Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Rosé (2016) Wine Review

Salmon-Safe Certified. While reading the label of this week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2016 Willamette Valley Vineyards Estate Rosé, I noticed that this wine is Salmon-Safe Certified.  I don’t believe I’ve seen that before so it caused me to do a little research. No, this doesn’t mean that the wine is safe to drink with salmon, though it most certainly would be. It refers to ecologically sustainable viticulture.  With winegrowers, the certification focuses on reducing runoff from hillside vineyards and enhancement of native biodiversity on vineyard sites. I also learned that nearly half of the wine grape acreage in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is Salmon-Safe Certified.

I recently visited Willamette Valley Vineyards while visiting family in Oregon. The location and facility are quite impressive and the view from the entrance, breathtaking.

This is one of the wines we tasted and decided to bring home with us. I always like it when I taste a wine at the winery and then when I get home and try it again, it’s as good as I remembered it being.  Sometimes, especially in cases like this, where the setting and ambience contribute greatly to the experience, I worry whether the wine will hold up without it. FYI, it most certainly does.

A rosé made from Pinot Noir, it is left with skin contact for 48 hours resulting in the medium pink color.  On the nose, slightly floral, hints of citrus and a pleasant minerality. Having been fermented in stainless, it is lively on the tongue with strawberry and honey notes on the palate.

This is a great summer picnic wine, quite versatile for pairing with lighter fare. We enjoyed it with Oven-Roasted Cornish Game Hens and Sage and Garlic Infused Whipped Potatoes. It occurred to me that this could be my Thanksgiving 2017 wine. As I think about it, in all sincerity, it would also be perfect with my Salmon Cucumber Canapés.

I also noticed on the label that if you bring the bottle back to the winery, they’ll give you a 10 cent refund.  Perfect, I was looking for an excuse to go back. Click the links below for recipe paring suggestions.

Salmon Cucumber Canapés

Sage and Garlic Infused Whipped Potatoes

Domaine Loubejac Willamette Rosé - 2015 Wine Review

Willamette, damn it! Years back when I went wine tasting in the Willamette Valley of Oregon for the first time, this is the expression the locals used to help the visitors remember how to pronounce Willamette -- rhymes with damn it.

This week’s Wine Wednesday feature, the 2015 Domaine Loubejac Willamette Rosé is described as a rare rosé blend. Generally, this term means that the wine is a blend of an unusual combination of varietals. At the same time, rosé wines are usually made from the varietals most widely grown in the area that they are from – and usually, red varietals, though white can be used as well.  Pinot Noir is highly likely to be part of this blend since one of the more popular varietals in the Willamette Valley is Pinot Noir. Other varietals in the blend may or may not be, Shiraz/Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre.

As the days start getting warmer, this wine conjures up thoughts of a picnic. The beautiful salmon color makes one think of May flowers soon to come.  One the nose, apricot and peach and a pronounced minerality. It is sweet on the tip of the tongue but then is lively – evidence of stainless steel fermentation.  It has a crisp, short, yet juicy (wait for it) finish. We enjoyed this with a Cajun Shrimp Boil. I think this wine is extremely versatile, but for some reason I want to pair it with spicy foods.  Try also with Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cajun Shrimp Boil

Remy Pannier Rosé ď Anjou 2014 Wine Review

“The only thing appealing about Rosé is its color”. While at a wine tasting event this past weekend this is what another lady in attendance said when the person conducting the tasting poured a Rosé. It set me back when the person conducting the tasting agreed with her. GASP! How unfair, how untrue! If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’re aware that in the past I too have been judgmental when it comes to Rosé which for the longest time would conjure up memories of my Grandmother’s holiday wine choice of Paul Masson sold in a carafe shaped bottle with a metal lid. I still shudder at the thought.

In recent years I’ve made a point to explore Rosé wines and though the color is quite lovely, I've found it’s not just another pretty face. I’ve realized one shouldn’t paint with so wide a brush. Actually, some of you may have fond memories of Paul Masson.  I’ve learned Rosé wines vary greatly just like red or white and can be comprised of many different varietals other than Zinfandel.

As I stood at the tasting, I was thinking about this week’s Wine Wednesday feature that I had just enjoyed the night before. The 2014 Remy Pannier Rosé ď Anjou is from the Loire Valley of France. The wine takes its name from its location of origin, Anjou the former French county. This wine is a blend of 70% Grolleau, 20% Gamay and 10% Cabernet Franc. Though all are dark skinned grapes the salmon color of this wine is likely achieved by the skin contact method where the juice is exposed to the dark skins for a limited period of time.

This is an off-dry wine with notes of strawberry and citrus blossom and a pronounced minerality. It starts slightly sweet on the tongue and finishes with a lovely crisp acidity. Because of the minerality I think it would make a great pairing with fish or shellfish and because it is off-dry it could be wonderful with spicy dishes.  We enjoyed it with Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia. Try it with Grilled Squid Tacos with Pineapple Slaw and a spicy Thai Remoulade. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions. 

Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia

Grilled Squid Tacos with Pineapple Slaw and Thai Remoulade

Fragile Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes Rosé - 2014 Wine Review

Fragile? My eye! This week’s Wine Wednesday feature the 2014 Fragile Rosé Vin de Pays (Vin de Pays is a step in the French wine classification above table wine) des Cotes Catalanes (Languedoc-Roussillian region of Southern France) reminds me that looks can be deceiving. Of course, by the name and pretty pink color (the hue that lines a prize sea shell found when combing a secluded beach), I was expecting something light, delicate and refreshing.

First off, it took me a minute to ponder just how to open it.  I loved the fact that I could see the cork and the text on it through the bottle - fun.  At first I thought it may be a zork closure, but that quickly proved incorrect.  So, what else could I do, I started in with the corkscrew through the black plastic cap.  As it went in, the black cracked and fell away from the bottle – perhaps that’s the fragile part in all of this.

I had chilled this blend ( predominantly Grenache with a little Syrah and Carignan) as is preferred with rosè,  and swirled at first with little hint of anything on the nose.  After a little time there was a nice salinity (or was it just me thinking about sea shells) and subtle watermelon as well as strawberry, but the strawberries were how they smell just after picking, where the scent of the soil and the vines are still present. The salinity is likely due to the sea breezes from the Mediterranean coast and not just my imagination.

On the palate, fruit forward and slightly sweet on the tip of the tongue giving way to a crisp acidic and mineral finish. The finish was moderate in length but then I felt that warmth, you know the kind you get from a big red wine, the kind that usually accompanies a wine with high alcohol content. This caused me to check the label. 15.3% alcohol by volume.  Wow, not what I’m used to in  rosé. This one could sneak up on you.  The wine could benefit from decanting and once allowed to open up, as expected, it became more aromatic.

I usually would suggest a rosè as an apéritif or with lighter fare, but the alcohol content here prescribes something a little bolder.  An exception may be Garden Fresh Guacamole. The fatty avocado could be a lovely contrast. Try also with Pan Fried Pork Chops with Chismol or Pimento Cheese Mac ‘n Cheese. To print or save the recipe pairing suggestions, click the links below.

Garden Fresh Guacamole

Pan Fried Pork Chops with Chismol

Pimento Cheese Mac 'n Cheese