With the release of the latest rosé vintage, the tasting panel at Wine Enthusiast has had the opportunity to taste many exceptional wines. And as these pink-hued bottles start hitting the shelves across the country, the warming glow of summer will be soon to follow.
Yet with so many styles available on the market—from classic Provençal pours to bold Italian rosatos and boisterous New World options—the dizzying array of rosés can be quite overwhelming. To aid in your rosé discoveries this year, we have gathered some of our top pours from recent tastings. A mix of styles and price points are well represented, so drink up and enjoy!
Château d’Aqueria 2018 Tavel; $22, 93 points. This medium-bodied, dry rosé offers intensely fresh, concentrated strawberry, raspberry and watermelon flavors. It’s juicy yet invigorating and mineral. A blend of Grenache, Clairette, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, it’s a structured, penetrating wine that will gain depth and complexity through 2022 and serve well in the colder months with game or poultry. Kobrand. Editors’ Choice. –Anna Lee C. Iijima
Château Paradis 2018 Terre des Anges Rosé (Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence); $18, 92 points. With partial wood fermentation of the Mourvèdre in the blend, this wine has extra richness while preserving all the crisp red-fruit flavors. Full in the mouth and richly endowed with fruitiness, the wine will be ready to drink from late 2019. Planet Wine. –Roger Voss
Umathum 2018 Rosa Rosé (Burgenland); $22, 92 points. This seems to be half way between a rosé and a light red. Some reduction blows off to showcase lovely red-cherry and berry notes. The palate is rounded, has a pleasant phenolic edge and tons of fruit. The finish is dry and long and really veers more towards red than pink. Winemonger. —Anne Krebiehl MW
Cantina Zaccagnini 2018 Dal Tralcetto Dry Rosé (Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo); $18, 91 points. A wild strawberry and herb aroma carries a slight balsamic edge on the nose. The palate is well rounded and juicy in feel, with delicious red cherry and strawberry flavors that are honed by bright acidity and a tangy slick of wet stone. Cherry skin astringency marks the close, extending the fruit flavors into a medium finish. WinesU. Editors’ Choice. –Alexander Peartree
Cavalchina 2018 Bardolino Chiaretto; $17, 91 points. Inviting floral and wild berry aromas mingle with whiffs of botanical herbs. On the savory, refreshing palate, tangy acidity accompanies pomegranate, juicy pink grapefruit and creamy white peach. It closes on a saline note. de Grazia Imports LLC. –Kerin O’Keefe
Quady North 2018 Rosé of Counoise (Appelgate Valley); $19, 91 points. Herb Quady’s 2018 rosés, each quite distinguished, are riper overall than the previous vintage to good effect. This southern French grape, new to Oregon, is naturally pale but packed with flavor. It’s a racy, juicy, strawberry-flavored wine, with a peppery kick. It would be a sensational match for grilled wild-caught salmon. –Paul Gregutt
Red Car 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir (Sonoma-Mendocino); $28, 91 points. Barrel-fermented in neutral French oak, this is a light, bright and hugely refreshing wine, citrus-driven in lemon peel and grapefruit. It shows elegance and delicacy within a framework of structure and ongoing spice. –Virginie Boone
Charles & Charles 2018 Rosé (Columbia Valley); $15, 90 points. Syrah (71%) makes up the backbone of this wine along with Cabernet Sauvignon (17%) and other Rhône varieties. An appealing pale-salmon color, this wine has bright watermelon, strawberry, kiwi and cherry candy aromas that lead to a tart pink-grapefruit flavor and mouthwatering acidity. Best Buy. – Sean P. Sullivan
Mt. Beautiful 2018 Rosé (North Canterbury); $17, 90 points. The current vintage of this wine is a more complex and less overtly ripe expression than the previous year’s and it’s lovely to see a rosé with more strings to its bow. It sings to the tune of cherry blossoms, orange rind and dried herbs. It’s dry, slippery and refreshing. There’s a bitter note at the finish but this would be a fun one to experiment with food pairings; likely that finish would become unnoticeable with a well matched meal. Mt. Beautiful USA. —Christina Pickard
OZV 2018 Rosé of Primitivo (California); $13, 89 points. Fresh raspberry and parsley aromas in this light-bodied wine are followed by a smooth mouthfeel. Ripe cherry and raspberry flavors show on the palate, with a persistent, concentrated fruitiness that lasts through the finish. Best Buy. —Jim Gordon
Published: May 15, 2019