foxly rose and friends

 

 

 

 

Summer is over – but it is never too late to drink rosé wines. Here are notes on three random samples.

 

The wine from Foxtrot Winery is that winery’s first rosé. Foxtrot has made its reputation over the last 15 or so years with exquisite Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

 

Two years ago, the original owners sold the winery to a pair of New York Burgundy aficionados. I have no idea why they chose to add a rosé to the portfolio. I suspect it just reflects the roaring popularity of rosé wine. Virtually every winery now must have one in the portfolio.

 

foxly, as Foxtrot calls its rosé, is a bit unusual. It is not made from a Burgundian variety but rather from Pinot Gris. The technique – extracting colour with skin contact – qualifies it to be called an orange wine. Foxtrot was smart enough not to put that on the label.

 

The Nk’Mip rosé clearly is made by the saignée method – by bleeding juice from tanks of crushed red grapes before fermenting the red wines.

 

See Ya Later’s rosé is made with Pinot Noir, one of the most common varietals for rosé because of its delicate colour and its fruity aromas and flavours.

 

These are all dry rosé wines designed to drink with food. That illustrates why rosé has become a year-round wine, not just something to quaff on a summer’s afternoon.

 

Here are notes.

 

Foxtrot foxly Rosé 2019 ($23). This is made primarily with Pinot Gris grapes. The rose petal hue comes from giving the grapes 48 hours of skin contact. It has flavours of strawberry and watermelon mingled with spice and minerality. It is dry. 88.

 

 

Nk’Mip Winemaker’s Rosé 2019 ($17.99). This is made with juice from five varietals:  Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. The result is a rosé full of aromas and flavours of strawberry and rhubarb. 90.

 

 

See Ya Late Ranch Legacy Series Rosé 2019 ($24.99). This is primarily made with Pinot Noir. The wine is fashionably pale and quite dry. It has aromas and flavours of raspberry and watermelon. 88.