Wine & Spirits - August 2020 - 50

FOCUS: WEST COAST ROSÉS
In recent years, rosés in the US have emulated the pale-pink wines of Provence. But the most recent crop from the Pacific coast is a diverse
bunch: It's drawn from more varieties, has more shades of pink, and boasts a greater range of flavor than ever before. In California, the best
replicate coastal sunshine. In Oregon and Washington, cooler nights result in slightly more edgy textures, though the warm 2019 vintage in
Oregon took its pinot noir rosés in a supple direction. -P.J.C.
For this issue, our blind panels tasted 94 new-release rosés from Mendocino, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and Sonoma County in California; Willamette Valley in Oregon and Columbia Valley in Washington. Patrick J. Comiskey, our critic for Oregon, Washington and Southern California, and Joshua Greene, our critic for Northern California, rated 16 as exceptional (90+) and 10 as Best Buys. Subscribers
can find a complete list of wines tasted, and all reviews, at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA L I FO RN I A
520697

93 | Handley Cellars

$26

2019 Anderson Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir
Estate Vineyard ^ From Handley's organically
farmed estate in the Deep End of Anderson
Valley, this comes off vines planted in 1990.
It's immediately seductive, with a deep scent
of pinot noir and the freshness of cool Anderson Valley nights. And it sustains that freshness for days, in bright notes of strawberry
leaf and earthy woodland berries. It's a rosé
that looks and smells like wine while remaining light and crisp. Buy a case to enjoy all
summer long. -J.G. (290 cases) §
520742

93 | Tablas Creek

$25

2019 Paso Robles Patelin de Tablas Rosé ^
Tablas Creek put out two terrific rosés in
the 2019 vintage. This one is the prettiest, a
grenache-dominated pale pink drawn from
non-estate sources. Fresh and mouthwatering, with peach and wild strawberry scents
buoyed by a sea-spray lift, it has a lacy delicacy even while it's grounded by a mourvedre
foundation. -P.J.C. (2,250 cases) §
520749

92 | Habit

$23

2019 Santa Ynez Valley Rosé ^ Jeff Fischer
sourced this wine from two vineyards in
2019: Demetria, in Santa Ynez, and Vogelzang in Happy Canyon. It's yin and yang in
the glass, the Demetria contribution feeling
cool and citrusy, with scents of grapefruit
and pink flowers, while Vogelzang brings a
warmer feel, juicy and mouthfilling, with a
dense, focused structure. This is a rosé with
the stuffing for sausages. -P.J.C. (210 cases) §
520738

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2020

520755

92 | Stolpman

$21

91 | Long Meadow Ranch

$25

2019 Ballard Canyon Grenache Rosé ^ From
the moment it's poured, Stolpman's entrylevel rosé comes off as edgy and elegant, with
a texture that bears out the warmth of Ballard Canyon and the finessed hand of winemaker Kyle Knapp. It's very pale, with scents
of cherry blossom and a spray of bitter herbs,
and juicy flavors that firm up and focus with
air. -P.J.C. (1,550 cases) §
520698
2019 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Rosé ^
This starts off with a beautiful fresh-berry
scent, builds through the tart savor of a pale
strawberry just coming into ripeness, then
trails off into a little warmth of alcohol in the
end. Give it time to open up and the freshness runs straight through the wine, taking
on a tart red currant note. This will be delicious with the pale pink flesh of Dungeness
crab. -J.G. (3,250 cases) §
520748

91 | Stolpman

$19

2019 Santa Barbara County Para Maria
Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Para Maria is a partnership between the Stolpman family and their
vineyard manager, Ruben Solarzano, and his
wife, Maria. A rosé of syrah, it's lean and racy,
with a hint of smoke and strawberry and a
buzzy, citrusy feel that accents its clean lines.
-P.J.C. (1,300 cases) §
520743

91 | Tablas Creek

$30

2019 Paso Robles Dianthus Rosé ^ In contrast to Tablas Creek's grenache-based
Patelin de Tablas Rosé (also recommended
here), this favors mourvedre, with smaller
amounts of grenache and counoise. Deep
salmon-orange in color, the wine is muscular and robust, with scents of hibiscus and
broad guava notes. The mourvedre provides
the frame, the counoise the movement, acid
and flowers. -P.J.C. (900 cases) §

90 | Ampelos

$18

2019 Sta. Rita Hills Upsilon Syrah Rosé
(Best Buy) ^ Six percent riesling is added
to this syrah-dominant pink, providing a
peachy top note that lends a bit of phenolic leanness to the wine's smoky cantaloupe
flavors. Chill for crudo. -P.J.C. (400 cases) §

520700

88 | Banshee Wines

$19

2019 Mendocino County Rosé (Best Buy) ^
A spicy, cool rosé of grenache, barbera and
syrah, this wine has the strawberry sweetness
and peppery edges to take on char-grilled
pork. -J.G. (50 cases) §

OREGON
WILL AMETTE VALLEY
520760

92 | Apolloni

$19

2019 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Rosé
(Best Buy) ^ This well-priced pink walks the
line between red fruits and a more leesy,
leathery wave of umami. Initial scents of
pastilles and strawberry leather give way to
rounder, deeper cherry flavors, satisfying
and balanced; for a chicken braise. -P.J.C.
(478 cases) §

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://www.bansheewines.com/product/2019-Banshee-Rose-?pageID=76D56B88-08CE-87A4-1591-5B0BFC8D795E&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10&

Wine & Spirits - August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2020