2012 Finca Torremilanos Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado

Well, I think that might be the longest title of a wine I've had on my blog!  Two Wednesdays ago there was a fun virtual tasting at Snooth.com which is something that I always enjoy, but unfortunately I was traveling and couldn't taste all four wines on the menu.  The tasting was focused on the Ribera del Duero wines of Spain and included four different wines: 2009 Malleolus Ribera del Duero, 2011 Ferratus A0 Ribera del Duero, 2008 Matarromera Ribera del Duero Crianza and the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.  Now tonight I am tasting the last wine of the group, the 2012 Monte Castrillo Ribera del Duero Rosado.

Now you know that I really prefer red wines, but in the intense heat of last summer I've grown to really appreciate the rose wines, or rosado as the case may be, as they really present a refreshing departure on those hot, humid days of summer that just beg for something chilled and refreshing!  Such is the wine tonight. The nose of this wine has a distinct set of floral overtones, mixed with a bit of fresh citrus, green grass and a bit of oak.  The taste is really quite nice, with flavors of green apple, and a hint of citrus up front, which gives way to some lovely green herbs and oak midpalate.  The finish on this wine is super dry, with nicely structured tannins supporting a crisp, refreshingly dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's really a refreshing departure from many roses that can be more on the sweet and fruity side, this one is much more crisp and green.  And at $12 it's a very good value for an everyday summer wine!  Tonight I am pairing it with some alder planked salmon fish tacos topped with a bit of homemade salse verde and fresh cilanto and avacado.  The crispness of this wine and the rich floral characteristics really matched well with the richness of the salmon, but it also stood up well to the spice of the salsa.  Salut!