There’s no way around it, summer equals rosé wine. There’s just something about the fresh, fruity notes of a well chilled rosé that makes any day feel just a little bit brighter and warmer.
Part three of our 2021 summer wine guide features rosés that pair well with typical summer foods, but are also approachable enough to work well as a delicious aperitif. Presented with winemaker’s notes, and without further ado, here are our favorite rosé wines of the summer of 2021.
Rosé 2020
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence · France
$19.99
Winemaker’s Notes:
A fragrant and well-balanced wine, AIX’s hypnotizing salmon pink color reveals a fruity freshness. The nose is delightfully fragrant with delicate balance and crisp acidity. Enjoy the notes of soft, ripe summer fruits particularly watermelon and strawberries, salad, grilled fish, poultry and Asian foods, especially sushi and curry dishes.
Monterey Pinot Noir Rose 2019
Monterey · United States
$25
Winemaker’s Notes:
Presents aromas of strawberry, white raspberry, and mandarin orange followed by flavors of cran-raspberry, blood orange, and flinty minerality. On the palate, the 2019 vintage is delicate, crisp, and vibrant.
Water Girl Rosé 2018
North Coast · United States
$28
Winemaker’s Notes:
Our Grenache / Carignan / Syrah dry rose is a salute to the amazing women who are accomplished watergirls and teach us all that passion, commitment and abilities are genderless. This wine is lively, layered with floral and berry character, it finishes with a tasty minerality that makes you feel like you have been kissed by the last rays of afternoon sunshine after a swim in tropical waters.
Rosé 2019
California · United States
$20
Winemaker’s Notes:
This crisp and elegant Rosé displays enticing aromas of fresh-picked strawberries and honeydew melon, along with hints of orange blossom and guava. On the palate, it is bright and balanced, with layers of vibrant fruit and subtle notes of minerals and spice.
Yamhill-Carlton Estate Rosé 2020
Yamhill-Carlton District · United States
$39
Winemaker’s Notes:
This Rosé is bright, with notes of red stone fruit, and a profile that is both juicy and concentrated. An unadulterated expression of our organically farmed Quartz Acorn Vineyard, from a vintage that will surprise many with its high quality.
Pinot Noir Rosé 2020
Sonoma Coast · United States
$30
Winemaker’s Notes:
We couldn’t be happier with our 2020 Rosé—it has the perfect balance of freshness and richness we strive for, bringing together all the essence of springtime in a glass. The color draws you in immediately, hitting just the right note of salmon pink that hints of the flavors ahead. Watermelon, maraschino cherry, cranberry and strawberry lead the parade of pink/red fruit in the nose, with these becoming more effusive and sweet-smelling as the wine sits in the glass. The mouth carries forward the aromas in the nose, adding a bit of banana to the strawberry, and zippy citrus lacing the red berries, while pretty rose petals chime in on the finish. The wine is bone dry, yet there’s a perception of sweetness from the candied quality of the juicy fruit flavors.
Rosé of Pinot Noir 2020
Russian River Valley · United States
$30
Winemaker’s Notes:
The 2020 Rosé has aromas reminiscent of strawberry, grapefruit, Mandarin orange, white peach along with delicate kiwi and floral hints. The fruit flavors lean towards ruby grapefruit and cranberry with a subtle mineral and refreshing acid component that brings complexity and a food-friendly character to the wine. Enjoy our Rosé at cellar temperature (54? F) for maximum complexity or chilled on a hot summer day as an aperitif.
Côtes-du-Rôbles Rosé 2020
Paso Robles · United States
$28
Winemaker’s Notes:
The bright acidity and fresh fruit flavors of our Rosé makes this a remarkable pairing partner to smoked salmon on a toasted bagel with cream cheese and capers, or Dungeness crab cakes with a lemon aioli sauce. If you ask Gary Eberle, he will tell you it is the most festive and perfect wine to pair well with your holiday turkey or ham.
Rosé 2020
Paso Robles · United States
$20
Winemaker’s Notes:
The 2020 Justin Rosé is a dry, aromatic, refreshing wine that reminds us that while rosé is great on a hot summer day, it is also a versatile wine worth reaching for all year long. A Rosé of mostly syrah that is whole cluster pressed and fermented like a white wine, it shows a beautiful salmon color in the glass with bright red fruit, crisp apple and subtle herbal notes. It’s a perfect match for a wide variety of pairings or just on its own and is a wine that is meant to be enjoyed at the table, poolside, beach-side, outside, but especially with someone by your side!
Cuvée Lampe de Méduse Côtes de Provence Rosé 2020
Côtes de Provence · France
$21.99
Winemaker’s Notes:
Lampe de Méduse is the signature cuvée of Château Sainte Roseline. Made from the best grapes from the estate, the cuvée is available in three colors. The bottle, with a singular and iconic shape, is the fruit of the reflection of Baroness de Rasque de Laval.
Rosé 2019
Willamette Valley · United States
$28
Winemaker’s Notes:
The 2020 Rosé is refreshing and sophisticated in style. This wine exhibits notes of passion fruit, citrus blossom, guava and watermelon rind. Those flavors carry through to a palate that is energetic, lively and well balanced.
Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir 2020
Dundee Hills · United States
$25
Winemaker’s Notes:
Bursting with fruit notes, our 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir has notes of peach and strawberry on the nose followed by hints of melon and rose petal. The palate is bright with refreshing berry notes, melon and clean acidity on the finish. Perfect for all things summer; Dungeness crab cakes, grilled zucchini and asparagus, and the classic brunch staple, eggs Florentine.
Chehalem Mountains Rose of Pinot Noir
Chehalem Mountains · United States
$25
Winemaker’s Notes:
Sourced exclusively from our Corral Creek Vineyard, our 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir was intentionally grown using the internationally renowned Scott Henry trellising system – named after the Oregon wine pioneer from Southern Oregon. The nose is clean and bright, with notes of strawberry, rose petal, and grapefruit. The palate is fresh and long, with a compelling tension created by aging the wine in a concrete tank and a small amount of oak. There is a hint of viscosity that provides a nice roundness on the palate with a juicy finish.
Calafuria Rosato 2020
Salento · Italy
$15
Winemaker’s Notes:
Calafuria takes its name from the over 700 bays on the Apulian peninsula. The region has a long tradition in the production of rosé wines made with Negroamaro, a variety that best expresses its full potential near the sea. Our rosé is produced from vineyards that extend across the Adriatic coastline for over a kilometer.
Rosé of Pinot Noir 2020
Willamette Valley · United States
$25
Winemaker’s Notes:
Clear and bright watermelon pink in color. The nose is austere with notes of firm raspberry, passionfruit, and chalky minerality. The palate starts silky smooth with a surprising burst of fruit on the attack, then a crisp sweet cranberry note enters the scene and stays all the way through the soft and supple finish.
Rose, Sainte Victoire, 2020
Cotes de Provence · France
$21
Winemaker’s Notes:
The microclimate and our calcareous soil of Sainte Victoire brings a magnificent tension to this rosé. As a rosé it is can be drunk as an aperitif, but its texture and its surprising length upleveled it to a gourmet wine that can echo fresh and delicate cuisine.
