The nation’s obsession with rosé has yet to show signs of slowing down, in fact rosé as a percent of overall sales volume doubled year over year from April 2018 to April 2019 (Source: Wine Access, April 2019). With National Rosé Day just around the corner (June 8th), consumers will soon be on the hunt for new bottles of pink to drink. Below you’ll find four unique and delicious rosés hailing from four distinct regions in California. From light pink to bubbly, these wines are sure to have your customers ditching last year’s favorites in favor of these fun offerings from the golden state.
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2014 Bootleg Red Blend: Illicit Quality
Though to “bootleg” means to hide contraband, or illegally make something, the 2014Bootleg Red Wine offers nothing but transparency. A kitchen sink blend of Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot, the fruit is mainly from Napa with about 13% of it coming from Mendocino. There’s a rustic, almost unfinished qualityto this, a sense of hand worked and not company-made. It’s full of blackberry, blueberry,cocoa powder, red raspberry, rough and tumble tannins and a slight edginess.
Bonfort’s Wine of The Week: 2013 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, 95 Points
Josephine Tychson became the first female winemaker on record in the Napa Valley when she established what would become Freemark Abbey in 1886. We don’t know forcertain how good the wines were then, but the 2013 Cabernet would make her proud.Pulled from five different vineyard sites, all located in Rutherford, this is a winecombining grace, structure and finesse. Comprised mainly of Cabernet, there areadditions of 8.6% Merlot, 9.7% Petit Verdot and 2.9% Cabernet Franc.
3 Pairing Tips To Upsell Your Customers
Your customers want advice. What goes with grilled meat, salads, tacos and pizza? Get-togethers mean simple foods that people can share and the summer months certainly bring out the barbeques. Zin, particularly Lodi Zin, is a great all-round wine for most summer occasions so we asked Oak Ridge Winery about its edgiest label, OZV. This is possibly the most versatile portfolio for your bbq-ing customers, so keep it handy and upsell from that $10.99 price slot to $13, $15 and even $70.
Dueling Pistols, Terlato’s Most Disruptive + Innovative Wine So Far
Terlato Wines debuted a new brand, Dueling Pistols, launched with a whole new approach to a campaign. Through a tension-filled label, episodic background story and through the wines themselves, The Dueling Pistol’s wine encompasses two blends from the Paso Robles and Dry Creek Valley regions of California, made of two bold, competing varietals in each bottle (thus the duel), a tension underscored by an origination story that will reveal itself over time.
With OZV, Can You Teach Consumers The ABCs of Lodi Zin?
It’s never a waste of time to educate consumers on what they’re drinking. Zinfandel is as misunderstood sometimes as the Lodi Region of California. If OZV is the ABC of Lodi Zinfandel, then these three letters which represent Old Zinfandel Vine, are pretty much the starting and ending point, for all things Zin produced in the Lodi region. The pioneering brand comes from a fifth-generation family grape-growers under the Oak Ridge umbrella.
Pahlmeyer Anniversary Label Released
Pahlmeyer Winery of Napa Valley released its 30th Anniversary 2016 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, a red wine blend with a special commemorative label.
Vintner Jayson Pahlmeyer established Pahlmeyer in the 1980s with a string of successful vintages for his knockout, newcomer wines. His irrepressible spirit drove an unrelenting quest for the highest quality wine in every single vintage. “Everything worth doing is worth doing to excess,” is one of his favorite mantras.
Levendi Legacy 15th Anniversary Edition, Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, 97 Points
This deep cherry colored wine, with the most subtle hint of amber makes for a wonderful pour. We let this breathe for a bit and it paid off in spades. Blueberry, blackberry, and currant turn to subtle licorice on the back palate. Cedar on the aftertaste. The flavors glide along and the mouthfeel is exquisite. This is a robust but graceful wine. A wonderful trade-up for Napa cab-loving customers. Get this one on your wine menu.
Levendi Sweetwater Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2016, 96 Points
Dark cherry red in color, this wine sparkles, adding to the appearance of any restaurant dining table. First impression on the nose is clove (in careful measure). Dry delivery to the palate, dark fruit aromas, followed by restrained mocha. This wine layers flavor without piling it on. Upon second entry, we noticed distinct dark cherry and blackberry notes. Ready to serve, but solid acidity and overall balance make this an age-worthy wine.
Levendi Estate Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2016, 93 Points
Stunning clarity, in a straw crystal clear appearance, this chardonnay epitomizes what Napa fans hope for. Abundant ripe fruit on the nose in the form of dried pineapple is met with less-ripe flavors of apple to alert the senses that something wonderful is about to happen. You’ll spot the perfected balance on the palate, with that tropical fruit flavor bursting through, prompting immediate salivation. It holds back at the end though, so as not to build. Apple again on the aftertaste keeps it fresh. Upon each entry, the process starts again. This is a crowd-pleaser and a safe bet for any on-premise menu.
OZV Is Refreshed and Ready For Roll Out
Lodi -based, Oak Ridge Winery announced a refreshed label for the OZV portfolio which features three expressions of Zinfandel: The OZV Old Vine Zinfandel 2016, OZV Rosé of Primitivo 2018 and its OZV Old Vine Red Blend 2016. OZV is the No.1 Zinfandel in California in its price point and No.4 in the United States, according to recent Nielsen data.
The new label, hitting shelves now, strengthens OZV among Oak Ridge Winery’s key brands including Maggio Family Vineyards, Old Soul, Moss Roxx, and Lodi Estates by recharging its brand identity as it looks to the future.
Hertelendy Vineyards 2014 Signature Mountain Blend – 96 Points
A beautiful example of high mountain fruit, the 2014 offers a deep and complex nose that shows the high-quality fruit at its peak flavor. Deep black in color, the fruit shines through with a well-balanced but subtle wine with character. Impressive and balanced tannins, with dark stone fruit, blackberry and a hint of black cherry, create an elite wine that stands near the top. A beautiful example of high mountain fruit, the 2014 offers a deep and complex nose that shows the high-quality fruit at its peak flavor. Deep black in..
Hertelendy Vineyards 2014 Chardonnay – 95 Points
Intense oak floods the glass with an opulent aroma. If you like big, oaky chardonnay this is the wine for you. Fruit forward with beautiful straw color and clarity, the wine over delivers with a lush viscosity that encapsulates the palate. Layers of rich fruit includes gooseberry and melon. A superb and richly made wine. Intense oak floods the glass with an opulent aroma. If you like big, oaky chardonnay this is the wine for you. Fruit forward with beautiful straw color and clarity, the wine over delivers with a lush viscosity that encapsulates the palate.
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2013 Northstar Merlot: Finding True North
A silky smooth version from Washington State, this is a middle of the road Merlot, allowing non-Merlot folks to step towards this grape without sacrificing what they want in terms of flavor, structure and drinkability. There is plenty of boysenberry, blackberry, blueberry and black cherry, with back notes of resin, minerality, cedar and vanilla. 2013 Northstar Merlot is a blend in the truest sense of the word, Mainly Merlot with 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Petite Verdot, this is fruit from 10 different vineyards with vine age averaging…
Bonfort’s Wine of The Week: Dutton Goldfield 2015 RRV Chardonnay, 91 Points
Dutton Goldfield has had a stellar reputation with Chardonnay since they opened their doors in 1998. The Chardonnay, actually a Chardonnay musque clone from their Rued Vineyard site, provides more aromatics than other Chardonnay clones. There is certainly an obvious malolactic element evident on the nose and in the palate, but it is tempered with zesty fruit, lemon-lime, manuka honey, tropical fruit mélange, tangerine, crème brulee, even wisps of gardenia…