In a summer when dry rose wines seem to be reaching their long-deserved place on American wine lists and in Americans’ glasses, we have a first-rate Missouri rose to discuss. Stone Hill, the Hermann-based winery that has been a Missouri leader for many years, has a new, very dry 2006 rose made from the St. Vincent grape. It’s another triumph for winemaker Dave Johnson, who turns out nearly two dozen different wines, from bone dry to extremely sweet. No matter what the grape, Johnson can make outstanding wine from it.
The Stone Hill offering, at about $13, is slightly darker pink in color than many roses, both French and American. There is cherry in the aroma and in the flavor, and a light, pleasing crispness that makes the wine good company for summer salads and lighter sandwiches, but with enough body to stand up to a not-too-heavy pasta sauce or a vegetable pizza. I found a flavor similar to the Grenache, base of many French roses, but perhaps the wish is father to the thought.
The grape has a mystery in its history, without much of a family vine (or tree, if you prefer). It’s been around Stone Hill for a while, and Johnson has used it in the winery’s popular red Steinberger, a semi-dry wine. Johnson has heard (and I’ve read) that it originated with Boordy Vineyards, the famed Maryland winery owned by Philip Wagner, who developed many American hybrid grapes. Locally, it was grown some 30 years ago at Mount Pleasant Vineyards, probably by Lucian Dressel, a pioneer in the twentieth-century revival of the Missouri wine industry.
"It’s an early ripening grape," said Johnson, "but it’s rather hardy, easy to grow and is a large producer. But it’s too light a grape to make into a ful-bodied, dry red wine. That makes it perfect for a dry rose."
The 2006 vintage is the first to be vinified in that style.
Roses are meant to drink while they’re young, and on a summer picnic, with the bottle dripping condensation and the oaks providing the shade, they’re fine quaffing wines. They are not sophisticated, but they’re extremely pleasing.
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Some of my favorite California wines come from Dan Duckhorn, who makes not only excellent wine but also excellent puns and word plays. He’s the founder, CEO and Chairman of an operation that includes the Duckhorn and Paraduxx wineries in the Napa Valley and Golden Eye, in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. A wide variety of wines come from Napa, strictly Pinot Noir from Mendo. Bill Nancarrow and Zach Rasmuson are the respective winemakers.
Besides having big, rich flavors, elegant body and long, smooth finishes, the Duckhorn wines pay tribute to the birds of the Pacific Flyway and to Duckhorn’s wonderful sense of humor. Pictures of birds often decorate the labels, and Paraduxx labels have two birds, emphasizing tribute to two birds (pair-a-ducks) and to the basic truth that the entire process of winemaking and drinking can be something of a paradox. Goldeneye and Decoy are other duck-associated labels from Duckhorn. Both are splendid.
The 2004 Paraduxx, a red blend, is 65 percent Zinfandel, 28 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 7 percent Merlot. It’s rich and delicious, and despite its relative youth, can be drunk right now. The Merlot softens the wine enough to smooth any harsh tannin edge, and the finish is extra-long. It’s a worthwhile retail investment at $45, either for drinking today or for putting down, because it will improve over the next half-dozen years or so.
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TASTING NOTES:
Franciscan Oakville Estates has an outstanding ‘04 Napa Valley Magnificat, jammy, beautifully balanced and very smooth. It’s another complex blend, giving it a Bordeaux charm, with 71 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Merlot and two percent each of Malbec and Petit Verdot. Expensive at $45, but outstanding.
Dry Creek Vineyards is showing two Zinfandels, a good Heritage zin ($16) from 2005, richer with the addition of 16 percent Petite Sirah, a better Old Vines version from 2004 ($25). The latter, all rich, powerful Zinfandel grapes, involves bud wood from vines more than a century old grafted onto new root stock from Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. The wine has the lovely dark velvet feel of good zins, excellent balance and finish.
Andeluna, the Argentine producer from Mendoza, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, shows a delicious reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from ‘03. It’s hearty and brawny, well-valued at $23, and just right to accompany for a sizzling steak fresh off the grill.
-Joe