It’s Rosé wine season, and with Mother’s Day and summer fun on the horizon, Lodi offers a veritable garden of choices. Sparkling or still, they reflect their roots in a bright bloom of color, with mouthwatering flavor. Rosé comes in many different hues, from pale salmon to deep raspberry pink, and offers perfect food and wine pairing as well as great value, and besides, who can resist these shimmering pink wines?!
Rosé can be made from most any red wine grape, and Lodi grows over 125 different varietals, of which more than half are red. From Carignane to Cinsault, Sangiovese to Syrah, Barbera to Grenache, Mourvedre to Malbec, Petite Sirah to Pinot Noir, and Tempranillo to Zinfandel, these wines clamor for attention. Picked, immediately pressed, and left in contact with the skins for just a few hours to give the wine a blush of color, Rosé is mostly fermented dry in stainless steel tanks to preserve its freshness, but some are fermented in neutral oak to soften a tannic grape and give it texture. With little or no tannins, these wines are made to be drunk upon release, an immediate gratification and pure hedonistic pleasure of the past year’s harvest.
With over 85 producers and hundreds of growers, there are just so many choices. Lodi winemakers are surfing the wave of change, disrupting traditional definitions of rosé wine and experimenting with even the most unlikely red grape to make a fascinating new shade of pink. With rosé’s popularity off the charts, every winemaker is tinkering with his or her own incarnation of that summer thriller that is now finding a place at the table all year long.
I recently had a chance to sample two wines newly released for 2018:
Victor Vineyards Lodi Sangiovese Dry Rosé 2017 - a first for Victor Vineyards, this 100% Sangiovese rosé from the Sierra Foothills area is crisp and dry, but the nose is ripe with strawberry and raspberry fruit, almost a Jolly Rancher sweetness to the aromas, with a thread of Meyer lemon to balance it out. Higher in alcohol than many rosé wines (13.9% ABV), it’s viscous and fuller in body, with a shorter finish
d’Art Lodi White Barbera 2017 - fruity and delicately floral on the nose, this wine blossoms on the palate with bright citrus, apple, and watermelon, vibrant and mineral, with even more alcohol (14.5% ABV) but very well balanced, finishing long and lithe
For the full spectrum of what Lodi is capable of, in 2017 I tasted several Lodi rosés on a trip to the area, very fascinating wines and so different from Provence, these wines are just the tip of the iceberg of what is coming to market.
Harney Lane Dry Rosé 2016 - a blend of Zinfandel, Tempranillo, and Petite Sirah, this vibrant salmon pink wine entices with aromas of crushed red berries, candied strawberry, citrus zest and rose petals, fresh and mineral on the palate. Barrel fermented and aged on the lees in neutral oak barrels, the finished wine is textured and intriguing
Hatton Daniels Mokelumne Glen Vineyard Rosé of Dornfelder 2016 - what a fascinating wine! As a red wine, Dornfelder is so dark in color and tannic in nature that it seems unfeasible to be able to make a delicate rosé from this sturdy and savory red grape. Lots of floral aromas fill the nose (honeysuckle, jasmine, and rose petal) along with cranberry and lime, with bright cherry, guava, and peach fruit, it’s mineral and herbal, with lots of acidity and lower alcohol, a delight
Klinker Brick Bricks & Roses Lodi Rosé 2016 - a blend of Carignane, Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, this brilliant salmon pink wine lures you in with citrus and floral aromas, on the palate, ripe strawberries, watermelon, and grapefruit make for a dry well balanced wine
Michael David Cinsault Rosé 2016 - a very special rosé, made from the ancient vine Bechthold Cinsault vineyard fruit, the nose is ripe and fresh with strawberry, white peach and guava, while the palate is crisp, fruity yet slightly tart with raspberry, watermelon, and lime zest
Explore the many different styles of Lodi Rosé, you will find yourself captivated, for it’s easy to fall in love with these pink beauties. Generally lower in alcohol, refreshing and easy to drink on their own or great with food, this is a summertime fling that you will revisit throughout the year, when you crave an easy-drinking, food-friendly companion!