Washington State Rosé For The Win!

The first of three fine finds, the Charles & Charles Rosé.

A special guest post today from Steve Kubota covering three excellent rosé finds from Washington State!

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I recently tried several rosés priced from $6 to $13 and will cover three from Washington State that I found were crafted very well and had consistent quality over the past two or three vintages. While most wine consumers associate rosé as a summer only wine I have found that it is quite versatile and pairs well with traditional European and Asian cuisine very well and can be enjoyed year round.

First up is the Charles & Charles Rosé from the Columbia Valley. It is a blend of 72% Syrah, 8% Mourvedre, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Grenache, 3% Cinsault and 3% Counoise. The wine was purchased for just $7.87.

From the winery:

The Charles & Charles project is a collaboration between Charles Smith and Charles Bieler of Three Thieves, Bieler Père et Fils, and Sombra Mezcal. The Charles & Charles portfolio includes a red blend and rosé from Columbia Valley vineyards (also available in kegs). With an abstract play on the American Flag (designed by the historic Nashville poster shop, Hatch Show Print), the labels showcase the intent to provoke thought of the future while honoring the past.

The 2014 Charles and Charles Rosé opens with subtle aromas of strawberries, raspberries and tropical citrus notes. There is a nice balance of fresh fruit flavors of strawberry, tart cherry and raspberries that carry on to a nice mineral/citrus finish. The wine is harmoniously balanced and offer a generous mouth feel. It was one of the lowest priced rosés tasted and I would rank it as one of the top quality to price ratio (QPR) wines tasted.

See a listing of local retailers selling the Charles & Charles Rosé here.

 
 
Next up is the Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese also from the Columbia Valley. The wine is 100% Sangiovese and has residual sugar of just 0.4%. It retails on average at $12-$17 and can be purchased as low as $10.39.

From the winery:

Founded in 1983 by Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard, Barnard Griffin has been producing award-winning wines for over 30 years.

Barnard Griffin Winery is situated in south-central Washington at the confluence of the Yakima, Columbia, and Snake rivers, in the heart of Washington State’s wine country. Stop by the winery and visit our Tasting Room as well as our Wine Bar and Eatery in Richland, Washington to sample our award winning wines or visit our Online Wine Shop.

The 2014 growing season was punctuated by extreme heat in mid-summer and a marvelous sunny September. Our region was warm from start to finish and had little rainfall to deter us. The consistency of the season allowed us to capture as many heat units as we could manage.

12.9% Alcohol

The 2014 Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese is a red wine lover’s rosé. As a primarily red wine consumer myself, I immediately loved this one. It is big, complex with generous fruit…it brings along the whole marching band to trumpet out DRINK ME! This rosé is offers fresh fruit aromas and flavors of strawberries, honeydew, gooseberries and cranberries and is balanced and offers a luxurious feeling in your mouth.

See a listing of local retailers selling the Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese here.

 
 
Last we have the Long Shadows Vintners Julia’s Dazzle Pinot Grigio Rosé from The Benches Vineyard at Wallula in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. It has an average retail price of $12 and can be purchased on sale for as low as $10.

Disclaimer: My wife and I are Key Club members at Long Shadows Vintners. We discovered Julia’s Dazzle by happenstance through Costco and became members of Long Shadows not long afterward. We caught the rosé wine bug a few summers ago and saw this entry level offering made with Horse Heaven Hills AVA (“H3”) fruit and tried it on a whim. H3 is a revered sub AVA of Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State.

I have purchased more than a case of Julia’s Dazzle at various grocers and Costco. It is $11.99 at Costco and as low as $10.99 at my local grocer! I will use Costco’s price as a benchmark for this review.

Julia’s Dazzle welcomes you with pleasing aromas of strawberries and Anjou pears and entices you on the pallet with strawberry, melon and stone fruit flavors that carry on a lengthy, dry finish. This wine balances acidity, structure and fruit very, very well. The wine looks pink on the store shelf at room temperature, but turns an opaque orange when chilled.

This wine is excellent on its own and is indeed a great summer sipper but is very versatile and pairs well with a variety of Asian dishes and I recently enjoyed it with Parma Prosciutto wrapped burrata (fresh bison mozzarella) with capers and basil. I like to start the dog days of summer off with either a nice bottle of bubbles or a sumptuous bottle of rosé like this one.

Needless to say it has become one of our go to rosés.

Julia’s Dazzle is available through Costco, select merchants and grocers in standard 750mL bottles and 750mL and magnum 1.5L bottles from Long Shadows Vintners. This wine usually sells out before the summer gets rolling so consider yourself lucky that it is still available.

See a listing of local retailers selling the Julia’s Dazzle Pinot Grigio Rosé here.

You can follow Steve on Twitter @SteveKubota and soon read food, travel and wine reviews at www.stevekubota.com.