Summertime Rose’- The Livin’ and Drinkin’ is Easy

To borrow the above phrase from George Gershwin and tweak it a little, summer is ideal for rose’ however let me be clear, it’s for any night of any year (sorry about the rhyme, Mr. Gershwin seems to be floating in my ether right now).

So for your consideration, here are four rose’ wines to explore this summer.

The 2017 Tres Chic ($16.99) from Le Grand Courtage is light and summery, fresh cut strawberries, lemon-lime, red currants, guava and a balanced acidity. Made of Grenache Noir and Cinsault. The fruit is from Sud de France (South of France) in the Pays d’Oc region.

The Edna Valley Rose’ ($16/Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre) takes the idea of the Tres Chic and puts a new world spin on it. It offers similar strawberry and lemon-lime notes, but with more minerality and deeper fruit flavors.

The 2017 Fleur de Mer Cotes de Provence Rose’ ($20) then accentuates the Edna Valley with a brighter acidity and strong minerality. The strawberry and lemon lime are quieted by the more floral notes of lavender and honeysuckle.

The culmination of all this finds its expression in the J Brut Rose’ ($45/Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), which combines all the best of the three wines listed above, but adds bubbles. What’s not to love? So check out any of these bottles and enjoy summertime livin’.

Two Jacksons & a Pinot

Pinot Noir is one of those grapes that makes a wine people love…or not. There seems to be little common ground for the people on this particular wine. Pinot Noir grapes tend to be tiny little things with a thin skin (I’m thinking my mother); fussy about weather, dirt, and kind of prima donna-ish. Compare that with over-achiever grapes like Syrah or sturdy Cabernet, and Pinot ends up being more expensive to grow and produce and therefore to buy a bottle requires some serious cash. However, in my endless quest of all things wine I discovered two Pinots that defy price points. May I present the 2013 Vista Hills Estate Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon and Fossil Point from California’s Edna Valley in San Luis Obispo County - just 20 bucks each.

The Vista Hills Vineyard from the Dundee Hills region is a dynamic spicy pepper number, a little earthy mineral quality, muted on the fruit and with a moderate acidity. Conversely the 2013 Fossil Point from the Edna Valley is indicative of the California Central Coast, bright and lively with more noticeable strawberry and black cherry and a solid through-line of acidity. Let me be honest, these are not mind-blowing wines. But the larger issue is that they are solid values; well crafted and worthy of your $20 if even just once precisely because they are so well made and demonstrate exactly how a wine can deliver quality, value and integrity. I sample high end wines from across the globe but most people I talk with ain’t willing to drop $80 for a bottle of wine for dinner; they want a bottle of wine that doesn’t equal a car payment. Search these baby’s out (the Vista Hills in more likely to be found in Oregon restaurants) and enjoy them, remembering that not all wines need to be expensive.

Bio & The Heavy D: Qupe’s Biodynamic Grenache

There are a variety of different types of farmers, like grape growers, including (broadly speaking) those who work with the soil and those who work with chemicals with the soil. Biodynamic farming and winemaking, actually beyond organic, is a confusing subject for a lot of consumers, and even some winemakers I know are vehemently opposed to it. But why? Yes it has elements of an “airy fairy” quality, lunar aspects and some mystical elements, which I’m not getting into here. Of course, if treating the earth you farm with the utmost respect is bad, well, I then clearly don’t understand farming. Anyhoo…organic wine, biodynamic wine – all great ideas that minimize our impact on the land and products we farm. Problem used to be that so many of these wines just weren’t very good. Not any more – the current spate of certified organic and biodynamic wines made in the U.S. is impressive - like the Qupe 2011 Grenache from the Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard. Qupe has long been at the forefront of winemaking in Santa Barbara County and typical of Grenache this offers soft black cherry, rhubarb and pomegranate, blackberry compote, mild oak and spice supported by a mild acidity and enough fruit to compliment your food without overpowering it. Certified Demeter (biodynamic) in 2009 this fruit hails from the Edna Valley in San Louis Obispo and this is truly a stellar wine. So if you think biodynamic is a crock of shit, that’s fine; that is your opinion. But the proof is always in the pudding, er, wine. And this baby rocks. Regardless of your beliefs, this wine is well worth the price tag and delivers more than the actual cost. And that is something rare these days. QUPE

ORIGIN: Edna Valley, San Louis Obispo, California

PRICE: $35 / 750/ml

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  91 POINTS

40 is the New 40: Happy Birthday, Chamisal Vineyards

I admit I’m older than Chamisal. Ok, so big deal. I actually look younger than their vineyards with their calcareous and rocky, dry soil. One of the first vineyards to be planted in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo County way back in 1973 to Chardonnay, the property has seen some changes. Chamisal came to prominence when Terry Speizer bought it and started kicking out some killer Pinot Noir, but he renamed it Domaine Alfred…let’s be honest, that’s a lame name. 

Terry was not, shall we say, user friendly however and though he made terrific wines, his social skills were as stiff as an old cork. But to the rescue came the Crimson Wine Group (who I like and respect) a private investor group who bought it from Terry and named it back to it’s original name from the 70s, Chamisal: a much cleaner and poetic name. 

 

Winemaker Fin addressing the crowd & a strategically placed wine glass for effect.

Crimson Wine Group, who know a good thing, doesn’t futz with what works so they are pretty hands-off of the day to day operation: their goal is to produce exceptional wines (they also own Pine Ridge in Napa and Archery Summit in Oregon). For their big B-Day party winemaker Fintan du Fresne, a very nice chap from New Zealand, made a special 40^th Anniversary Chardonnay from the very first vines planted in ‘73. It’s a terrific wine using native yeasts which, alas probably won’t be made again as the vines are getting old. They were pouring quite a few wines that night and the 1999 Califa Pinot Noir was showing beautifully with subtle restrained fruit, as Pinot is supposed to be. See, this is why you attend events like this – you get cool stuff. Known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the wines here are uniformly solid and dependable and if you’re in the area I strongly suggest you stop here. 

A happy crowd attended the 40th as the sun caused us to drink more Chardonnay

There is also Grenache and Syrah and frankly the region as a whole makes decent wines, but so what? You can find good wine everywhere. What you want to excellent wine and Chamisal fits that bill. So happy birthday, Chamisal, I enjoyed the big dinner party and the wines…it was a reminder that age can produce things of beauty. For more Chamisal info read my post from my Central Coast travel blog here:  

CERVINS CENTRAL COAST: Chamisal -A Day In The Life

And Visit Chamisal Here: CHAMISAL VINEYARDS