VARIETAL & VINEYARD: This Rosé comes from two different sites on our estate: our “creekside” vineyards planted in 1998, and our newly grafted vines located on our “benchland” property. The vines are Grenache Noir clones, and Mourvedre purchased from Tablas Creek and Alban Vineyards. These clones, selected from Chateauneuf du Pape, give darker color and better structure than the majority of Grenache planted in California. Our vines are planted on low-vigor rootstock in 4’x 6’ spacing.
VINTAGE/HARVEST: 2009 was a relatively normal, consistent growing season, which is excellent for Greanche. Budbreak was late, and despite some August heat, we harvested our Grenache a week later than normal. While we harvest certain vineyard blocks earlier specifically for Rosé, we crop thin all of our Grenache and Mourvedre, limiting yields to only 5 pounds per vine. By harvesting earlier, we obtain an average sugar that is almost 4 degrees below what we achieve when harvesting for the red.. Thus, we can make a Rosé that is naturally lower in alcohol and has higher acidity. What a concept!
VINIFICATION: When we first started making Rosé, it was as a bi-product of making a more intense and structured red, using a technique called saignee, or bleeding juice from the tank. Now we produce 85% of the Rosé by directly pressing Grenache and Mourvedre grapes. In order to make a Provencal-style Rosé that is not dark hued or tannic, we limit skin contact to a couple of hours. The wine is fermented completely dry, and kept in a stainless steel tank until bottling. The malo-lactic fermentation was inhibited to preserve natural acidity. Mourvedre is a key component to making this a complex Rosé.
STYLE/DESCRIPTION: If you’ve been to the South of France you already know what this wine is all about. A floral and fruity nose leads to a rich and full-bodied wine that can handle a much wider variety of foods than your average white wine. Now that Rose has become quite fashionable, we can all drink it outside of the closet. MU
Harvested: 9/16/09 through 10/20/09 Blend: 77% Grenache, 23% Mourvedre
Total acidity: 0.56g/100ml Alcohol: 14 %
pH: 3.50 Bottled: 4/5/10
Aging: Stainless steel tanks Cases Produced: 1,150
Yum! I got to taste the rose at the winery a while back, and can’t wait to get some. Planning to be in the area tomorrow, and will stop by to pick up a case…at least!
Kathy (The A16, drinking rose at the bar at lunch person)
We love your Rose and have been drinking it for several years. The description above states that the wine is naturally lower in alcohol, yet it is still 14%. Are other Rose wines typically much higher? Lower alcohol would be nice for the hot summer days of Texas.
Hi Clark. Many Roses in California are made through saignee, or draining juice from a red fermenter. When most folks harvest for red wine here, their sugars are quite high, causing them to either live with high alcohol or add water to lower it. Now that we are identifying sections of our Grenache and Mourvedre vineyards to harvest specifically for Rose, we are achieving an alcohol level that allows us to make the wine without adding water. As such, it is more naturally balanced with bright acidity. Maybe someday we’ll get it down below 14%. what a bonanza that would be!
Thanks for your consistent support of our HhhRose (that is how it is pronounced in Provence). I think this will be our best, once it sits in the bottle for a few more weeks.
Hopefully you’ll see it there at A-16, while you are heckling Tim, Michael and Benito.
Hello Mick!! I just put the Rose on our wine list @ COI I’m luvin it and more importantly, our guests are luvin it!!! Cheers and thanks for makin a stellar Rose!!
Every since you first made a rose, you were mindful of preserving a full mouth feel with a completely dry finish, which has surprised and pleased so many friends with whom I shared the wine!
I don’t remember if I shared my first experience a few years back. We opened a bottle at the Hoffmann House with brunch and shared it with folks at an adjoining table, then the waiter, where we had so many enthusiastic comments that I certainly hope that they have it on their wine list by now!
I was very happy to pick up a case of it over Passport, I may regret sharing it with my son, but ….!
Hey, was the “sans foil cap” intentional or was I just too early to pick it up??
Just tried this last night at Gather in Berkeley and it paired beautifully with the Wild Arugula w/Country Ham salad, as well as the Duck Sausage Pizza.
I am pretty picky when it comes to whites and roses… they’ve gotta be perfectly balanced, not too fruity, dry, acidic, oaked, etc… This Rose was simply delicious and the perfect choice for a summer night (even in foggy and cool Berkeley).
Can’t wait to try some of your other wines! Sounds like a great excuse to visit Healdsburg.