Looking Through Rosé Colored Glasses

In 2016 Bonterra won Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year so imagine how excited I was when the 2016 Bonterra Rosé showed up at my doorstep to taste for the June #winestudio program. Ya I was excited and honored. The folks at Bonterra wanted to make sure we looked hip and looked at everything through Rosé colored glasses they included a pair. I thought, this is going to be a fun tasting!

Let me tell you a little about Bonterra. They planted their first organic vineyard in 1987 and in 1993 they released their first vintage of organically farmed wine. This year, 2017 they are celebrating 30 years of organic farming. Congratulations to them! Their three vineyards (ranches) are certified Biodynamic by Demeter. What does that mean? It’s something that takes years to achieve. They must adhere to Demeter’s farm standard applying Biodynamic preparations and composts and increasing biodiversity. They have to be re-certified every year. To learn more about the Demeter certification visit http://www.demeter-usa.org/.

Their 2016 Mendocino County Rosé is a blend of 74% Grenache with some Sangiovese and Nebbiolo added. It’s a beautiful shade of pink. The wine has aromas of pineapple, rose, strawberry leading to a beautiful complex palate of orange, watermelon, peach, strawberries and a hint of lime. As the wine warms up some pomegranate flavor chimes in. This wine is dry, smooth and nicely balanced. It was a limited release and unfortunately is now sold out at the winery. However, if you see a bottle of this Rosé in the wine store, grab it. You’ll be glad you did!

I did pair the Rosé with homemade pesto. As you can see, I forgot to take a picture of the full plate and I guess I was hungry.

#RoseRevolution with Angels & Cowboys

A name like Angels & Cowboys will put a smile on your face.  The back label says "There's a lover, a trailblazer and a rule breaker in all of us. " Yes there is.  Sound exciting, well so is the wine.

Angels & Cowboys is a collaboration between Cannonball Wine Company co-founders, Yoav Gilat and Dennis Hill along with graphic artist Michael Schwab. They created a wine that brings out the lover, trailblazer and rule breaker in all of us because you know it's there.

They  strive to make  Rose in the similar style of the Roses that come out of the South of France.  Accentuating on mouth feel and structure.

Their 2015 Rose is a blend of Grenache Rouge, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Grenache Blanc all sourced from the Carneros, Alexander and Dry Creek Valley. The wine is light salmon in color.  Delicate but racy and fresh.

The wine was aged on the lees for 2 months with minimal stirring.  This was for the texture and to avoid complex yeasty flavors and to add a bit of weight to the wine.

The aromas coming out of the glass expressed minerality with a floral notes of violets and some strawberry, lime and tangerine. Once in your mouth there are soft flavors of red fruit with a nice citrus finish. It's very nice and balanced.

"Everything is nice on this wine!  The minerality, freshness, the citrus finish and the violets on the nose."

The wine retails for $15.  You can find it in restaurants and liquor stores.  If you are in New York City, Gotham Wines on 94th and Broadway carries it.

Dinner for the evening was chicken sausage sauteed with sugar snap pees, onions some oil and garlic. Pairing perfect!

#RoseRevolution with Ellipsis Wines

Rosé wines come in all flavors.  You may ask what I mean by that.  When you drink a Chardonnay, you expect a certain flavor profile.  Not entirely so with Rosé wines, because each Rosé is different, made with a different red wine grape.

Last week I had the opportunity to taste my first Rosé of Pinot Meunier by Ellipsis Wine Company .  Pinot Meunier is a grape that is mainly used in the blending of Champagne in France.   There is only 300 acres of Pinot Meunier planted in California and most of them are in the Carneros area.  The grapes for this Rosé come from Christine's Vineyard which is on the border of Sonoma County AVA and Russian River Valley AVA.

Jonathan and Devika are the beautiful couple that are behind this Rosé and Ellipsis Wine Company. They founded the company in 2008.   What began with producing a barrel of wine at home with friends turned into a first generation winery with an annual production of 1,600 cases of wine.

When asked Jonathan and Devika why they chose the Pinot Meunier grape for their Rosé they said they like the higher natural acidity the grape has and it brings more brightness and fruitiness to the wine. They also pick the fruit at 24 brix as that is their optimal point on the bright fruit and acidity combination for them to make the quality of Rosé

The wines beautiful shade of pink is so inviting.  The 2015 Rosé of Pinot Meunier had beautiful aromas of red berry fruit, strawberry and a hint of watermelon.

The wine had very nice structure and bright acidity.  Flavors  of ripe red raspberry, strawberry and a hint sour cherry filled the palate ending with a lime finish.

There are only 75 cases of this wine made and it retails or $25.

What I love about Rosé is that it is such a versatile grape.  I

paired this wine with a turkey burger with bacon, blue cheese and caramelized onions accompanied with a pickle relish mustard spread.

Burger Recipe:
1 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons Crown Maple Syrup
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and throw on the grill.

Pickle Relish Mustard Spread:
1/2 cup Mayo
2 tablespoons pickle relish drained
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all together and chill for an hour before adding it to your burger.