2015 Gramercy Cellars Olsen Rose

The 2016 Rosé is groundbreaking for us. First, this is a single vineyard rosé -Olsen Vineyard. We love Olsen Vineyard for Rhone varieties and want to showcase the vineyard with this rosé.  Secondly, for years, we have wanted to co-ferment all the varieties together.  Usually, the Syrah ripens before the Cinsault and Grenache, so we have two different ferments. We would ferment Syrah alone and then co-ferment Cinsault and Grenache. In 2016, in very early September, we realized that all three grapes were on the verge of being ready.  This was mostly the result of farming Syrah a bit differently given the warmer vintages of recent years.  The Cinsault and Grenache were a bit less ripe than we had picked in recent years, but we liked the flavors. We called Leif Olsen to harvest all our blocks.

We macerated the rosé on skins for about 6 hours total.  We gently pressed the wine when it hit a beautiful Pacific Northwest Sockeye Salmon color.  The wine was fermented cold for about 18 days in stainless steel.  We favor stainless steel for this fermentation to preserve freshness and acidity.

The 2016 Rosé is a blend of 52% Cinsault, 24% Grenache and 24% Syrah.  The wine is racier and citrus dominate than years past, but retains intense minerality.  Truly refreshing for the warm summer days ahead.


Tasting Notes: Aromas of fresh strawberry, ruby red grapefruit, cantaloupe, mandarin orange.  Stone, mineral, Parmesan rind. Medium bodied with moderate-plus acid.