2015 Kale Wines Rosé Sonoma County
Refreshing as always. Even though summer has officially been over for two days, this is still perfect especially for this 85+ degree day. Orangey coral pink. Vibrant yet reserved on the nose with notes of melon, grapefruit, watermelon, and a touch of red berries. Medium acidity (5/10) and light bodied. Nice and fresh palate with tropical and red fruit notes. Medium length finish.
This specific bottling is a blend of 97% Grenache and 3% Mourvédre. They take the top clusters from the vines for their Rosé and leave the bottom for their red bottlings. Whole clusters are pressed cold with as little skin contact as possible. Then it goes through the Diemme bladder press which is an extremely gentle press usually used for making sparkling wine. The clear juice is then racked into their Sonoma Cast Stone concrete egg. Some additional Grenache and Mourvédre is sagnée from their red crush to add a little bit of color, but is fermented separately in barrels. Only the best barrels are added into the final Rosé blend. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. Only 280 cases produced.
2016 till 2018.
Price Point:
$$ - Is now sold out, purchase price was $30.00.Beautiful pale pink. Layered nose with strawberries, and melon. Moderate acidity (6/10) and light plus bodied. Fresh and crisp palate with strawberries and tropical fruits. Long finish.
This specific bottling is a blend of 97% Grenache and 3% Mourvédre. They take the top clusters from the vines for their Rosé and leave the bottom for their red bottlings. Whole clusters are pressed cold with as little skin contact as possible. Then it goes through the Diemme bladder press which is an extremely gentle press usually used for making sparkling wine. The clear juice is then racked into their Sonoma Cast Stone concrete egg. Some additional Grenache and Mourvédre is sagnée from their red crush to add a little bit of color, but is fermented separately in barrels. Only the best barrels are added into the final Rosé blend. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. Only 280 cases produced.
2016 till 2019.
Price Point:
$$ - At dinner with Kale and his wife. Is now sold out, purchase price was $30.00.Never disappoints. Medium orangey pink. Lots of tropical notes and strawberries on the nose. Great minerality and moderate acidity (5/10). Light bodied with similar notes as the nose. Medium plus finish. Great Grenache Rosé! Thanks Kale!
This specific bottling is a blend of 97% Grenache and 3% Mourvédre. They take the top clusters from the vines for their Rosé and leave the bottom for their red bottlings. Whole clusters are pressed cold with as little skin contact as possible. Then it goes through the Diemme bladder press which is an extremely gentle press usually used for making sparkling wine. The clear juice is then racked into their Sonoma Cast Stone concrete egg. Some additional Grenache and Mourvédre is sagnée from their red crush to add a little bit of color, but is fermented separately in barrels. Only the best barrels are added into the final Rosé blend. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. Only 280 cases produced.
2016 till 2018.
Price Point:
$$ - $30.00.Always a solid Rosé. Great to start off thanksgiving pre-food drinks. Bright orangey pink. Lots of minerality, and fresh strawberries on the nose. Minerality and wet rocks continue throughout the palate with some addition of stone fruits. Moderate acidity (6/10) and light bodied. Dry medium to medium plus finish.
This specific bottling is a blend of 97% Grenache and 3% Mourvédre. They take the top clusters from the vines for their Rosé and leave the bottom for their red bottlings. Whole clusters are pressed cold with as little skin contact as possible. Then it goes through the Diemme bladder press which is an extremely gentle press usually used for making sparkling wine. The clear juice is then racked into their Sonoma Cast Stone concrete egg. Some additional Grenache and Mourvédre is sagnée from their red crush to add a little bit of color, but is fermented separately in barrels. Only the best barrels are added into the final Rosé blend. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. Only 280 cases produced.
2016 till 2018.
Price Point:
$$ - $30.00.Crystal clear orangey pink. Layered nose with light floral notes, stone fruits, melon, cantaloupe and orange zest. Balanced moderate acidity (6/10) and rounded palate with notes of red berries, fresh strawberries, apples and some spices. More French in style, not sweet and a bit dry. Some wet river stones and a touch savory in the long and lingering finish.
This specific bottling is a blend of 97% Grenache and 3% Mourvédre. They take the top clusters from the vines for their Rosé and leave the bottom for their red bottlings. Whole clusters are pressed cold with as little skin contact as possible. Then it goes through the Diemme bladder press which is an extremely gentle press usually used for making sparkling wine. The clear juice is then racked into their Sonoma Cast Stone concrete egg. Some additional Grenache and Mourvédre is sagnée from their red crush to add a little bit of color, but is fermented separately in barrels. Only the best barrels are added into the final Rosé blend. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. Only 280 cases produced.
2016 till 2020.
Price Point:
$$ - Tasted at the Wine Thief with Kale. Purchase price is $30.00.Last of the three wines we got to try by Kale Anderson. Pale orange with a slight pinkish hue. Tight to start but had some watermelon, peaches and cleaning chemicals on the nose. Possibly some wet stone undertones. Crisp and refreshing on the palate. Some watermelon, guava, melon, honeydew, a ton of tropical fruits. A little sharp on day one that smoothed out on day two. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) and light to medium bodied. Semi dry long finish. Slight crystallization on the bottom but solid Grenache based Rosé.
Some the fruit in this Rosé comes from the same vineyard as the fruit for the Home Run Cuvée, Kick Ranch. The climate at Kick Ranch is perfect for growing Rhone varietals. Starting with the Pleasanton-Haire complex soil with fantastic drainage causing the vines to fight for their low yields, making the grapes more concentrated. Additionally, the vineyard has a straight shot of cool maritime breezes that help to cool off the vineyard from the intense afternoon sun. As for McGah Vineyard, is located in the Rutherford AVA in Napa Valley and is well known for having gravelly loam soils with excellent drainage.
This specific bottling is a blend of 97% Grenache and 3% Mourvédre. They take the top clusters from the vines for their Rosé and leave the bottom for their red bottlings. Whole clusters are pressed cold with as little skin contact as possible. Then it goes through the Diemme bladder press which is an extremely gentle press usually used for making sparkling wine. The clear juice is then racked into their Sonoma Cast Stone concrete egg. Some additional Grenache and Mourvédre is sagnée from their red crush to add a little bit of color, but is fermented separately in barrels. Only the best barrels are added into the final Rosé blend. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. Only 280 cases produced.
2016 till 2018.
Price Point:
$$ - Sample provided by the Estate. Was $30.00, now sold out but two new bottlings coming in Spring 2017.