Tasty rosés for under $20
Friday, July 27, 2007

By L. PIERCE CARSON
Register Staff Writer

“Dry rosé is what red wine drinkers drink when the weather is hot,” advises grower/vintner Rob Crane.

Crane knows what’s best for warm weather meals, or just summertime sippin’ on the veranda.

Rosés — the dry version, not those semi-sweet pink drinks — are enjoying a comeback of sorts, finding favor with more and more people who enjoy a bracingly fruity, fresh wine during our warm weather here.

A group of us gathered in the intimate private dining room of Cuvée, the popular Napa restaurant, to taste a number of new releases. Once we tasted through 10 of them, we decided to see if we could all agree on the rosés we liked best. These were all New World rosés, as I didn’t want this tasting to be another chest-thumping challenge of Old vs. New World wines. Most wines came from the area, with only one representing the import market.

I think we were all surprised that we agreed to a person on the Top Five wines, perhaps one taster putting one wine ahead of another, while another suggested just the opposite. Nevertheless, all of us, including a master sommelier, were in agreement that we’d popped the corks and twisted off screw caps of some really good wines — all retailing for $20 or less.

Here’s our top five rosés:

Crane Brothers Eye of the Crane Syrah Rosé 2006 ($18): A dedicated rosé made for the first time from a small block of estate syrah, a rosé that’s not a by-product of red wine fermentation. Bottled with a screw cap closure, only 42 cases of this wine were produced. It has a pretty perfumy nose and tastes of fresh strawberries and plums, maybe even a little apricot. There’s a bit of spice on the finish. 13.5 percent alcohol. Yummy.

Domaine Chandon Green Point Rosé 2006 ($16): This was the only import and, frankly, I didn’t expect that an Australian rosé would be at the top of my list. Located in the heart of the Yarra Valley, Green Point is the home of Domaine Chandon Australia, where both sparkling and still wines are produced. Cherry and strawberry aromas leapt from the glass, and an exemplary acid/fruit balance made us sit up and take notice. Another screw cap bottling with only 12.5 percent alcohol and a soft strawberry finish, we agreed that this is an ideal food wine.

Benessere Napa Valley Rosato 2006 ($14): Made from a blend of sangiovese (62 percent) and merlot (38 percent), this lively, agreeable rosato is clean and crisp. It exhibits attractively subtle aromas and flavors of watermelon (yes, watermelon!) and strawberries, with a hint of cherries on the finish. We liked the acid/fruit balance and one taster felt it had a “perky” personality. Definitely a rosé to be paired with food.

Buoncristiani Napa Valley Rosato 2006 ($20): A blend of syrah from vineyards in the Oak Knoll and Coombsville areas, the components of this syrah rosé were fermented in 40 percent stainless steel and 60 percent neutral French oak barrels. Spice and black cherries are noticeable in both nose and palate. This is rosato (Italian for rosé) with a backbone. With 14.1 percent alcohol, the wine displays a little heat on the finish.

La Crema Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 ($20): From the family-owned Russian River winery comes a delightful rosé produced via the saignée technique, bleeding juice from freshly crushed pinot noir tanks. Fermented in stainless steel, the wine is transferred to neutral French oak barrels for four months of aging, with a small residue of the yeast “lees” in the barrels, giving the wine roundness without imparting oak flavor. In addition to the nice mouthfeel, the wine has great body and tastes of raspberries, cherries, strawberries and has a hint of orange peel on the finish. I’d love to pair this with fish.