Exclusive offer: 6/9/2023 — Rosé Extravaganza (the three most popular wines)
Offer available through Monday, 6/12/2023, or as inventory lasts.
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Hi everyone –
We held our second annual Rosé Extravaganza this past Monday at the Campus Club. It was a terrific event that ran like clockwork. We had about 200 attendees (intentionally capped so there was elbow room) and 55 wines being shown across three locations at the Campus Club (the terrace, the West Wing, and the Pink Party Room).
It’s always fun to tally the orders and see what stood out.
For this week’s Friday offer, we present the three most popular wines at the 2023 Rosé Extravaganza.
First, a little insider’s secret
The bargains in the rosé section right now are the 2021 vintage wines.
In the past, one of the general rules of rosé was “buy fresh.” That when the new vintage came out (in this case, 2022), then don’t be suckered into buying the past vintage (in this case, 2021 and even some 2020).
But things have changed, and here’s why.
First, rosé winemaking has gotten better, simple as that. Ten years ago, dry pink wine was an afterthought at many wineries, pumped out quickly and with less quality control. The wines didn’t hold up as well as they do today.
Second, the most popular style of rosé, the high-acid and lip-smacking style, is naturally going to hold up better than the rich, textured, lower-acid styles of the near past.
Third, many of the 2021s on the market today were late to market due to supply chain issues last year. So the wines sat in the dark, in temperature-controlled shipping containers, for months. In other words, ideal storage conditions. Not in a warm retailer, sitting in the sun near the window display, but rather in a cool and dark place, not moving at all. That has allowed many of the 2021s you see on the shelves to develop slowly.
But because 2022’s are the fresh vintage, many 2021’s have dropped significantly in price just to move them out of the warehouses. We’re talking 50% off in many instances.
In this week’s offer, we have one BARGAIN 2021 and two GORGEOUS 2022s.
We’re proud to present the
THREE MOST POPULAR WINES
from this year’s Rosé Extravaganza
2021 Olivares Rosado, Jumilla, Spain
This is the rosé bargain of the year.
100% hand-harvested Grenache from a family-run winery with a winemaking history going back almost 100 years. Some of their ungrafted vines are from 1872! Learn more about the winery and check out the photo of the ancient vines they own.
Grenache from Jumilla often comes from gnarly old vines that produce fruit of real character. In general, the wines of Jumilla offer massive bang for the buck, and this is no exception.
Add to that 90 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate:
The faintly reductive 2021 Rosado is a bright pink produced with Garnacha from dry-farmed vines. It feels a bit young and might need some more time in bottle (or an energetic decanting) to get rid of the reduction, because it has juicy fruit and some fresh floral notes and feels balanced and tasty. It’s 13% alcohol and has some very fine tannins and a tasty finish. Unbeatable price. 95,000 bottles produced. It was bottled unoaked in December 2021.
Our tasting note: Strawberries and minerals! Not complex, but straightforward and yummy and super drinky. Totally fresh. Great info on front label. A rose for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc lovers, for it’s packed with bright citric acid.
2022 Trioliro Vinho Verde Rosé, Portugal
It’s easy to understand why this was so popular at the show.
It’s 11.5% ABV. It’s crisp, refreshing, and packed with aromatics and flavors. It’s a beautiful color, with a beautiful label. It checks off all the boxes.
And it’s simply GULPABLE.
The grape varieties are Vinhão, Espadeiro, Touriga Nacional … all classic northern Portugal indigenous varieties. The winery is Casa Vila Verde, which has a long history in the area (going back to medieval times) but was also one of the first in the region to modernize in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Our tasting note: Loads of zip. Cherries and watermelon galore. The word “blasty” came to mind and I don’t really know why – it just works. A rocket ship. Bright cherry. A touch of effervescent at first. CHERRY BOMB. ZIPPY. crisp and fresh and oh so drinky. Yum. (I know my tasting notes don’t read like Wine Spectator’s, and I’m proud of that.)
2022 Pomalo Rosé, Croatia
I’m going to come right out and say it: labels matter. They matter more than wine snobs want to admit. You’re drawn to the wine when you see a beautiful wine label, and your hopes and expectations rise. And when it’s a rosé and the colors are so beautiful, you can’t help but grab the bottle.
And then, when you pop it and pour a glass, and your expectations are exceeded tenfold, suddenly you find yourself getting giddy with excitement and maybe starting to laugh like a baby being tickled.
That’s what this wine did to me.
What does “Pomalo” mean?
The description of the word “pomalo” cannot be found in any Croatian dictionary. Literally, “pomalo” means to take it easy, to relax, no stress, but also slow down, no worries…
https://www.vinumusa.com/wineries/pomalo
The true meaning of ”pomalo” is rooted in the coastal and island lifestyle and the general state of mind of the Dalmatians. Us Americans can use more Pomalo, all the time.
The island winery is located at the southern tip of Croatia, near the borders of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It’s 100% Blaufrankish, known in Croatia as Frankovka (and in the United States as Lemberger). This is a thick-skinned and late-ripening variety I love dearly (the Kiona Lemberger from Washington is a wine we’ve suggested here many times). Learn more about Blaufrankish.
This wine’s very smart local importer took a stand on it, bringing in a big chunk of the total production of only 708 cases. I don’t think you can find this wine in New York, Miami, or Los Angeles … there was not enough for them.
From the importer:
Direct press Frankovka showing that Slavonia knows how to party in the summertime just as much as the coast! Delivers a nose bursting with floral aromas and red berry fruits, particularly strawberries and raspberries. The palate is fresh, vibrant, bright, and effortlessly pleasing – the PERFECT summer wine for doing absolutely nothing… besides drinking Pomalo Rose.
https://www.vinumusa.com/wines/pomalo-rose
Our tasting note: So solid and so complex. I wish more rosé were like this. Loads of layers that tumble all over themselves and deliver something different with each pass. Looooooooooong finish. More strawberry than cherries, along with a pleasant bitter/tannin touch at the end. A bit Capari-like in all the best ways.
Buying advice
It’s rosé season and time to stock up!
With more rosé selections available than ever before, we hope this helped whittle things down for you.
Tasting through these wines made it obvious why they were so popular at the Rosé Extravaganza.
Stock up!
Jason Kallsen
Sommelier and founder/owner of Twin Cities Wine Education
Offer is open Friday at 3:00pm central until Monday at 6:00pm central, or as inventory lasts.
