Once again, I am completely behind on my wine round ups. I only have myself to blame. I had the vision of doing a rosé roundup and found myself with about 75 roses to drink (as well as a dedicated #winestudio program), so this is going to a series of round ups or you’d be reading about 150 wines (with a total of 300 under review, so advance apologies to the PR folks who sent these my way). Figured that would not be fun to read, let alone daunting to write, so we’ll take it by varietal and today I’ll cover 33 of them.
Rosé
2016 Caves d’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé – this is a fabulous expression of Provence rosé and is a critic favorite for a reason. Grapefruit, minerality, peach and blood orange. Absolutely delicious.
2016 Aridus Rosé – this Arizona wine was new to me and was a fun new find. I tasted tangerine, peach, strawberry and spice.
2016 Alta Vista Rosé – made to be an everyday, easy drinking fruity rosé with notes of Bing cherry, roses and a nice minerality.
2016 Caposaldo Rosé – notes of strawberries, raspberries, cherries with floral and mineral notes.
2016 Louis Jadot Rosé – notes of flowers, raspberry and currant with spice.
2016 Maison Saleya Rosé – This was the first one to go at the tasting. Notes of tangerine, raspberry, cherry, roses and a little spice on the end. Definitely the crowd favorite.
2016 Masi Rosa dei Masi – juicy berry, cherry and almost a richness balanced with a nice minerality.
2016 Martin Ray Rosé of Pinot Noir – I tasted stone fruit, cherry, strawberry and citrus notes. Small production and appears to be sold out, but definitely seek out if you can find it.
2016 Noble Vines Rosé – notes of raspberry, citrus, tangerine and roses.
2016 Ferraton Père & Fils, Samorëns Côtes du Rhône, Rosé – notes of flowers, peach, melon and citrus as well as stone fruit with a balanced minerality.
2016 Marqués de Riscal Rosado – strawberry, cherry, raspberry and rose with a nice mineralogy.
Sparkling
This was my first sparkling from Utiel-Requena, which is an appellation in Spain’s Bobal Valencia region. I learned that while 95% of the 35,000 hectares of vines are planted to red grape varieties, the Bobal is the star of the show here.
2014 Pago de Tharsys Bobal Unico Blanc de Negre Brut – this was a sparkling wine made with the Bobal grape. I got yeastiness, apples, almonds, pears and notes of citrus. I loved the minerality and the freshness of this wine.
I also tasted (from another region) Vineyard SEROL Turbullent Sparkling Rosé – it was a berry explosion with notes of pear and white fruit. A very refreshing and fun expression of sparkling wine.
Whites
2014 Troon Vermentino – let’s start out by saying that I love this wine and the fact that Craig Camp is involved, makes it even better. I tasted cherry, citrus, hazelnut, ginger, lemon curd and floral notes along with a great acidity.
2014 Cecchi La Mora Vermentino – an easy drinking white wine with notes of papaya, pear, apple and a nice acidity.
2015 Marques Casa Concha Chardonnay – this smooth drinking Chardonnay was chock full of pear, quince, almonds, spice and candied citrus.
2015 Adler Fels The Eagle Rock Chardonnay – notes of tropical fruit, apples, vanilla, pears and stone fruit. A well-balanced and elegant chardonnay.
2016 Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc – notes of lime zest, citrus, grassiness and a nice minerality.
2016 Martin Ray Sauvignon Blanc – a refreshing wine with lemon, floral notes, tropical fruits and a nice minerality.
2015 Martin Ray The Tower – made from Rhone varietals, I tasted tropical fruit, melon, flowers, honeycomb, lemon and grapefruit and a minerality that kept it refreshing.
2015 A2O Albarino – this was a true expression of albarino with minerality and notes of peach, melon, honey and a little herbal note.
2015 Torresella Pinot Grigio – a balanced pinot grigio with pear, apple and mineral notes.
2014 Naia Verdejo — notes of citrus, apricot, tropical fruit and flowers.
Reds
2013 Tarantas Tempranillo – another wine from the Utiel-Requena region (see sparkling section above). This wine had notes of cranberry, blackberry, spice, oregano, earth and cherry. A very drinkable tempranillo from this new regional discovery.
2014 Bodegas Hispano Suizas Bassus Pinot Noir – from the Utiel-Requena region and who knew Pinot Noir would be part of this region? Almost jammy it is so fruit forward. Lots of currant, floral notes and a nice spiciness makes this a very easy drinking wine.
2014 Alder Fels Pinot Noir – this lush pinot has notes of red cherry, earth, herbs and licorice. Definitely one of the favorites.
2014 Aridus Petite Sirah – this was a fun petite sirah to try and another surprise from Arizona. Loads of berry, cassis, mocha and a touch of vanilla.
Mezzacorona Vigneti Cliffhanger Vineyards Proprietary Red (NV) – red and black fruit combined with spice, oak and vanilla make this a bigger wine that begs for food.
2007 Mezzacorona NOS Riserva – I really enjoyed this wine with notes of blackberry, black cherry, charcoal, pepper and spice. Over the course, it kept opening nicely and was a great match with the appetizers we were snacking on.
2012 Praxis Lagrein – this was a new find for me and I was so glad for the discovery. A mix of cherry and black fruit with coffee, chocolate and herbal notes.
2016 Farraton Pere & Fils Cotes du Rhone Samorens – this solid red offered notes of raspberry, cherry, licorice and spice. It was very approachable and drinkable.
Other – Wines/Spirits in a Can
Bushido Premium Sake — A sake in a can? Yes, the convenience era has come to a head and now cans run prevalent – sometime with varying successes. Bushido’s Way of the Warrior sake can, contains premium Ginjo Genshu sake. I tasted red fruit, Asian pear along with floral notes and some spice. I think this can will convert some newbies to sake as it as a refreshing and unique way to experience sake.
Backpack Rosé – boat wine in a box… these cans of rosé were very drinkable and I tasted strawberry, white stone fruit with some floral notes.
