ROANOKE 2020 SITE-SPECIFIC ROŚE

 The Roanoke Vineyards 2020 Site Specific Rośe is a light, crisp wine that paired well with some cheese and good conversations with friends in a small casual setting.  The color is a richer pink than the standard commercial Rośe (Figure 1, 2).  The acidity springs to life in the mouth without overpowering or turning one into a sourpuss.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and clear notes of the cab shine through.  On the palette, the Rośe had marked notes of Strawberry and a hint of berries on the nose.  Roanoke’s Rośe is an easy-drinking wine the pairs well with Oysters and other shellfish.  The notes from the winery on this wine are very descriptive and attached below (Figure 3).  Over a few days, the wine held up well and could quickly become one of our daily wines.  The Rośe is well worth several revisits.

1 - ROANOKE 2020 SITE SPECIFIC ROSE

2 - ROANOKE 2020 SITE SPECIFIC ROSE BACK LABEL

ROANOKE 2020 SITE-SPECIFIC ROSE FROM ROANOKE WEBPAGE

 

Let’s begin with the 2020 Roanoke Vineyards Site-Specific Rosé™, which pushes the limits of the genre. The world is full of rosé, and because the expectations for any rosé are very specific and rather limited, it’s an easy bullseye. If the wine is cold enough, not too sweet, and vaguely pink, it’s considered a home run.  Past that, none of us ask too many questions, but that’s the wrong way to look at wine.

 

Several years ago Roanoke trademarked the term “site specific” for a particular reason. We know that good wine can express not only a sense of place, very unique flavors and characteristics, but also the philosophies of the grower. This wine is built from estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, that, like all our estate wines, was grown without herbicides and with an organic approach focused on the health of the vineyard, the health of the planet, and your health. And because the Cab Sauvignon brings such depth and complexity to the table, this wine really benefits from a little aging. That’s not to say that you won’t find it a lovely companion to tonight’s dinner, but that it will be best appreciated on a special occasion at some point in the future.  This is the richest, cleanest, and most beautiful rosé on this side of the Atlantic.

 

Historically, Merlot from Long Island’s North Fork has had a very singular flavor profile that comes from its maritime climate and Havens Loam soil. The Roanoke Vineyards 2018 Merlot shows none of that, and could easily be mistaken as a wine from another region entirely. This wine is bright, fresh, and loaded with strawberry, sage, cinnamon, and tarragon.  The color is deceptively light for a wine of this depth, however there’s balance and a radiant acidity that will make food pairings a breeze. This is a young wine, but this is the time to drink it!