Wine & Spirits - August 2018 - 54

YEAR'S BEST ROSÉS
511868

NEW YORK

$18

2017 Finger Lakes Dry Rosé ^ Here's a
fiercely savory pink with equal parts cherry
and strawberry fruit, set against fresh-cut
herbs like fennel and chervil. Chill it for a
barbecue. (825 cases)
512305

90 | Sheldrake Point

$18

2017 Finger Lakes Dry Rosé of Cabernet
Franc ^ With a hint of smoke and a warm
strawberry fragrance, this has a pretty core of
spicy red fruit, with just enough edgy acidity
to pour with poached chicken. (2,576 cases)
512313

89 | Fulkerson Wine Cellars $15

2017 Finger Lakes Syrah Rosé (Best Buy) ^
This rosé has a remarkable electric-pink
color, as if someone beamed a penlight up
into the punt. The cherry scent doesn't prepare you for the savory flavors, all tomato
water and delicate herbs; it's a savory pink
for lamb sausages. (445 cases)
511704

89 | Keuka Spring

$16

2017 Finger Lakes Rosé (Best Buy) ^ A field
blend of lemberger and cabernet franc, this
is a very light pink wine. With its berry freshness, mildly floral tone and a lean, slightly
bitter texture and powdery tannins, it's a delicate pink for barbecued chicken. (400 cases)
512314

88 | Fulkerson Wine Cellars $13

2017 Finger Lakes Pinot Noir Rosé (Best
Buy) ^ A rosé of pinot noir, this has more
cherry flavor than its light color and delicate
floral scent would suggest. Chill it down for
an aperitif. (133 cases)

OREGON
511957

92 | Cristom

$20

2017 Eola-Amity Hills Rosé of Pinot Noir
(Best Buy) ^ A salmon-colored pink with
scents of strawberry and Rainier cherry,
this exuberant rosé leaves an impression of
warm sunshine on a field of berries. The texture feels lemon-bright and the strawberry
flavors remaining fresh, lifted and persistent
through the mouthwatering finish. Happymaking, for summer quaffing. (444 cases)
54

WINE & SPIRITS

$20

88 | Second Growth

$19

87 | Acrobat

$14

2017 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Rosé
(Best Buy) ^ Light in color, with a wheaty biscuit note, this is assertive and energetic in its
slightly funky cherry flavors and lively acidity. For salade Niçoise. (600 cases)
511955

512013

90 | Fox Run

88 | David Hill

AUGUST 2018

2017 Willamette Valley Rosé (Best Buy) ^ A
pink that retains the vinousness of pinot noir
without sacrificing charm, this has a zippy
burst of cherry flavor that fills the mouth and
lasts through the mouthwatering finish. Chill
it down and drink up. (500 cases)
512234
2017 Oregon Rosé of Pinot Noir (Best
Buy) ^ Slightly floral, with a scent of cherry
blossoms and strawberries, this is light and
brisk, a well-made, well-priced picnic pink.
511843

87 | Wine By Joe

$7/375ml can

Oregon Rosé (Best Buy) ^ A fruit-skin edge
and a hint of spritz lend structure to this
wine's sweet red-plum flavors. Chill it to
crack open at the beach. (1,000 cases)
512196

86 | Samuel Robert

$15

2017 Willamette Valley Reserve Rosé of
Pinot Noir (Best Buy) ^ Fresh in aroma, this
has a sweet core of apple fruit with a pleasing
apple-skin grip. For canapes. (1,300 cases)

WASHINGTON
511758

90 | Gramercy Cellars

$25

2017 Columbia Valley Olsen Vineyard
Rosé ^ There's enough Columbia Valley heat
in this pink blend of cinsault, grenache and
syrah to make the wine feel sunny and forward, but it's also complex and savory, cinsault's herbal berry flavors keeping it lean
and balanced. (458 cases)

A USTRALIA
122948

93 | Airlie Bank

$22

2017 Yarra Valley Gris Fermented on Skins ^
Some might call this "orange" while others
classify it as rosé; we don't really care, as long
as it's in our glasses. Made from pinot gris fermented on the skins for two weeks and aged
in hogsheads, it's a riot of wildflower scents
and dried spice notes, with a juicy peach
intensity. It feels luxurious, expansive, generous and fun, growing redder as it sits in the
glass. Open it while the grill heats up, and
drink it when the pork chops are just past
pink. § Little Peacock Imports, Wilmington, DE
122947

93 | Alkoomi

$18

2017 Frankland River Rosé (Best Buy) ^
Sandy Hallett's parents planted the first
vines at Alkoomi in 1971, long before Frankland River became known for wine. Now
she and her team farm 259 acres of vines,
by hand, with no chemical inputs, watering
only with collected rain. They focus on Bordeaux varieties, like petite verdot, the grape
for this rosé. It draws out a prettiness you
may not have imagined possible from this
tannic variety, focusing the flavors on hibiscus and raspberries, with an oyster-mushroom umami note. It's silken and elegant, a
rosé for mushrooms in a cream sauce. § Little
Peacock Imports, Wilmington, DE

AUSTRIA
228499

92 | Gut Oggau

$61

90 | Fritsch

$14

90 | Stift Goettweig

$21

2016 Weinland Rosé ^ Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe normally name their rosé for
the fictional Winifred, drawn on the label as
a dark-eyed, placid-looking beauty, whom
they describe as shy at first, then refreshing
and charming. Her character seems to shine
through even though she's joined by siblings
both on the label and in the bottle in 2016,
a rough vintage with low yields. A blend of
blaufränkisch, zweigelt and roesler (a cross
of zweigelt and blaufränkisch), it's initially
simple and juicy, just fresh-pressed cherry
fruit with a cola note that matches the wine's
deep rosé color. With time, it becomes more
intriguing, notes of sweet spice and dried
herbs turning the flavors toward deep umami
savor while acidity keeps it lively. Open it
before dinner with cured meats; then pour
with a main course of sausage and lentils.
(W&S 4/18) § Jenny & François Selections, NY
228381
2016 Wagram Rosé vom Zweigelt (Best
Buy) ^ A brazen rosé, this is spicy and fresh,
with savory red-fruit flavors that fall somewhere between cherries and umeboshi, the
Japanese salted plums. The acidity crackles,
sending off sparks in the form of herbal notes,
signaling its readiness to match herb-crusted
lamb chops. (W&S 4/18) § Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman and Sons, NY
228230
2016 Niederösterreich Messwein Rosé ^
From its glossy pale pink hue to its sunny,
cool fruit flavors, Stift Goettweig's Messwein
rosé is regularly one of Austria's prettiest.
The 2016 is no exception: Made from oldvine pinot noir grown at 1,400 feet, it feels
cool and earthy, with just a ghosting of red
fruit behind its crunchy herbal and mineral

https://shop.foxrunvineyards.com/dry-ros-2017-p16.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2018