River Road Nouveau Rosé of Pinot Noir – Spring In A Bottle

100% Pinot Noir rosé from Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California.

SRP of $15 and available at that price. 240 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

“Our 2012 Nouveau (nuvo), a Rosé of Pinot Noir, is produced from hand-selected Pinot Noir grapes. We harvested the grapes from our lovely Russian River Valley vineyards, with only 240 cases of this very special wine being produced. Pinot Noir grapes were gently pressed during the winemaking process, with the free-run juice now being the hallmark of this Nouveau. Harvested in September of 2012, this Rosé was released on the first Monday of December 2012, marking our inaugural tradition…And hopefully yours too, for any of your celebrations ahead.

12.5% Alcohol”

We may still have tons of snow on the ground and temperatures well below freezing in my neck of the woods, but that’s not stopping me from celebrating the first day of spring and dreaming of warmer weather. And warmer weather means it’s time to break out the rosé!

Today we have quite an interesting one for you…this is the first vintage of a brand spanking new wine from River Road Family Vineyards and Winery. Not only that, but this is likely the very first wine released from the 2012 vintage in all of California. Seeking to emulate the Beaujolais Nouveau model, the winery decided to release a very young, light and fresh wine made from Pinot Noir grapes. Did they succeed? Let’s find out!

The River Road Family Vineyards and Winery 2012 Nouveau Rosé of Pinot Noir begins with a very nice, fruity aroma of wild strawberries, watermelon and bubble gum. The wine tastes simply refreshing! This isn’t an overly complex wine, but it does offer a nice plush and smooth, almost thick, texture without being syrupy sweet. Those tasty fruit flavors from the bouquet carry right on through to the finish, which also features some lingering mineral notes. Flat out fun to drink, if this doesn’t remind you of spring I’m not sure what will! And one helpful hint — make sure to serve this wine only slightly chilled to bring out the best flavors.

Available from the winery here.

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