California

Our move away from using saignée (drawing juice off a red wine tank before it initiates fermentation) as a winemaking technique has benefited our red wines, as they are now less clunky and tannic. Interestingly, it has also helped our rosé in the same sort of way. A number of years ago the rosés seemed too heavy, but by harvesting earlier and using the typical white wine technique of whole-cluster pressing, we are able to produce a wine that is alive and food friendly. The wine has a delicate salmon cast, a captivating, complex aroma, and lots of savory flavor.

The core of this wine comes from a section of Roll Ranch syrah that we have not used in our Roll bottling for years. It was farmed as usual, yielding a meager 2.5 tons per acre, and was harvested at a relatively low sugar level of 22 degrees Brix. We barrel fermented the juice in older wood and produced a very minerally-textured rosé that was a delight to the palate. We also took a selection of grenache and mourvedre fruit, pressing and barrel fermenting it as well. The final blend came together with the addition of a barrel of sauvignon blanc, my secret ingredient that gives the rosé a zestiness that makes it especially food friendly.

Press Reviews

Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

“(a blend of syrah, grenache and mourvedre) Pale pink. Racy, sharply etched pink grapefruit and strawberry aromas are complicated by honeysuckle and white pepper. Tightly wound citrus and red berry flavors show an impressively delicate, balanced personality, with tangy mineral lift and cut. This is one of the most precise and lithe pink wines I tasted this year, from anywhere.” – JR 92 Points