Despite the alleged existence of a *Rosé Season*, I drink rosé all year long. Flat-brim marketing hooey aside, retailers claim it is almost impossible to sell during winter, and spring-time signals a rush on the shelves. And–as has been well-established on these pages–I am ridiculously picky about my rosé. My preferred varieties are Grenache–first and foremost–with Mourvedre, Corvina and Sangio making up the whole of my existence. So here we have a gorgeous Mourve: beautiful yellow onion-skin in the pour, grassy, vibrant greenery and steely, piquant ache easily visible in the nose.
Lush and mouth-filling on the palate–but not TOO much! It’s calm and focused, the mineral climbing to great heights through light peach and strawberry fruit. Glycerin-ey to an extent: mostly just how the balance of all things contained manage to woo in seamless harmony. Bandol would be proud here, as this is easily one of the most ridiculously delicious bottles of *pink* I have experinced this year. Lush and welcoming in finish, with a timeless sort of braciness masquerading as tannin, where chalky grasp drys things out and goes on forever. There’s not too much of this, so get on it. Rarely does a winery’s name tell you exactly what you’re getting in the glass.
2022 STARS & DUST Rosé of Mourvedre Kaerskov Vyd Los Olivos Dist. Santa Ynez Valley SBC 11.5
Stephen McConnell 