Why You Need to Drink Pink: Rosé’s Gone Mainstream and this Wine Find Proves That’s a Beautiful Thing

A Rosé by any other name would taste as sweet ... (Image courtesy LearnVest)

You are not special anymore if you drink Rosé. Everyone has discovered its charms. (OK, not everyone; there are still some holdouts here and there, people who are misguided and are never seen drinking anything but The Prisoner, but you get my point. Pink is no longer niche, and that’s a good thing.)

A few days ago, I tasted a Rosé that I am happy to recommend; it’s the 2016 Pinot Noir Rosé from Stoller Family Estate, a Dundee Hills winery with 215 acres of planted vines growing and producing at elevations between 220 and 640 feet. (Of those 215 acres, 121 are dedicated to Pinot Noir.)

The Rosé’s vintage comes from a warmer-than-usual growing season — think small clusters — and rain at flowering resulted in grapes with a higher skin-to-pulp ratio than is the norm. Near harvest, temperatures dropped, and the rest is bottled history: wonderful citrus and touches of jasmine and honeysuckle on the nose, guava and semi-sweet melon on the palate. In the glass, the color is a muted shade of rosy pink, easy on the eyes.

This Rosé, which was bottled in January 2017, was whole-cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel; alcohol is 12.5 percent. A relaxed mouthfeel and great balance of acidity to sweetness make the Stoller a good choice for afternoon sipping and as a pairing with a variety of foods — I tried it with smoked salmon and capers, a winning combination, and I’m confident it would enhance your plate of saucisson sec as well.

Earlier this summer, I took part in a massive Rosé tasting (click here for the juicy details) hosted by Jeff Kralik, The Drunken Cyclist, and we sampled the Stoller, along with 28 other bottles, so I was happy to taste this once again as it stood alone. (By the way, here is your wine word of the week: saignée.)

The Stoller Rosé retails for $25, and you can find it at your favorite merchant, including Total Wine (which is selling for for $22.99).