Wine & Spirits - August 2019 - 61

YEAR'S BEST US ROSÉS
Our blind panels tasted 331 new-release American rosés over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 29 as exceptional (90+) and 17 as
Best Buys. Patrick J. Comiskey covers California' Central Coast and Sierra Foothills, Oregon and Washington; Joshua Greene reviews
the wines of California's North Coast. Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA LI FO RN I A

it's a rosé that feels complete on its own, and
completely integrated. (W&S 10/18) -J.G.

sive and fresh; a mouthwateringly tart summer quencher. (600 cases) -P.J.C

SAN BENITO

S A N TA Y N E Z V A L L E Y

513082

91 | Eden Rift

517080

90 | Decoy

$20

2018 California Rosé ^ A bright and lifted
pink made from about two-thirds syrah, with
carignane, pinot noir and vermentino, this
leads with scents of cherry juice and orange
peel. It's fresh and balanced, with a creamy
breadth; for chicken skewers. -P.J.C
517242

88 | Birichino

CEN T R A L C OAST
517108

$15

2018 Central Coast Space Age Grenache
Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Scents of cherry blossoms
give way to sweet-tart cherry fruit, with the
emphasis on sweet. (2,500 cases) -P.J.C

PA S O R O B L E S
513067

93 | Tablas Creek

2017 Cienega Valley Pinot Noir Rosé ^ This
pinot noir grows in the hills west of Salinas,
inland from the Monterey Bay. It smells like
pink grapefruit and tastes like crisp watermelon, clean and refreshing. Salty and ripe,
it's a great choice for roast fish. (W&S 10/18;
511 cases) -J.G.

S A N TA B A R B A R A C O U N T Y

$25

2017 Paso Robles Patelin de Tablas Rosé ^
This grows at the Haas family's Rhône refuge in western Paso Robles, where they partnered with the Perrins of Château Beaucastel to import and plant a range of Rhône
varieties, helping to populate California's
vineyards with well-bred vines. This rosé
is mostly grenache and mourvedre; it captures the cool side of Paso in its freshness,
with bright flavors that could substitute for
strawberries and cream at a Sunday morning
tennis final. Fragrant, smooth and gracious,

93 | Habit

$23

91 | Beckmen

$25

2018 Santa Ynez Valley Demetria Vineyard Grenache Rosé (Best Buy) ^ Jeff Fischer
works with fruit from a steep, north-facing
parcel at this biodynamically farmed vineyard, north of the town of Los Olivos, where
the vines were planted in 1990 using a massal selection of grenache. He shepherds those
grapes into a delicate, strawberry-scented
rosé with impressive structure and depth.
It's fragrant and savory, with lovely freshness to match salmon sashimi and wasabi.
(344 cases) -J.G.
516809
2018 Ballard Canyon Purisima Mountain
Vineyard Grenache Rosé ^ From start to finish this is pure, forward grenache, with a salty
top note adorning red plum flavors that are
both sweet and tart. It's fresh and mineral,
with a fine-grained finish. (980 cases) -P.J.C

$17

2018 California Vin Gris (Best Buy) ^ Brisk
and a little backward, this is austere, with a
whiff of lees and a taut white-cherry briskness. Drink now for its lemonade quench factor, or wait a month or two for the flavors to
develop. (1,675 cases) -P.J.C

86 | Grounded Wine
Company

516689
$25

517297

90 | A Tribute to Grace

$25

90 | Storm Wines

$24

2018 Santa Barbara County Highlands
Vineyard Rosé of Grenache ^ Angela
Osborne makes this wine from a vineyard 33
miles east of Santa Barbara, where the vines
grow in sand at an elevation of 3,200 feet.
It's a delicate rosé, from its salmon-rose-gold
color to the lasting bright strawberry crunch
of its fruit. That fruit sweetness will take on
pulled pork, or the ma-la heat of Sichuan
minced pork with pickled long beans. -J.G.
517314
2018 Santa Barbara County Grenache
Rosé ^ This low-impact (12 percent alcohol)
pink has a mild strawberry scent and salty,
juicy cherry flavors; it has the high-acid nerve
and just enough grip to pair with seafood
paella. -P.J.C

HAPPY CANYON OF
S A N TA B A R B A R A

517298

91 | Folded Hills

$26

2018 Santa Ynez Valley Lilly Rosé of Grenache ^ Angela Osborne makes this wine
from Kim and Andrew Busch's organic farm
in Gaviota, directly between Buellton and
the coast. It's a plump and hearty rosé, with
bright scents of cherry blossoms. While it's
a little heady with alcohol, the fruit is brisk
enough to check it, and a chill will focus it for
summer drinking. -J.G.

517212

90 | Dragonette Cellars

$25

2018 Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Rosé ^ Scents of red cherry and Wheatabix
give way to a pink-melon juiciness, expanWINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2019

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://www.decoywines.com/Wines https://www.gracewinecompany.com https://shop.foldedhills.com/2018-estate-lilly-ros-p34.aspx

Wine & Spirits - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2019