Where white wine is a pretty simple concept – take white grapes, squeeze them, and you get clear to green colored juice. Yes, the white grape juice is clear – well so is red grape juice, but more on that in a bit. What is a rose wine? Well, simply said, a rose is a wine that can best be defined as the wine world’s chameleon. Now we will have tons of Rose, and I really think the real question here is will people drink it all? Wine Color Back then, there were few to no real Rose wine options, other than a handful of Israeli wines and almost no French Rose made it here. The first high-end rose was Castel’s 2009 rose and that was only 9 years ago. I did not stress my previous statement with a suffix of AT ALL, even though I am not allowed to open a bottle of rose on my Shabbos table with guests – why? Well, that is simple – no one will drink it!!Įven worse, is that wine manufacturers may well have jumped the shark! There will be some 50 dry-ish kosher roses available in the USA this year! That may not sound like a lot, but when all you had was Herzog White Zinfandel 10 years ago – it is insane. Sadly, in the kosher wine market – that is not quite the case. It is still officially Summer, which means it is Rose time! Rose wine in the non-kosher market is exploding – especially Rose wine from Provence a wine region of France. Well, this is part 3, and I hope this is the last one! My schedule was insane, but it is now slowing down, thankfully, so I hope to be adding more posts as well! The subsequent posts would have the original content, and the newly revised or added rose wines as well. Oh, and that Clendenen Family Refosco, it’s a future, too, even though it’s the 2005 vintage and will sell for around $20 retail.Well, after the first post I stated that I would be doing this rose wine post a few times. The blend of Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Friulano tasted like something you’d try to sneak back in your suitcase from Italy. More expensive is the 2012 Buoni Anni Bianco Santa Ynez Valley made by Doug Margerum. The 2012 Carlson Blanc Santa Ynez, the first year for this summery blend of Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, will retail at just over $20. Santa Rita Pinot prices can get up there, but not everything is in the $40 range. I really liked his Santa Barbara County chardonnay as well, a perfect oyster wine with its sharp minerality. Joshua Klapper of La Fenêtre was out of his À Côté rosé, but was pouring an interesting Pinot Gris that will retail for just over $20. I also enjoyed chatting with South African winemaker Ernst Storm, who produces Storm Sauvignon Blanc Santa Ynez Valley and two mid-priced Pinot Noirs from Presqu’ile Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley and John Sebastiano Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. Especially the 2012 Tatomer Riesling from Kick-on Ranch in Santa Barbara, where he’s able to do multiple pickings. I really liked the Austrian varietals from Graham Tatomer of Tatomer, who spent three years working with Knoll and Hirtzberger in the Wachau region of Austria. Moorman’s 2011 Stolpman Estate Syrah Santa Ynez Valley is dry-farmed and organic, a beautiful bruiser of a Syrah that will sell for under $30 - and he made 5,000 cases of that one. But the wine from 42-year-old vines is magic if you like more chiseled chardonnay. Sashi Moorman made just 140 cases of the 2011 Sandhi Chardonnay “Sanford & Benedict,” and the price is in the high $40 to $50.
Some of the wines are very small production - 45 cases or 92 or something like that. So many great Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noirs, too many to mention here. That’s an Italian varietal little grown in California. And when I got to the Au Bon Climat and Clendenen Family Vineyards table, I had to taste the gnarly 2005 Refosco. At Richard Sanford’s Alma Rosa, I liked the 2012 Chardonnay “El Jabali Vineyard” Santa Rita Hills for its crisp acidity and minimal oak.
Jenni Bonaccorsi was pouring three Bonaccorsi 2011 Pinots, including a stunning one from Cargasacchi Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills with both power and finesse. These are the wines you’ll want to seek out. The Santa Barbara County Wine Futures Tasting was held at the courtyard in front of Les Marchands, a new wine shop and wine bar in the Funk Zone, i.e., on the beach side of the 101. On a beautiful day in Santa Barbara last Saturday, wine enthusiasts were able to taste unreleased wines from a collection of Santa Barbara County’s top vineyards.
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