Rosé All Day
For the first time we have four different Rosé selections! Each carries its own special charm due to differing grapes and wine-making processes. Come and try them for yourself in our limited edition Rosé flight!
Archibald James 2020 Sparkling Rosé
Archibald James 2021 Sparkling Rosé
Stemilt Creek 2021 Nettie Rosé
Stemilt Creek 2022 Nettie Rosé
The 2020 Archibald James Sparkling Rosé is a naturally fermented saignee of cabernet sauvign, sangiovese, grenache, and a little mourvedre, blended with some graciano that fermented on the grape skins longer to yield a deeper color.
Saignee (sang-ee, “to bleed”) is the light juice that bleeds from the grapes just after removing the stems and prior to maceration on the skins.
The carbonation in this wine comes from the Ancestral Method; the wine is bottled and allowed to finish fermenting under a crown cap. This produces natural carbonation and the wine is aged on yeast lees (sur lees) in the bottle. In this wine you will find layers of tart red fruits with subtle earthy character form the sur lees aging, tight carbonation, and a full mouthfeel.
2021 Archibald James Sparkling Rosé primarily consists of estate grown Lemberger grapes out of Sleepy Hollow and some saignee from Pinot Noir; fermented with native yeasts. This wine was also carbonated naturally. However, in this instance fermentation was carried out in tank and the yeast sediment was removed prior to bottling under pressure. The result is a dry rosé wine with Syrah-like earthiness and a dried strawberry flavors with much less sur lees character compared to the 2020 Archibald James Rosé.
Stemilt Creek’s 2021 Nettie Rosé is entirely estate grown. The base wine comes from early harvest Merlot and the saignee from other Bordeaux varietals.
The result is a semi-dry, layered wine with elements of caramel and nuttiness with some bright fruit flavor and light floral notes. It is fascinating to taste the two vintages next to each other to see the difference in varietals, vintage, and the impact of bottle aging.
This 2022 Stemilt Creek Nettie Rosé is brand new to our tasting room and to our Stemilt Creek Club Members! The primary grape in this rosé is estate grown Grenache! This is Stemilt’s first time showcasing Grenache in one of their wines since they were grafted into the vineyard three years ago. The second component of this wine comes from pressed Merlot grapes to provide some balance and a little characteristic Stemilt Creek cherry character. The result is a refreshing semi-sweet rosé with strawberry, tart cherry, and fresh blueberry. The rosé has great acidity balanced by 1% residual sweetness. Great on a hot summer day!
We are eager for you to explore these beautifully varying rosés!
Post by Madison Nicole