This past weekend, I invited a few wine professionals here in Houston to my house for what I believe to be the largest blind tasting of American True Rosés, This year we tasted 64 wines, which was a bit more than last year’s 53 ( two years ago there were 51, three years ago, we had 68, four years ago we tasted 74, in 2019 there were 54, 68 in 2018, and the first year we had 36), while maintaining physical distance (for the most part).

I know what you’re thinking: “Wait, what the heck is a “True Rosé”?

Well, there are essentially three ways to make a rosé wine. The first, which is rarely practiced outside of sparkling wine production, is a simple blend of red wine and white wine. The second, which is widely practiced around the world, is called the Saignée Method where shortly after the fruit intended for red wine is crushed, a portion of the grape juice (after brief contact with the skins) is bled off (“saigné” means “bled” in French). This bled-off pink wine is then vinified as if it were a white wine.

The third option is what I call a “True Rosé.” In this process, the grapes are often planted, raised, picked, and processed with the intention of making rosé. True Rosés are therefore not a byproduct of red wine production (as with a saignée), they are intentionally or purposefully made. They are True Rosés.

This is not to say that all non-True Rosés are “false”–there are many saignées that are wonderful wines. What I am saying, though, is that all other factors being equal, a True Rosé will be “better” than a saignée. Why? Well, simply put there are two main factors that provide structure for a wine: tannins (almost exclusively in red wines) and acidity. Red wines are generally picked at higher sugar and pH (lower acid) levels since the skins contain high levels of tannin. The juice from the red grapes will remain in contact with the skins for an extended amount of time in order to extract those tannins and provide structure for the wines (additional structure, tannins, and flavor can be added by using oak barrels to age the wine).

White wines, on the other hand, usually spend as little time as possible in contact with the skins to avoid the imparting of tannin. Thus, white wines rely almost solely on acidity to provide structure for the wine (oak barrels can also be used with whites but more often than not the barrels used in white wine production are neutral). So, generally speaking, white grapes are picked with lower pH (higher acidity) than their red brethren.

No matter the method, the vast majority of rosés are like white wines as they rely solely on acidity, not tannins, to provide the wine’s structure. So again, all other elements being equal (winemaker, quality of fruit, etc.), a True Rosé is a more desirable way to make a pink wine since it will be higher in acidity and therefore have better structure than a saignée.

Thus, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we waded through 64 American True Rosés (OK, there were a few saignées that got in there somehow) four wines at a time, without knowing their identities.

A little less than half of the bottles were from a previous vintage (when wineries send more than one bottle, I save the additional bottles for the following year’s tasting) since it is my contention that well-made rosés do not have to be consumed almost immediately after release. Sure, as with whites and reds, rosés lose a bit of fruit and freshness as they age, but they also develop different flavors as they evolve–just as do all well-made wines regardless of hue.

As promised, I am publishing my actual notes from the tasting of 16 flights of four wines. Here are the first three flights in the order they were tasted.

*2022 Duck Pond Pinot Noir Natural Path, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $20. Light more orange than pink. Nice fruit with tons of melon and watermelon. Fruity and tart but also a bit round. Very nice. Excellent. 91 Points.

2023 Acquiesce Grenache Rosé, Lodi, CA: Retail $35. Heavy Bottle. Light cotton candy color with bright cherry, strawberry, and even rhubarb. Wonderful nose. Fruity, tart, absolutely delicious. This is gangbusters. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2023 We Know Jack Zinfandel Rockpile Riff Raff Jack Florence Sr. Vineyard, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $28. Responsible Bottle (516g; 1lb 2.2oz)Pinkish orange with a bit of a dirty nose with some wild strawberry. Rather shy on the palate with not much fruit initially, but by the midpalate, both the acidity and fruit come through. Strong finish as well. Lovely. Excellent. 91 Points.

2023 Tongue Dancer Pinot Noir Rosé, Sonoma Coast, CA: Retail $22. Responsible Bottle (533g; 1lb 2.8oz). Under screw cap. Pinkish orange with a fruity nose and plenty of florality. Very nice. Good fruit, maybe a little light in acidity and a touch savory, but overall a solid effort. Excellent. 90 Points.

2023 Emery Grant Pinot Noir Rosé, Anderson Valley, CA: Retail $25. Beautiful color and a wonderful nose of bright fruit and a hint of floral. The palate is wonderful: tart, fruity (wild strawberry), and wonderfully balanced. Another fantastic wine. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2022 Ron Yates Grenache Rosé Farmhouse Vineyards, Texas High Plains, TX: Retail $20. Responsible Bottle (500g; 17.6oz). Medium pink with nice fruit (strawberry rhubarb) with a mineral and meaty aspect that works. The palate is equally enchanting with plenty of cherry and strawberry, a touch of rose petal, and great balance. Wonderful. Outstanding. 94 Points.

*2022 Youngberg Hill Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $40. Ridiculously Responsible Bottle (483g; 17oz). Light pinkish orange with a bit of a dirty nose that is also perfumed with a lovely floral note. Good fruit but a bit round initially. The acidity comes through by the finish though. Nice. Excellent. 90 Points.

2022 Pedroncelli Dry Rosé of Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, CA: Retail $22. Deeper color than the others thus far with a flinty nose accompanied by some faint fruit. The palate is lovely and balanced with great fruit and a lively tanginess. Excellent. 92 Points.

Yours truly, acting like a dork.

2023 Kleinlerer Wines Cinsault Cuvée Sacha & Nitza, Lodi, CA: Retail $27. Really light in the glass with just a hint of color. The palate is a bit flinty and dirty with hints of fruit in the background. Good tartness, but lacking in fruit. There is balance, I guess, but it needs a fruit infusion. Very Good. 88 Points.

2022 Duchman Family Winery Dry Texas Rose, Texas Hill Country, TX: Retail $26. Responsible Bottle (592g; 1lb 4.8oz). 50% Dolcetto, 30% Montepulciano, 20% Aglianico. Medium to dark in color with lovely fruit and floral notes. Add in a salty component and maybe even a meaty aspect. Intense right away on the palate with plenty of fruit but also a medicinal component that I am not quite sure about. Very Good. 89 Points.

*2022 Stoller Pinot Noir Rosé, Willamette Valley, OR: Retail $22. Cotton candy pink with loverly strawberry and cherry. Good fruit and acidity with a bit of roundness coming in on the finish. Nice. Excellent. 90 Points.

**2023 Josh Cellars Rosé, California: Retail $16. This might be made with Barbera, but I could not verify that. Fairly light orangish pink with a very shy nose where eventually some nice fruit peeks through along with some thyme. Intense zinginess overpowers the fruit initially, but the slightly underripe strawberry comes through on the finish. Excellent. 91 Points.

Note: Wines with one asterisk (*) were second bottles from last year’s tasting. Wines with two asterisks (**) I actually purchased to include in the tasting.

More coming soon!