In 2010 and 2011, while working in a custom crush winery, I first saw Rosé of Pinot Noir being made in earnest. Some folks made it because it was fun and a good gift for friends. Some interns made it as a side project. Others made it to sell as bulk wine for a few bucks per gallon to big wine companies who would blend it away. A few took a keen interest in Rosé and strove to make premium wine. I believe these dedicated winemakers played a key role in elevating the quality of Rosé of Pinot Noir and helped the wine attain the popularity it’s experiencing today.
Modeled after the dry, crisp, refreshing style of Rosé from Southern France and eschewing the sweet, cloying and monotone Rosés common on many store shelves, Kanzler Family Vineyards Rosé of Pinot Noir is a truly enjoyable wine with ample nuance, complexity and depth.
Our Rosé is crafted using the Saignée method, where still pink juice is “bled” from its skins and seeds to ferment on its own. Getting the juice off the skins and seeds preserves the light color, prevents tannin absorption and sustains acidity. Since Pinot Noir is naturally light in color, mildly tannic and expressive of pure berry flavors, it’s an ideal grape for Rosé.
Our goal in making this wine, was to capture all that is great about Rosé made from Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. It’s a gorgeous light pink color, has lip-smacking acidity, light berry and watermelon flavors, and is great chilled in ice on a warm day. One of those Rosé “pioneers” I observed back in 2010 liked to promote his Rose as “great with Tri-Tip on the grill and baseball on the radio”. I couldn’t agree more. Rose is truly a beautiful summer day in a glass. Cheers and Enjoy!
– Alex