Wine & Spirits - June 2021 - 52

Focus
US Rosé
Our blind panels tasted 146 new-release US Rosés for this issue. Our critics rated 35 as
exceptional (90+) and 13 as Best Buys. Joshua Greene covers California's North Coast;
Patrick J. Comiskey covers the rest of the US. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all
reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA L I FO RN I A

with quiet wild strawberry and herbal flavors,
the wine's lasting impression is its structure
more than its fruit. For pork loin. -P.J.C. §
524982

CENTRAL COAST
524937

91 | Wente Vineyards

$35

90 | Ampelos

$20

2020 Arroyo Seco Niki's Pinot Noir Rosé ^
This shows some of Monterey's better features, a sweet and sour, yin and yang pink
with raspberry scents that seem warmed by
the sun and cooled by the bay breezes. It's
surprisingly austere and feathery in its texture, the acids balanced and fresh. -P.J.C. §
524983

2020 Sta. Rita Hills Upsilon: The Charged
Rosé ^ Lean into this wine's tense energy, its
mildly funky syrah-like scents which give way
to a red cherry explosion. Sleek, balanced,
fresh, and simple, it's a rosé to bring along
for a picnic. -P.J.C. (400 cases) §
524966

$30

2020 Los Olivos District Grenache Rosé ^ A
cool-climate tension in this rosé brings out
the best in grenache, red strawberry flavors
layered with leesy richness. The flavors are
simple, appealingly savory, with the energy
for a medium-rare burger. -P.J.C. (250 cases) §
524931

91 | Alma Rosa

2020 Sta. Rita Hills Grenache Rosé ^ A sour
cherry core of flavor brightens and propels
this wine, leading into cool grenache scents
of strawberry and orange zest. Its marked
with a dusty, saline character that gives the
wine a brisk tension. -P.J.C. (187 cases) §

90 | Buttonwood Farm

$24

90 | Rusack Vineyards

$24

2020 Ballard Canyon Boundless Rosé ^
Blended from syrah and zinfandel, this wine
offers scents of sea-breezes and lime that contribute to a tart attack, with a hint of red fruit
in the background. The youthful flavors are
red-fruited and taut, with thirst-quenching
acids and a mineral tang that renders the texture austere. This may be in need of some cellar time and a seafood meal to sing. -P.J.C. §

$22

2019 Paso Robles Adelaida District Gean
Vineyard Grenache Rosé ^ This is a quirky
rosé, with scents of parsley sprigs and bay
laurel, overlaying a red cherry scent. The palate starts out generous and then retreats into
a vibrant juiciness, finishing with invigorating acidity. -P.J.C (180 cases) §
525880

90 | Alma Rosa

$35

2020 Sta. Rita Hills Vin Gris ^ A delicate
wine from the Sta. Rita Hills, this has scents
of paperwhites and chive blossoms. Laced
52

WINE & SPIRITS

JUNE 2021

89 | Grandeur

$15

88 | Ryder

$15

2020 Monterey White Flower Vineyard
Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Scents of strawberry candy
and red berry have a leesy accent, providing
some savor and complexity. It's simple and
mouthwatering, balanced for a patio evening. -P.J.C. (3,854 cases) §
524952
2020 Central Coast Estate Pinot Noir
Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Rich and redolent of freshpressed cherries and red plums, this wine has
a plumpness to the middle then is marked
by a mildly bitter finish. -P.J.C. (1,512 cases) §

NORTH COAST
525224

92 | Donkey & Goat

$30

91 | Vaughn Duffy

$22

90 | Migration

$30

2020 Mendocino Isabel's Cuvée Gibson
Ranch Rosé ^ Jared and Tracey Brandt work
with a block of grenache gris dating to 1896
in McDowell Valley. They allow the grapes a
few hours of skin maceration, then ferment
the wine without additions in neutral oak
vessels. This is a little cloudy, with a cool zesty
orange color and flavor. Decant it and the
crushed berry flavors emerge from delicate
tannins. Then serve it with roast striped bass
stuffed with fresh herbs. -J.G. (380 cases) §
525228
2020 Mendocino County Rosé of Carignane ^ The fruit for this wine grows at the
Bartolomei Brothers Vineyard in the benchlands east of Ukiah. At 80 years of age, the
vines produced a concentrated rosé, saturated with floral wild strawberry flavor, frisky
with a rooty note to ground it. Built for a
range of summery dishes. -J.G. (360 cases) §
525252
2019 Sonoma Coast Rosé ^ This savory rosé
has scents of green tea and and light herbal
tannins that firm up its strawberry flavors.
There's also a hint of orange oil, making it
a match for grilled unagi. -J.G. (280 cases) §

524919

91 | J. Lohr

here is pale and crunchy, driven by mouthwatering acids and unexpected balance for a
$10 wine. -P.J.C. (2,810 cases) §
524967

SIERRA FOOTHILLS
525236

90 | The Withers
524968

90 | Longford Estate

$10

2020 Monterey County Pinot Noir Rosé
(Best Buy) ^ Forthright in its scent of ripe
cherries and sophisticated leesiness, the fruit

$23

2020 El Dorado Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Focused
on mourvedre and grenache, with a little counoise in the blend, this is pale, barely pink,
offering refreshing notes of watermelon rind
and lime. It's floral up front then mineral in
the end, a thirst-quenching aperitif with Serrano ham and cured olives. -J.G. (450 cases) §

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://www.jlohr.com/wines/2019-gean-vineyard-rose https://www.longfordestatewines.com

Wine & Spirits - June 2021

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