2005 Iron Horse Brut Rose

This bottle goes for $50 through the winery, but as is the case with many Iron Horse wines you can do far far better if you shop around.

I really don't get much of a nose on this. Kind of a Tropical Punch Kool-Aid thing, but seriously watered down.

This is heavy. A bit toasty, some raspberry jam - totally full flavored but a nicely balanced body. A touch of vanilla, even a bit of peach, a nice zip of acid, and even some rather firmly developed tannic structure.

More of the same on the finish, what's interesting is this almost finishes as a light bodied Pinot Noir - rather full bodied, oak qualities, cherry, and ripe golden stone fruit.

So what happened is I wound up falling asleep with a a bit more than a full glass worth still in the bottle. Seeing as I neither chilled nor made any attempt to preserve it, I was about to spill it out the next afternoon when I decided it was worth a taste. Shockingly, a good deal of fizz still remained and the wine was still quite tasty. A cranberry quality took over the palate and finish.

I can see this wine being offputting to some. It's a distinct style - dare I say this would make a good cold weather sparkler? Maybe not winter cold, but if you enjoy sitting outside on a brisk spring evening this may fit the bill. All that being said, I dig it.

Score: 91