N/V Jean Farris Rose

Jean Farris...a winery on the outskirts middle of Lexington, Kentucky that grows most of its own grapes. Sounds like it could go really wrong, doesn't it? Read on about this $20 bottle.

This is one of those roses that needs time to open - seriously, give it an hour in the glass or maybe run it through a Vinturi or something.

Watermelon Jolly Rancher with some strawberry notes as well...kind of a candied strawberry, like the filling of a cake from the local Jewels.

This is literally like a liquid watermelon Jolly Rancher. A bit sweet, quite tangy, fairly heavy bodied...I can see this being fairly polarizing, but put me firmly in the pro camp. There's more strawberry on the palate as well, along with some apricot and nectarine, and thrown together with a pinch of black tea.

Yep, more of that watermelon Jolly Rancher thing along with some stone fruit, a dash of nectarine (real), and peach (Jolly Rancher) bring some interesting depth on the absurdly long finish.

This is a distinct style. You may hate it and I totally get why you would...but some wines are so absurd, so distinct, and so undeniably well done, that you have to give them love.

Score: 93

2010 Charles and Charles Rose

It seems like we've had this before, but I see no review of it on this blog...I think it was a Ravinia pick. This one ran me eleven bones.

Strawberry jam on the nose.

A bit spicy...nice acidic backbone, tart cherry, raspberry, and peach tea...a very nice balance with fruit and spice blending together.

A peach tea sorta thing, perhaps even a fuzzy navel quality.

I've found straight up Syrah rose to be iffy....this one works nicely. For a hot weather quaffer, this works.

Score: 87

2010 Chateau Bonnet Bordeaux Rose

French rose at Costco for nine bucks - I'm game.

Watermelon rind, pink grapefruit, and cinnamon on the nose.

Watermelon rind, pink grapefruit, and cinnamon the palate.

Watermelon rind, pink grapefruit, and cinnamon on the finish.

Do you like watermelon rind, pink grapefruit, and cinnamon? If so, you may like this wine. It's tough to get too serious about a standard cheap rose, but that said, it's more than tasty enough to snag a bunch and get a party going, get a party going, because it's time to party, and you will party hard.

Wow, the song I just referenced is 10 years old. Getting old sucks.

Score: 86

2009 White Cottage Ranch Elene Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon

About fourteen bucks at Costco, this one was. It was the only rose they seemed to carry, hopefully that will change soon.

Watermelon of the natural and artificial sort on the nose.

More or less standard in the whole strawberry and watermelon thing, but it has a full bodied mouth feel almost oily in consistency....there is a type of candy that comes in a tube and has the consistency, more or less, as gel toothpaste - imagine sour watermelon gel candy in wine form - here you are. There's a bit more sweetness than I prefer in a rose, but the acid and that full bodied feel bring it all together into a sort of harmony.

A candy quality lingers.

I want to clarify - I keep using "candy" terms but this is not a blush wine by any means, it's a solid rose, firmly acidic, mildly tannic, full bodied, complex, but with a candy - a sour candy - dominating component. I can see some not caring for this....for me, it works.

Score: 89

2010 Les Deux Rives Corbieres Rose

Snagged this one for about eight bucks. The weather is getting warmer so there should be lots of rose reviews coming up.

A light nose, mostly watermelon rind and a bit of fruit thrown in.

Look up "patio wine" in the wine dictionary and you should find a picture of this. Light, easy drinking, dry, fruity - strawberry, watermelon, but a bit of acid and even the mildest of tannin give it some nice backbone to prevent it from just being a one dimensional mess.

Almost some peach fuzz comes through on the finish with some strawberry seed...it's not a length finish, but should I really even be commenting on such matters?

Can't knock it - well made and cheap, meant for the deck and the grill, I'll probably be bringing this one to Ravinia over the summer.

Score: 86

2009 Domaine de Fondreche L'Instant

This is easily the lightest rose I've ever seen. It's almost in the 'vin gris' category. This goes for about $12 at retail.

A mild nose, with peach notes.

Very dry. Perhaps some peach but mostly a rindy kinda thing - watermelon rind, peach skin, grapefruit rind, etc. After a few hours, some fruitier qualities come through - mild watermelon, mild strawberry - but it is still a bone dry, not terribly fruity wine.

Mild watermelon on the finish - the flavor is there, but once again no sugar at all.

So, it's a matter of preference I suppose - I like bone dry roses, but I want more fruit. Perhaps pouring the bottle in a decanter with a handful of ripe strawberries may liven it up a bit....sacrilege I know.

Score: 83

2009 Meinklang Pinot Noir Rosa

This is a rose with a bit of effervescence. It ran me about $14 at Whole Foods - it s a biodynamic wine, organic, the label talks about cows near the vines...

Watermelon rind and cherry pits on the nose.

It's strange, when you pour a glass there's a good amount of fizz, but it fades quickly leaving not visible bubbles but an interesting foamy moutfeel. Medium body, a dry sort of watermelon thing, a bit of artificial strawberry, even a bit of red apple in a jelly bean sorta way. It's a tad thick, fruity, but not (or only very slightly) sweet.

More of that red apple jelly bean thing on the finish.

Tasty. Decently priced. Theoretically good for the planet. You can do worse.

Score: 85

2008 Madame Fleur 365 Whole Foods Rose

I hate to admit it, but I've come around to the Whole Foods thing. It's hard for me to drop a grudge, but I'll look past the snarky 'anonymous' comments on this blog that came from Whole Foods corporate offices.

Anyways, yes, it is expensive but almost always far less than I expect it to be and frequently on par with big name grocers. As an example, just today I spotted an entire display of nice looking strawberries for the same price as some rather suspect looking ones at the Jewels. And where else can you get a slice of vegan sausage pizza? I mean, it's terrible (the cheese, not the sausage), but for the vegan in your life that's astounding. This wine, a rose from France itself, was ten bucks and is part of the 365 Whole Foods house brand.

A somewhat mild nose, with watermelon notes coming through. I wonder if anyone has ever done analysis on these things - is there any chemical part to roses that have something that would suggest watermelon or is it just color? I've never hit watermelon on a white wine. I may have to do a tasting or two blindfolded.

An argument can be made that any sort of formal tasting notes on a $10 store brand rose is silly. I agree. I do it anyway, because that's what blogging is about. Quite light in body, bone dry, a bit of fruit, some mild suggestions of tannins, a bit of that strawberry seed thing - not strawberries the fruit itself, but just shave off some of those tiny seats and chew them up (obviously you are getting the essence of strawberry in the seed, but it's more of an almost floral thing - maybe I should be going with strawberry tea).

This is the kind of wine where it's tough to do notes because you sit there, you take a sip, you put it down, you lean back, think about how glad you are that it's Friday, then take another sip, and the next thing you know the bottle's gone and you don't where you left your pants. No complaints at all - this is as good as you should expect for ten bones. I may have to investigate some of the other 365 offerings.

Score: 87

N/V Lancers Rose

So this is one of these wines that is apparently quite famous, been around for many many years and has a reputation for being crap, but I had not heard of it before snagging a bottle for seven bucks.

The nose is pretty simple with some strawberry notes coming through.

There's a very slight fizz on this one. Very light in body as well - quite watery in mouthfeel - with some pear, apple, and even slightly cherry 7-Up like qualities.

The finish has an interesting white tea thing going along with some white grape juice flavors.

I mean, not bad, but nothing of interest either. Many things I've read compare this to White Zinfandel which I think is somewhat unfair - though it's off dry, there's enough going on that I can't outright dismiss it.

Wine: 6
Value: Meh

2007 Domaine de la Mordoree Tavel Rose

This is probably the most expensive rose I've consumed - retail price was $24. Of course, it was heavily discounted to $8 at Binny's, but this is neither here nor there.

Cranberry cocktail on the nose.

Big - very big - oddly big, in fact. Somewhat sweet, which I wasn't expecting. There's some distinct honeydew qualities, plus some herbal tea notes, and some cherry - all in a medicinal sorta way. As it opens, some of the unpleasant qualities fade away, but the whole thing is just, I don't know, unrefined? Everything is so big and in your face it's offputting.

Some interesting cantaloupe qualities come out on the finish.

The first 90 minutes or so I though this wine was damn near atrocious. After it got some airtime, I'm not convinced it works with my palate, but it's not bad.

Wine: 5
Value: Nah

2008 Thierry and Guy Fat Bastard Rose

I appreciate when a wine gives some proceeds to charity - I also appreciate when they are up front with what how much. A quarter may not seem like much but how many things like this just say 'a percentage'? Technically, zero is a percentage. Anyway, we liked the 2007 so why not snag the 2008 on a stupid hot summer night?

The nose has a distinct watermelon Jolly Rancher thing happening.

The palate has more of that artificial watermelon, plus some real fruit including strawberry. Overall quite dry and even somewhat tannic. Once again - a real, legit dry rose.

Not a whole lot lingers on the finish.

A true rose for $6.50. I'm not excited by it, but I also have no issue with it - for a hot summer day this a cheap and easy find so I can't really knock it.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Absolutely

2008 Mulderbosch South Africa Rose

The weather's a bear and rose is a surefire way to beat the heat. I'm perusing the shop and grab a French rose, our default, and as I walk around I stumble upon the South African wine section. It's been a while since we've had a South African wine (as far as I can tell it's been three years), so this is the first in several wines we'll be having in the near future to reacquaint ourselves with the region.

Some minerality on the nose, which isn't all that common in roses.

The slightest bit of sugar - barely noticeable, but it's there - and a good punch of acid. Strawberry mostly dominates here with some nice spicy notes. There's an interesting lemon/lime sorta thing - almost like it has a dash of 7-Up or something mixed in.

Some interesting spicy things come through on the finish - white pepper perhaps, something more exotic that I can't quite place my finger on - almost a lavender quality.

For ten bucks, I have no complaints here.

Wine: 7
Value: Yep

2007 Josefina Syrah Rose

This one goes for five bucks or so at Trader Joe's.

A nondescript grapey quality on the nose.

Just blah - grapey but with some spice and tannin. Sweet and spicy overall and and ultimately unpleasant. It's not cloyingly sweet or anything, but the whole combination of flavors and mouthfeel is pretty bad.

The finish is little more than a spicy/sugary mess - more sugar comes through right on the finish.

Among the worst, as in foulest tasting, roses I recall consuming.

Wine: 3
Value: No

2007 Forty-Five North Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose

As soon as we left this winery and got on the road I began to doubt myself with buying this one - that is, only one - but we had other places to hit and the budget was being pushed as is. Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose - twenty bucks - regular ol' twist cap - the way you know it's sparkling is by the little bubbles. I wonder if they ever regret making it so subtle. I quite like it, myself, but people do tend to be, you know...dumb.

I found a review - a negative review - that I can only assume was discussing this bottle, but the person clearly did not realize this was a sparkler. Loosley quoted: "strong bubbles and fizz...not a good thing." That sorta is a good thing in this case.....and if it wasn't - that would be what we call a flawed bottle and an e-mail to the winery would be in order. I mean, really, do they just let any idiot publish wine reviews on the internets?

(and a chill filled the room.....)


Many wines we've consumed lately have been bringing stone fruit, which I fear is a 'palate rut' for me, but I'll be damned if this doesn't bring mostly nectarine on the nose.

Fairly heavy in body and somewhat light on bubbles. Cranberry, strawberry, and tart cherries on the palate with a touch of sweetness. There's some tannic structure here that's quite interesting, but I can see the whole heaviness here turning some people off - neither light nor crisp, though I do not consider that a flaw - this is, perhaps, the definitive sparkler for fall or winter.

More of that cranberry quality with even some interesting oaky notes (though I assume this hasn't actually seen oak) on the finish...almost a pinch of clove seems to come through.

A nice offering - well played - and somewhat unique. I dig it.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yep

2007 Albero Bobal Rose

This was six bones at Trader Joe's - how bad can a $6 Spanish Rose be?

A very nice nose, strong with strawberry, cherry, and even cinnamon notes.

Cherry mostly with some minty things going on, as well as some light spices, along with some apple notes.

I'm getting a watermelon rind thing on the finish, as well as some somewhat unripe strawberries.

Decent, cheap rose rocks and this is certainly one of them. There are more complex and better rounded ones out there to be sure, but I doubt you'll snag one for under $10 that's better than this.

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

2007 Red Bicyclette French Rose

Eight bones, grocery store, what the heck?

Very light strawberry and a slight bit of grape on the nose.

I'm going to be blunt – I had low expectations on this one. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. It has a very slight touch of sugar, but by no means sweet. A bit of tart strawberry and slight raspberry with a mild bit of tannin and acid to balance it out.

If you want a rose and are in a bind, this is the way to go. I'll probably be snagging more for things like Ravinia.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yep

2008 Two Lads Rose

We really liked the 2007 of this, so why not snag a 2008? I forget the exact price, but it's in the late teens or $20 flat.

I'm getting a bit of peach blossom on the nose.

Beautiful. Rather large in body – with the dominate fruit being cranberry along with some great peachy notes with a dash of strawberry. Something here is reminding me of hibiscus tea. With the punch of acid, dash of sugar, slight bit of tea, and outstanding fruit, this is among the best we've had.

More of that hibiscus quality on the finish plus more cranberry – if there's a cranberry hisbiscus tea on the market, I need to try it as I'd bet it's somewhat like this.

I can't recommend this highly enough as a great summer wine. I suppose there are two "types" of roses that we dig, the pure and traditional, bone dry ones you often see from France, and these somewhat more fruitforward and more - dare I say - complex wines. The sort of wine you can bring to a picnic but it almost seems like a shame unless you're bringing decent stemware.

Wine: 9
Value: Yes

N/V Patratki Greek Rose

So....we've never reviewed a Greek wine, and we recently enjoyed a dinner at a Greek restaurant where we had a nice rose. I decided to snag a bottle of this for kicks for eight bones.

Man, I struggled with this one's nose, but I finally got it. Grapes – like the skins of red seedless grapes you get at the Jewels.

Simple and quaffable – honestly....this wine is a decent thing to just drink but now that I sit and really think about it, I can't place anything....it's definitely wine. There's some alcohol and there's some mild tannins, but I can't say there's anything else. Maybe strawberry? I'm reaching.

A bit of citrus acid lingers on the finish – it doesn't taste like anything in particular, just a vaguely citric quality.

Well, there's nothing wrong here but there's nothing really here. This would be fine with something extremely spicy to wash down, mainly because a good quality rose would almost be wasted. I don't know – consume this like water isn't a ringing endorsement, but what can I tell you?

Wine: 6
Value: Pass

2007 Yellow Tail Rose

I'm down with roses – I'm not so sure about Yellow Tail. Always being in the mood for a six dollar gamble, I grabbed a bottle of this.

Well, this basically tastes like White Zinfandel with a bit more acid. All strawberries. No nose or finish to speak of.

Ugh – if they just called this “Blush” I wouldn't have expected anything. By calling it a rose, I expected a rose, which this simply isn't. If you like White Zin, this may be a slightly more balanced version, but stick with your Sutter Home – you'll save a few bucks and get the same basic quality.

Wine: 4
QPR: Terrible value, skip this.

2007 Olympic Cellars Rose the Riveter

This bottle was ten bucks at the local shop. I've never denied being a sucker for a cool label and the guy working said it was a strong offering.

A note on proper serving temperatures: when I first opened this bottle, poured a glass knowing it was somewhat too cold and my reaction was: “this is boring and flabby” - read on for what a wine I think of this wine when it's cool, but not cold.

Peach and strawberry on the nose.

Nice – same as the nose really – peach and strawberry with a nectarine punch in the face. Fruity, but not really sweet, “just on the edge of off-dry” I'd call it. I'd say this has just the right amount of acid which gives this a great balance. A slight bit of cherry is hanging out in the mid-palate.

The finish is insane. Strawberry and nectarine all the way – they last for an absurd length of time and are almost pure fruit though there is a hit of black pepper.

The other day I gave a very low score to a rose because you it was dull, especially in the price range – the reason why that wine isn't worth drinking is because of bottles like this. This is easily in my top five roses of all time.

Wine: 9
QPR: 9