The results are in!

The results are in for our 2023 Vintage Rosé Taste-Off! We had an incredible turnout for the tasting with fifty-nine customers reviewing forty-two rosé wines. Attendees sampled wines with no pricing attached, so eight-dollar wines were reviewed next to thirty-dollar wines without prejudice. The wines were scored between 1-5, 1 being not so good and 5 being a total knockout! 

Once again our customers impressed us with how seriously they took their assignment with many taking detailed notes and discussing each wine's merits. What stood out most in the results was the simpler quaffing wines scored lower than the more serious structured wines even though the majority of rosés on the market are simple. The rosés that displayed nuance and layers were definitely favored. 

Below you will find the Top 5 rated rosés of the day with a wine from Italy’s Veneto region coming in first place. In fact, two of the Top 5 are Italian, while the others comprised two French and one Greek wine. This is a fascinating mix of rosés that will be fun to explore this Spring and Summer.

 

1. Cavalchina Bardolino Chiaretto Rose 2023 
Shelf Price $17.99
Sale Price $15.97 

This is a beautiful rose from Veneto, Italy, comprised of 60% Corvina, 35% Rondinella, and 5% Molinara. The color is extremely delicate but don’t let that fool you as this wine has quite the presence on the palate. Very well-balanced and structured with much more character to offer than the color suggests. The grapes are harvested about a week earlier than for the straight Bardolino to preserve freshness. The skin contact pre-fermentation is overnight. Varieties are all fermented together in stainless steel and malolactic fermentation is blocked. Aged on its lees until bottling in February.

 

2. Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Rose 2023
Shelf Price $28.99
Sale Price $23.97 

A dark cherry color implies the fullness that is to come on the palate. Round with a full mouth feel displaying sour cherry and raspberry notes with the subtlest note of garrigue. This is one serious rose. No estate expresses the salt-kissed limestone-driven terroir of the idyllic Provençal seaside village of Cassis like Domaine du Bagnol, and the current generation, Sébastien Genovesi, crafts a rosé of scintillating energy, chiseled calcareous musculature, and gleaming red fruits. Comprising 45% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre, Bagnol’s Cassis Rosé is pressed directly and rapidly (in under two hours) to extract as little color as possible, and the bottled wine (certified organic) contains only 10 milligrams per liter of total sulfur—a factor which contributes to its gorgeous purity of texture and intense evocation of limestone. (Rosenthal Wine Import)

 

3. Gaia 4-6H Rose 2023
Shelf Price $15.99
Sale Price $13.97 

Gaia produced a wonderful Greek rose in 2023. This label has shorter skin contact, four to six hours, hence the odd name. It is dry but not at all sharp. This seems solid, filling the mouth, showing power and emphasizing its flavorful fruit laced with some cherry nuances. It's never candied or too simple, though, as it shows off the depth in terms of mouthfeel. The dry finish makes this a lovely food wine.

 

4. Famille Dubard Coeur Du Mont Le Rose 2023
Shelf Price $14.99
Sale Price $11.97 

Certified Sustainable, no herbicides or pesticides used. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. Twenty-five year old vines grown on clay-limestone soil, with lots of rocks in southwest France. This Vin de France rose performs well above it’s pricepoint. A beautiful electric rose petal color. The fruit-forward bouquet is prelude to what is to come. This is a fuller more round style of rose especially compared to Provence. This is a really nice rose for the non-rose drinker.

Always a meticulous farmer, Marine’s commitment to vine health was recently recognized by the French government with HEV (high environmental value) certification. This new certification covers biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, management of fertiliser use, and management of water. This recognition only magnified what we already knew about Marine and her fastidious devotion to making a remarkable value wine.

 

5. Ercole Piemonte Rosato 2023 (Liter)
Shelf Price $19.99
Sale Price $15.97 

Organic Barbera (65%) & Dolcetto (35%) are fermented in stainless steel.
With the aromatic draw of fresh-cut watermelon, this Rosato screams summertime in all its resplendent fun. Two stalwart grapes of Monferrato, Barbera and Dolcetto, form this lively rosato. Following a soft pressing of the grapes, the juice is left in contact with the skins for only a few hours, lending the wine its light pink hue.

 

Click here for our entire rose selection.