Wine & Spirits - August 2017 - 51

YEAR'S BEST ROSÉS

Our blind panels tasted 823 new-release rosé wines over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 35 as exceptional
(90+) and 42 as Best Buys. The ratings and reviews in this section are by Patrick J. Comiskey (Oregon), Joshua
Greene (Bordeaux, Loire and Portugal), Stephanie Johnson (Italy), Luke Sykora (California), Patricio Tapia (Spain)
and Tara Q. Thomas (Austria and France's Languedoc, Provence and Rhône).
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

U N I T E D STA T E S

sonality, earthen and vinous but also bright,
with a refreshing crunchiness that lasts.
449689

CALIFORNIA

88 | Banshee Wines

450322

90 | Folded Hills

449612

91 | Demetria

$27

2016 Santa Ynez Valley Estate Rosé ^ Grown
in the rolling hills of Foxen Canyon on a biodynamically farmed estate, this grenachebased rosé smells savory and appetizing,
like dry herbs and warm earth. There's a lot
of intensity to its flavors, which balance the
richness of ripe apricots with lemony freshness, returning to a fine, taut, chalky line of
structure that gives those sunny flavors force
and length. You might consider aging this for
a few years, much like a good Bandol rosé.
(800 cases)
449490

91 | Kivelstadt Cellars

$20

2016 Mendocino County Twice Removed
Venturi Vineyard Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Grower
Larry Venturi's grandfather planted the
head-pruned, 75-year-old carignan vines
that contributed more than half of this rosé,
that older planting supported by 30-year-old
grenache vines. Both parcels are dry farmed,
and that, plus vine age, might account for the
wine's earthen savor, which plays against a
richer stone-fruit flavor, the aromas hinting
at resinous herbs, bringing to mind dry Provençal rosé. It's brisk and juicy, with a firm
structure that will stand up to garlic-marinated grilled chicken thighs. (565 cases)
449930

91 | Tres Sabores

$24

2016 Santa Ynez Valley Estate Lilly Rosé ^
Angela Osborne makes one of California's
most delicate rosés under her A Tribute to
Grace label; the wine she makes for Kim and
Andrew Busch's estate project is similarly
cool and lifted. Made from grenache grown
on a hillside between the warmer Ballard
Canyon and cooler Sta. Rita Hills, it moves
from a sunny cantaloupe flavor to a more
savory scent of thyme. "It's fresh and bright,"
said Gianpaolo Paterlini of Acquerello, "and
long for a rosé." Match it with an aromatic,
saffron-heavy paella. (495 cases)
445326

90 | Quivira

$22

2015 Dry Creek Valley Rosé ^ No simple
poolside sipper, this is a rosé for food, broad
and powerful, with the exotic brightness of
pink guava. Made mostly of grenache and
mourvedre, it's savory and complex, lasting on a dusty, herbal scent that will match
grilled fish. (W&S 10/16; 988 cases) §

$28

2016 Napa Valley Ingrid & Julia Rosé ^ Take
that, white zinfandel: Here's a serious, dry
rosé from zinfandel and petite sirah, its clean,
refreshing red fruit (think seedy wild strawberries) and herbal savor lasting through the
next bite of duck rillettes. (690 cases)

449738

90 | The Withers

$22

2016 El Dorado Rosé ^ A blend of mourvedre (61 percent) and grenache, this is a touch
reductive and flinty at first, and could use a
splash in a decanter if you drink it in the next
few months. It's a pale rosé with a savory per-

$20

2016 Mendocino County Rosé (Best Buy) ^
This is clean and high-toned, with rosemary
and lavender aromas and a green-strawberry
freshness. There's a bit of pithy bitterness at
the end and though it's not long or complex,
if you close your eyes, you might think you're
on a breezy hillside in Provence-or maybe
California. (4,000 cases)

450207

88 | Skylark

$19

88 | A Tribute to Grace

$23

88 | The Forager

$22

87 | AVA Grace

$12

2016 Mendocino County Pink Belly (Best
Buy) ^ This simple, frisky rosé lasts on mouthwatering strawberry and grapefruit flavors.
The exuberance of its fruit will shine at a
summer picnic. (800 cases)
450307
2016 Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard Rosé of Grenache (Best Buy) ^ Angela
Osborne makes this delicate rosé from an
arid, high-altitude vineyard 33 miles east of
Santa Barbara. Its breezy watermelon tone
is edged by brisk saltiness and drawn out on
a pithy, herb-scented structure. (539 cases)
449625
2016 Mendocino Vin Gris (Best Buy) ^ Based
on grenache and syrah from Redwood Valley
fermented cool without added yeasts, this is
round and pleasant, with a soft, peach-flesh
flavor in the middle and clean spiciness at the
end that lasts. (400 cases)
449428

2016 California Rosé (Best Buy) ^ This is
plump but doesn't feel at all sugary, its lush
watermelon and cantaloupe flavors given
WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2017

51
http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com http://www.foldedhills.com/2016-estate-lilly-rose/ https://www.demetriaestate.com/ http://store.skylarkwine.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=2016-PINK-BELLY http://www.thewitherswinery.com/store/detail/?item=2016-rose
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2017
