California
It has been fascinating to watch through the years the vacillations of popularity that particular varietals and styles go through. I saw this first in the 1970’s when there was tremendous interest in zinfandel. The public was taken by its fresh lively fruitiness and a planting boom ensued. But winemakers took that interest and tried hard to make zinfandel into a huge, heavy, serious wine and in the process alienated the customer. With demand faltering and acres of new vineyards coming into production the White Zinfandel rage was launched.
Unfortunately the combination of sweet zinfandel rosé and its predecessor from the 1960’s—Gallo’s sweet grenache rosé–killed any interest in domestic Provencal style dry rosé for years but in the last decade rosé has made a moderate but steady comeback as the market slowly grasped the more delicate side of a wine that is neither white nor red. Today the demand is very strong as long as the wine provides the necessary qualities of freshness and lightness that make it the perfect summer drink.
We have just bottled our interpretation of Provencal rose. A syrah dominated blend from Roll Ranch (76%) which we continue to pick early and press immediately for light color, fresh, dynamic acidity and structure. A small amount of grenache from Sebastiano (8%) brings high tone berry fragrances, complimented by floral perfumes from Kick On Riesling (8%) and Sauvignon Blanc from McGinley (8%). This year the wine has a softer mid palate than the 2012, with some gentle richness provided by the generous and lush 2013 vintage.
Blend: 76% Syrah, 8% Grenache, 8% Riesling and 8% Sauvignon Blanc | Alc: 13% | Vinification: 100% Neutral French Oak | Barrel Aging: 5 Months | Total Production: 599 cases
