2009 Tercero Wines Rosé				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara, CA	$15	@ the Winery	7/12/10
	Blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre A medium, watermelon-colored wine with a bright nose of red berries, cherry, watermelon and herbs. The palate is light-medium-bodied with bright acidity and ripe fruit flavors that mirror the nose along with notes of citrus, minerals and earth along with a lingering cherry vanilla finish. It took some time in the glass for the flavors to open up, so don't chill this one too much. There's a wonderful balance between the fruit and the herbal/earthy flavors that make this wine more intriguing than many CA roses. Must be the Mourvedre. Am sure the 13.5% abv helps a great deal too, keeping it from being more than just a fruit bomb. Have tried every vintage to date and this is definitely Larry's best version so far. Was even better the 2nd night. Great QPR.

2008 Anglim Winery Rosé				***
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$15	@ the Winery	2/16/10
	Blend of 67% Grenache,19% Mourvedre,10% Syrah and 4% Viognier A medium, salmon-colored wine with bright aromatics of ripe strawberries, red cherry, sweet spice and minerals that follow through on the medium-bodied palate. Refreshing and creamy (the wine was aged on the lees in neutral French oak), yet with enough bright acidity to keep the fruit in check. Don't cool this down too much as it was more expressive as it warmed with the strawberry and vanilla flavors lingering for a long time on the finish. At 14.2% alcohol, this is a wine that can be sipped on the porch or served with tomato salad or charcuterie. We bought a case and it's already half gone. A well-balanced delight that will give French versions a run for their money.

2008 Beckmen Vineyards Grenache Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Santa Barbara, CA	$16	@ The Winery	6/20/09
	A pale, cranberry-colored wine with a subtle nose of red fruits, melon and sweet spice that gains aroma as the wine warms, as do the flavors. This is not a rosé to drink ice cold as it mutes the wine considerably. Once it warmed the red fruit flavors came out showing strawberry and red cherry with notes of spice and minerals and a surprising creaminess despite the acidity. Not as bold and fruity as I like my rosés, but very well-crafted for the price and one for those who like their pink very dry.

2008 Cass Winery Oasis Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$24	@ the Winery	2/25/09
	A deep, salmon-colored wine with a bright nose of red berries, melon and sweet spice that carry through to the roundly ripe strawberry-filled palate which has a bit of grapefruit and minerality on the decent finish. Mostly Syrah with a touch of several other red grapes, this wine could use a bit more acidity to counter the ripeness of the fruit, but is eminently enjoyable and intense, if you like this style. Will be considered too sweet for some, but is right up my alley. Couldn't give it 3 stars because I've had wines as good for half the price.

2008 Chateau d'Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé				*
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Provence, France	$17	The Green Spot	9/18/10
	A water-white, salmon-colored wine with moderate aromas of fresh red berries, citrus, herbs and minerals. The palate was light-boded, well-balanced and elegant with flavors of strawberry cream, tart raspberries, herbs and a hint of almonds on the medium-length finish. Made from a blend of Grenache (73%), Rolle (4%), Cinsault (9%), Syrah (8.5%) and Mourvedre (5.5%) and aged in stainless steel. This is the entry level rosé from this Chateau. They make 3 others that progressively get more expensive with better grapes and aging techniques as one goes up the scale. While I understood what they were trying to do with this wine, I can't say I enjoyed it. Thus, the one star. It's is very well-crafted and has terroir, it just didn't pack enough of a flavor punch for me. It was, however, intriguing enough that if I see one of the Chateau's higher end versions, I will give it a spin.

2008 Chateau de Campuget Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Costières-de-Nimes, France	$10	K&L Wines	4/2/10
	Blend of 30% Grenache & 70% Syrah A bright, watermelon-pink colored wine with aromas of raspberry, starwberry, roses and herbs. The palate is medium-bodied with bright acidity and ripe berry, melon, bitter cherry and white pepper flavors. The finish was medium-length with hints of green apple and minerals. Not as robust in flavor as many versions from this up-and-coming region, but it's hard to find many rosé's this well-crafted at this price. Great QPR and at only 13% abv a nice summer sipper. Will be looking out for the 09.

2008 Chateau Guiot Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Costières-de-Nimes, France	$10	K&L Wines	12/20/09
	Blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah & 10% Mourvedre. A bright watermelon-colored wine with a nose of ripe berries, cherry and melon with notes of roses and minerals. The palate is light-bodied and well-balanced with good acidity and ripe flavors of stramberry, raspberry, melon and hints of grapefruit, herbs and minerals on the refreshing finish. Well-crafted and elegant, it held together quite well both cold and as it warmed. A better finish would have raised it to three stars. Just love rosés from this region and this one is my favorite of the 08 vintage. Wish I had another bottle.

2008 Domaine Houchart Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Cotes de Provence, France	$11	Brix Wine Shop	7/5/09
	Blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon & 5% Mourvedre. A pale salmon-colored wine with a nose of ripe red berries, cherry, flowers and minerals. The palate is light-bodied and well-balanced with crisp acidity and a good finish. The flavors are more subtle than most roses with strawberry, minerals and melon with notes of vanilla and cherry on the finish. I usually like my versions in your face, but though this wine was drier than I prefer, it still had plenty of fruitiness and depth to please me. A classy wine for a very good price.

2008 Domaine Sainte-Eugenie Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Tasted	Drank
	Corbières, France	$11	@ K&L Wines	7/7/10
	A blend of 75% Cinsault, 15% Syrah and 10% Grenache. A medium, salmon-colored wine with a bright nose of red berries, herbs, minerals and hints of citrus. The palate is light-bodied with crisp acidity and flavors of strawberry shortcake, raspberry, cranberry and notes of melon and lemon on the lingering finish. While not very complex the flavors are intense and toe the line between crisp and fruity quite well. Made from vines that are between 30-50 years old and was bottled within 6mos of the harvest. Not my favorite in this price point, but well-made and very quaffable. (13% abv)

2008 Enkidu Wines Shamhat Syrah Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Sonoma, CA	$20	@ the winery	9/16/10
	A medium, watermelon-colored wine with a moderate nose of red berry, melon and grapefruit with hints of earth and sweet spice. Medium-bodied with a lush mouthfeel and moderate acidity, the fruit really comes through with strawberry, cranberry and minerals being at the forefront. Quite well-balanced and well-integrated though I wished for a bit more depth and persistence on the finish. Since made from mostly Syrah (with 10% Pinot Noir) and aged for 5 months in neutral French barrels this wine still has quite a bit of life in it. Wished I had another bottle to see what it would be like next summer. Better when not too cold.

2008 Halter Ranch GSM Rosé				***
	Region	Price	Tasted	Drank
	Paso Robles, CA	$14	@ the winery	7/2/10
	Blend of 48% Grenache, 39% Syrah and 13% Mourvèdre A medium, watermelon-colroed wine with bright aromas of red berries, melon, cherry, herbs and spice, like smelling a fruit stand. The palate is medium-bodied and round, filled with ripe strawberry, raspberry, cherry candy and watermelon with a hint of banana creme and spice on the refreshing and lengthy finish. A well-crafted wine from year to year, that perfectly balances the fruit and acidity from the Grenache while delivering great depth of flavor and spice from the Syrah and Mourvedre. Grapes are all estate grown and the wine is stainless steel fermented, seeing no oak. The only problem is it sells out quickly. One of the best QPR rosés from CA. Buy it if you can find it. (14.5%/500 cases)

2008 Mas Carlot Tradition Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Costières-de-Nimes, France	$10	K&L Wines	5/23/09
	Blend of 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah. A bright salmon-colored wine with a nose of ripe strawberry, raspberry, cherry and minerals. The palate is light-bodied with bright acidity and is filled with the same red fruits from the nose – the strawberry dominates – along with melon and hints of herbs, sweet spice and minerals on the fruity, refreshing finish. Better when not too cold. A well-crafted wine for the price, though not as complex as the 07 version. Made using the saignée method from 50-60 year old vines.

2008 Chateau Mourgues du Gres Fleur d'Eglantine Rosé				**
	Region	Price	Purchased	Drank
	Costières-de-Nimes, France	$12	Palate Food + Wine	9/16/09
	Blend of 75% Mourvedre and the rest Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. This pale, salmon-colored wine is much lighter and more delicate than most versions from this region. More Provencal in style, this wine has a nose of ripe berries, herbs, melon and hints of stone fruits. The palate is light and refreshing with bright acidity and flavors of strawberry, melon, redcurrant and minerals with the berries really lingering on the finish. More savory, than overtly fruity with good balance. Not what I expected from this region and I wanted a bit more depth, but classy and well-made.

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