2012 Lynmar Rose of Pinot Noir

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, July 21, 2013

VINTAGE

2012

WINERY/PRODUCER

Lynmar

WINE NAME

Rose of Pinot Noir

TYPE OF WINE

Rose

COMPOSITION

100% Pinot Noir

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Russian River Valley, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.2%

PRICE PAID

Retail: $25

Wine Club price: $20

Final price with sales tax and shipping: $25.54

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this wine with our quarterly wine club shipment in February, 2013

BOUQUET

This wine has a beautiful “strawberries & cream” aroma (along with cherry), which is probably exactly what it’s going to taste like based on my previous experience with Lynmar’s Rose of Pinot Noir.  There’s also suggestions of savory herbs with just a hint of a rumor of a suggestion of RRV soil/earth as well.

 

TASTING NOTES

I have read quite a few articles/stories about how fantastic the 2012 vintage was throughout most of California.  Evidently, the 2012 vintage was wonderful in the Russian River Valley as well.

As usual, this is by far one of, if not thee, best rose I’ve tasted all year.  Roses that are based on Pinot Noir are almost always my favorite and this beauty fits the bill.  I enjoy roses from Provence and Southern Rhone-styled roses as well, but in my humble opinion, because the Pinot Noir grape possesses unparalleled depth-of-flavors, complexity, and elegance, when properly grown and vinified, it’s rare to surpass a superior rose based on the Pinot Noir grape.

The bouquet for this wine foreshadowed EXACTLY how it would taste.  This wine does indeed taste like vinified strawberries and cream.  In addition to that classic English staple, there are also elements of cherries and savory herbs like sage, along with a stony mineral component.  Few grapes have the complexity and depth-of-flavor of Pinot Noir, and thanks to that heavenly grape, this rose does indeed show incredible depth-of-flavor and complexity (just like most of Lynmar’s Pinot Noirs).  Like most Pinots, there’s black pepper running in the background as well, running side-by-side with all of those fabulous savory herbs.

Some roses from Provence and the Rhone can be bone dry (almost painfully), but this rose strikes the PERFECT balance between dryness, fruit, herbs, earth, minerality (I just made-up that word; it’s the adjective form of “mineral”), earthiness, alcohol, and a flavor profile that my description(s) does absolutely no justice to this fantastic rose!

One quick word about this wine’s 14.2% alcohol level: that is generally quite elevated for a rose.  However, this wine doesn’t taste anywhere NEAR 14.2%.  If I were to taste this wine blindly, I would have guessed around 13%.  So if you’re one of those “Oh my God/Allah/Buddha; this wine’s alcohol is way too frickin’ high!!!!!” relax and enjoy this wine.  That 14.2% alcohol level is as sly as a fox and won’t be noticed.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

I paired this wine with my favorite rose-pairing food: grilled salmon.  I take a nice, thick salmon steak and generously spice it with sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and Herbs de Provence.  This gorgeous rose paired PERFECTLY with the salmon steak.  About a year ago, Arthur made his fantastic duck confit salad when friends came over for dinner and the 2011 Lynmar Rose of Pinot Noir paired gorgeously with his duck confit salad.  As we all know, Pinot (both red/still wine and rose) pairs fabulously with duck and salmon (along with practically every other protein on the planet).  As I was drinking this wine, I kept thinking about how well this rose would pair with smoked salmon deviled eggs.  I haven’t tried that particular pairing yet, but I would just about bet my life that this rose would go PERFECTLY with smoked salmon deviled eggs.  I know it goes well with duck confit salad and grilled salmon, but I can’t WAIT to try one of our other bottles with those smoked salmon deviled eggs; I’d bet the house that that pairing will be beyond compare!

AGING POTENTIAL

Roses are meant to be drunk young and this beauty is drinking gorgeously right now.  I’ve head years-old roses that were shockingly good and because this rose has a spicy, herbally structure, I would actually imagine that this rose would age well for another year or two or three.  I don’t know about anybody else, but I wouldn’t bet that our other three bottles of this rose will still be “viable” in another year or two, so we’ll be finishing the other three bottles we have in the cellar before the end of the year.  But if you discover a “lost” bottle in your cellar a couple of years from now, please let me know how it’s drinking in 2015 or 2016; I’d bet $100 that this wine will still drink well up to around 2016 or so.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

92

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD – EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.lynmarwinery.com/