I had tried the Chambourcin Rose.  He seemed rather proud of it and I felt bad having to explain that, generally, I don’t like rose wines.  Yes, I’ve had some from Province and the Loire in France, but as a whole (and to my tastes) rose is unexciting.  Worse:  Chambourcin (again to my tastes) is a blending grape.  It grows well in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States, the grape is happy in a cool climate and fungal resistant, but none of that means it tastes good.  I’ve had these discussions before. I’ve tasted Chambourcin before.  I didn’t and don’t like it. Case closed.

Case opened! Andres was pretty insistent, and when a winemaker hearing what I said still backs the wine………….well you need to be pretty impressed with yourself not to listen.  I’m glad I’m not impressed with myself, and tasted the wine.  The first thing you notice about Lynfred’s 2011 (Illinois) Chambourcin Rose is its beautiful color --- richer in color than you would expect.  (I suspected that might be from the juice staying in contact with the skin, although Chambourcin wines tend to be color rich).  It presents in the glass as a light garnet, not a pale washed-out residue typical of so many roses. I since learned that Lynfred’s 2011 Chambourcin Rose is a blend of 75% Chambourcin (from Correll Vineyards in Illinois) with the other 25% being a rose blend of Cabinet Sauvignon & Merlot. This blending not only accounts for the color, it also explains the depth of taste in this rose compared to most others.  Lynfred sources their grapes carefully, with the Cabinet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes coming from California or Washington.  Good grapes make good wine.

The nose of their Chambourcin Rose reminded me of a cherry spritzer with the cherry definitely carried into the taste, along with a hint of strawberry. The back taste offered tart cherry. With air, these tastes become rounder and linger against the wall of your mouth.  The wine offers a long, enjoyable finish.  Chambourcin Rose is not complex, nor is it meant to be. It is not a super Tuscan or a chewy Cabinet Sauvignon. But it is also not the vapid, doesn’t-know-what-it-wants-to-be liquid of so many roses. This wine has taste and character.  It is aged for six months in stainless steel and filtered.  I think the wine is substantial enough to be cellared for up to three/four years, but that will be difficult because you will be tempted to enjoy several bottles each summer.  In France, much more red wine is consumed than is white, yet in the heat of summer, rose is often preferred and treated as a red. Lynfred’s Chambourcin Rose is unapologetically fresh and youthful. It is simply “joy” in a glass. 

Food pairing is sometimes a problem with roses, but not for this rose of character.  I can see this served alongside an appetizer of grilled, sweet, mini red peppers stuffed with goat cheese and finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or grilled asparagus with balsamic.  It would go well with a dish of gumbo or bouillabaisse.  Ham seems a natural, maybe with a rum-raisin sauce. Of course, everyone will suggest a Riesling with spicy Thai foods, and that works, but you might also enjoy Lynfred’s 2011 Chambourcin Rose for something different.  A summer afternoon relaxing with charcuterie, some cheeses and a baguette? Perfect!   Memorial Day, July 4^th?  It’s summer. It’s hot. You have the grill going and there is macaroni salad and watermelon  --- this is  a time made for Chambourcin Rose. If you’re more concerned with impressing yourself than impressing others, you should try this wine.     

Cheers!

……………….. Jim   

P.S. You'll notice this is the first time my photo shows a full bottle. There are two reaons for that. I wanted you to appreciate the beautiful color of this wine. And I needed to get another bottle. The first one was too quickly enjoyed!