2025 Seven Hills Rosé

Happy Saturday!  It's Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start to summer and the unofficial start to rosé season!  Tonight I happened to open a bottle of wine from one of my favorite Walla Walla producers, Seven Hills Winery, and my happenstance someone called and convinced me to order a case of this for the upcoming summer, so let's taste the 2025 Seven Hills Rosé, a wine composed primarily of Cabernet Franc, so let's see what's going on!

This wine is a lovely pale peach color in the glass, just what you'd like to see from a summer rosé.  The nose presents aromas of bright citrus, pomegranate, pineapple and hints of white floral.  The first sip is a mouthful of summer, with notes of green grass, lemon chiffon, pink grapefruit and some bright citrus acidity that will have you drifting to the patio to finish the bottle.  The tannins are crisp yet unobtrusive, providing for an elevated, crisp dry finish that leaves you satiated on a summer evening.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of the best rosé wines I've sampled in several years.  This wine would pair well with a range of summer dished, from caprese salad to fish tacos, salmon ceviche to black and bleu salad.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic pairing, sesame crusted tuna steak with citrus wasabi dipping sauce, wild rice blend and steamed broccoli.  Cheers!

2017 Domaine Fontval Mediterranee Rose

Happy Saturday! Normally heading into the back half of June would be prime rose weather, but today it's been raining with a high of 65, so maybe not the summer warmth on the patio sort of day.  In any case, I've opened a bottle of rose to get me in the mood for summer, the 2017 Domaine Fontval Mediterranee Rose, a rose made with a blend of Grenach (70%) and Mourvedre (30%) for a classic rose of Rhone varietals.  So let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a pale peach color in the glass, almost looking more like a white wine than a rose.  The nose presents aromas of pink grapefruit, orange blossom and flint that invite you to take a sip.  The taste is a rush of wonderful citrus notes intermingled with some fresh raspberries, that transitions to some modest minerality midpalate.  The finish is crisp, with a reprise of citrus that lingers longer than you might expect from a nice rose.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's not the best rose, but it's solid and a terrific value for just $9 from Wines Till Sold Out!  This wine is perfect for summer and I can see myself sipping this one on the patio.  It would also pair well with a broad array of foods, from Caprese salad to light pasta to seafood.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some walleye baked with herbs and garlic scapes from the farmers market this morning along with some steamed sugar snap peas I also bought at the farmers market and some farro with porcini mushrooms.  Cheers!

2015 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose

Happy Monday!  I know it's unusual for my to post on Mondays, but what the heck!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2015 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose, since it seems summer has decided to come early this year - it's been in the upper 80s today and expected to stay hot all week long.  And since this is the summer of rose, why not go back to the pioneer of roses in Walla Walla, since I think they started the trend back with their 2009 vintage.  So let's see how this rose will get us through the summer!

The wine is a pale pinkish hue, almost a peach color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of pink grapefruit and melon, accented by some floral notes of orange blossom and white roses.  The taste is just lovely, with some soft fruit notes up front, melon, strawberry and a hint of citrus that transition to some pomegranate and a bit of minerality midpalate.  The finish is crisp and very dry, just as a fine rose should be.

Overall, I would give this rose a solid 8.5, as I've been a fan of this one for quite a while.  This would be ideal for just sipping on the patio in the evening, or enjoying with a variety of picnic fare.  Tonight I'm enjoying this one with grilled hot dogs served Chicago style, a perfect day at the beach.  Cheers!

2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose

Happy Easter!  I've spent much of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying this wonderful holiday.  Now most people do traditional things like ham or lamb for Easter dinner, but I decided to go a bit off the beaten path, but more on that in a minute.  For those traditionalists that go for a nice glazed ham, this wine might be an ideal solution to please both those who prefer a red and those who prefer a white, the 2014 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose.  I recall the 2009 vintage of this wine was the one that got me fully onto the rose bandwagon for the summers, so let's see what five years have done to improve this already great rose.

The wine is a lovely orange peach color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of strawberry, pink grapefruit and papaya, with just a hint of green grass over the top.  The taste makes me long for summer on the patio, with a nice rush of fresh fruit, strawberry, citrus and some tropical notes that transition to some lovely notes of honey and lavender midpalate.  The finish is quite nice, very dry, yet still presenting a reprise of the sweet fruit notes from the beginning.  A summer afternoon in a glass!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it continues to be one of my favorite roses of all time (something about Grenache makes it ideal for rose).  Tonight I am pairing this wine with my non-traditional Easter dinner, as I bought an extra piece of corned beef at St. Patrick's Day and decided to do another round of corned beef and cabbage for dinner today!  The lovely fruit and acidity of this wine makes it perfect to cut through the richness of such a fatty dinner.  Cheers!

2014 Forgeron Rose of Sangiovese

Happy Tuesday!  I've been waiting for this night as I had the chance to do a little seafood shopping at Whole Foods last weekend and I chilled a nice bottle of rose just for the occasion.  Yes, I know it's still winter, but a little rose at least reminds me that summer is just around the corner!  And tonight it's a good one I picked up on my trip to Walla Walla last summer, the 2014 Forgeron Rose of Sangiovese, which I know realize includes a preview of their new labeling!  This wine is sold out at the winery, but thankfully I scored a couple bottles last year.

The wine is a lovely peach color in the glass, and the nose evokes aromas of pink grapefruit, basalt and a bit of green cedar.  The taste is just lovely, like a gorgeous summer afternoon in a bottle, with vibrant citrus notes up front that transition seamlessly to flavors of strawberry overlaying some mineral notes midpalate.  The finish is bone dry, perfect for summer drinking but also ideal for some great food pairing with heartier dishes and particularly big seafood dishes.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a great summer rose and as I recall was a terrific value under $20.  Tonight I am pairing this wine with some macadamia crusted mahi mahi, mashed red skin potatoes and steamed cauliflower.  A perfect wine for a big fish meal, Sante!

2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose

Well it's a beautiful late Spring evening, the sun was bright and the temperature was a little warm today, well into the 80s, so what better time to enjoy a refreshing glass of nicely chilled rose on the patio?  Tonight I am enjoying one of my perennial rose favorites, the 2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills of the Columbia Valley.

The wine is a lovely pale pink color in the glass.  The nose is a refreshing blend of green grass, pink grapefruit and floral notes of rose petals.  The taste is a beautiful combination of fresh citrus, light raspberry and tart pomegranate that transitions to some nice floral notes midpalate.  The finish is a blast of summer, with some wonderful mineral notes that bring structure to the crisp refreshing finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a lovely wine for those hot summer evenings, and it's an ideal summer wine for the dry red wine fan like me, as the fruit is balanced, not overpowering or syrupy.  Tonight I am just enjoying this wine sitting in my Adirondack chair on the deck, listening to the birds and enjoying the every changing types of flowers blooming in my yard.  That's not to say this isn't a good food wine, as it would be lovely with a citrus stuffed lake trout or an heirloom tomato salad with aged balsamic!  Cheers!

2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose

To today I felt inspired in a number of ways, it was a Saturday meaning that I had loads of errands to run, including to the farmers market and the grocery store (that's a dangerous combo for one who loves food as much as I do) and it's really hot out today!  So heat and humidity in Michigan can mean only one thing, it's time to bust out the rose!  And for tonight's inspired meal it's the 2012 L'Ecole No. 41 Grenache Rose, a perennial favorite!

The wine is a lovely pink grapefruit color, which is appropriate since the nose is a pleasant combination of pink grapefruit, strawberry and hint of floral notes.  The taste starts out with a burst of strawberry and citrus, and then eases into some lovely minerality midpalate, all leading to a lovely, exceptionally dry finish supported by some well structured tannins that I've come to love about this wine.  What a refreshing way to end a sweltering summer afternoon!

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, as I think this is probably the best example of the Grenache Rose to date, as our friends at L'Ecole seem to be getting just a bit better with this wine every year!  Plus it's a bargain at only $18, or $16 with my wine club discount, but unfortunately they don't produce enough of this so it's currently sold out (sign up for the mailing list to get an alert for the 2013 vintage next year!).  As for pairings, here's where my inspiration pairs off as I am enjoying this wine with some lovely alder planked Copper River Sockeye salmon with a bit of lemon and fresh dill along with some couscous with toasted pine nuts and some steamed sugar snap peas I picked up at the farmers market this morning.  YUM!