Well, the big day is almost upon me. My big True Rosé tasting is set for this Saturday (June 9th, which happens to also be National Rosé Day) at 1:00. Last year, I billed the tasting as “The Largest Blind Tasting of American True Rosés (Ever)” and to my knowledge, it was (sure, that is a bit selective on the knowledge front, but that seems to be rather in vogue these days).
Last year, we tasted 29 True Rosés (OK, one of them was a saignée), and I published the consensus top wines from the tasting as well as my top fifteen (or so).
This year, the tasting has expanded some (to say the least). I received 45 current releases and to that 20 wines from 2016 (many producers submitted two bottles for the tasting last year and I held onto the second bottle for this year’s tasting). I also have some older vintages (the oldest being 2013) that I am also throwing into the mix.
Why the older vintages? Why not just stick to the current releases? Well, despite popular opinion, rosés, particularly when they are True Rosés, can and do age gracefully. Those (like me) who like a bit of age on their wines (both red and white) would be surprised by how well rosé can evolve in the cellar. When well-made rosés age, the shed a bit of the fruitiness and reveal more secondary vinous qualities like licorice, minerality, salinity, and even gaminess.
While most people would likely argue that rosé is meant to be consumed young, fresh and fruity, I contend while that aspect of rosé is certainly desirable and should be heralded, well-made rosé has so much more to offer. Just as with white and red wines, a bit of patience can often be rewarded with surprising features and considerably more opportunities. Here in Texas, for instance, aged rosé is a remarkable pairing for barbecue since it can take on the aforementioned gaminess aspect.
Thus, with the added complexity of age, the tasters coming this Saturday will not only be asked to evaluate all 68 rosés before them (we will be tasting in flights of five), but they also will be tasked to try to identify the “older” wines. It will be interesting to see how many of those 23 wines are indeed identified as such. There are also 6 1/2 saignées in the group, and I will see if we can identify those, as well.

Most of this year’s lineup.
This year, I plan to publish notes on all the wines, over the course of several posts, as well on the experience itself and the views of the other writers involved. And if you are in the Houston area, there will be a lot of rosé wine left over for sampling and revelry starting around 5:00 or so!

Last Year’s Reveal. I hope the island is big enough for this year….
Here are the wines for this year’s tasting:
Winery | Wine | Cépage | Vintage | Appellation |
Acorn | Rosato | Blend | 2017 | Russian River Valley |
Acquiesce | Grenache Rosé | Grenache | 2017 | Lodi |
Benovia | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Russian River Valley |
Bokisch | Rosado | Blend | 2017 | Clements Hill-Lodi |
Bonny Doon Vineyard | Vin Gris de Cigare | Blend | 2017 | Central Coast |
Cambria Estate Winery | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Santa Maria Valley |
Chehalem | Three Vineyard Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Willamette Valley |
Cline | Ancient Vines Mourvèdre Rosé | Mourvèdre | 2017 | Contra Costa County |
Copain | Tous Ensemble Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Mendocino County |
Denison Cellars | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Willamette Valley |
Farmstrong | Field Rosé | Blend | 2017 | Redwood Valley |
Ferrari-Carano | Dry Sangiovese | Sangiovese | 2017 | Sonoma County |
Gifft | by Kathie Lee Gifford Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Monterey County |
Gran Moraine | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Yamhill-Carlton |
Harney Lane | Dry Rosé | Blend | 2017 | Lodi |
J. Bucher | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Russian River Valley |
Keller Estate | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Sonoma Coast |
Kramer Vineyards | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Yamhill-Carlton |
Lazy Creek Vineyards | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Anderson Valley |
Lion Ranch Vineards & Winery | Lioness | Blend | 2017 | Santa Clara Valley |
Longford Estate | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Monterey County |
Lucas & Lewellen | Estate Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Santa Barbara County |
McIntyre | Estate Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Santa Lucia Highlands |
Onward | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Redwood Valley |
Passaggio | Tempranillo Rosé | Tempranillo | 2017 | Clarksburg |
Patois Wines | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Monterey County |
Pedroncelli | Dry Rosé | Zinfandel | 2017 | Dry Creek Valley |
Plow & Press | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Monterey County |
Quady North | Counoise Rosé | Counoise | 2017 | Applegate Valley |
Quady North | GSM | Blend | 2017 | Rogue Valley |
Quady North | Grenache Rosé | Grenache | 2017 | Rogue Valley |
Real Nice | Shallow Seas Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Willamette Valley |
Rodney Strong Vineyards | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Russian River Valley |
Ryder Estate | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Central Coast |
Sanford | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Sta. Rita Hills |
Sassoferrato | Rosé of Sangiovese | Sangiovese | 2017 | Mendocino County |
Scheid | Estate Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Monterey County |
Scheid | District 7 Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Monterey County |
Sidebar | Syrah Rosé | Syrah | 2017 | Russian River Valley |
St. Amant | Rosé | Barbera | 2017 | Lodi |
Stoller | Estate Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Willamette Valley |
The Larsen Projekt | Grenache Rosé | Grenache | 2017 | Dry Creek Valley |
Tongue Dancer | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Sonoma Coast |
Westwood | Single Vineyard Rosé | Blend | 2017 | Sonoma Valley |
Wilakenzie Estate | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2017 | Willamette Valley |
Acquiesce | Grenache Rosé | Grenache | 2016 | Lodi |
Benovia | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Russian River Valley |
Bonny Doon Vineyard | Vin Gris de Cigare | Blend | 2016 | Reserve |
Brooks | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Willamette Valley |
Claiborne & Churchill | Cuvée Elizabeth | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Edna Valley |
Ferrari-Carano | Dry Sangiovese | Sangiovese | 2016 | Sonoma County |
Jaqk Cellars | Charmed Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2016 | California |
Keller Estate | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Sonoma Coast |
Kokomo | Grenache Rosé | Grenache | 2016 | Dry Creek Valley |
Lasseter | Enjoué Rosé | Blend | 2016 | Sonoma County |
Lazy Creek Vineyards | Rosado | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Anderson Valley |
Magna Porcum | Sus Volans | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Green Valley of Russian River Valley |
McIntyre | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Santa Lucia Highlands |
Onward | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Redwood Valley |
Passaggio | Tempranillo Rosé | Tempranillo | 2016 | Clarksburg |
Red Car | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Sonoma Coast/Mendocino Ridge |
Sanford | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Sta. Rita Hills |
Stoller | Pinot Noir Rosé | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Willamette Valley |
The Larsen Projekt | Grenache Rosé | Grenache | 2016 | North Coast |
Vicarious | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2016 | Russian River Valley |
Onward | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2015 | Redwood Valley |
Onward | Rosé of Pinot Noir | Pinot Noir | 2014 | Redwood Valley |
Bonny Doon Vineyard | Vin Gris Tuilé | Blend | 2013 | Central Coast |
Enjoy your big day on the 9th!
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Incredibly impressive! I look forward to the results (and to being invited in the future).
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sounds like a interesting day a head. enjoy the 9th.
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