Heitz Cellar Grignolino Rose 2017
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Nothing quite says “spring” like a refreshing glass of Heitz Grignolino Rosé. For over 50 years, fans of this Italian grape have toasted the promise of warm weather with this delightful wine.
Vibrant shades of pink greet the eye and follow through on the nose with the enchanting aroma of wild strawberries. Fresh and crisp on the palate, rich berry flavors are wonderfully balanced with juicy citrus. A bit of white pepper on the finish adds surprising complexity to this easygoing summer wine.
Everyone loves to share this delicious rosé with family and friends, so stock up early – there is a limited supply.
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Wine & Spirits
The color and nose reminds me of Bugey-Cerdon,” said Dana Frank of SevenFifty.com in LA. The wine is markedly aromatic, with scents of hibiscus and plums, but the flavors are tart and savory, bringing to mind ruby-red grapefruit and cured meats. Joe Heitz started making grignolino when he and his wife, Alice, purchased their first vineyard, eight acres in St. Helena planted solely to the variety. Farmed organically, it produces a wine that’s more an edgy red than a rosé, built to chill for charcuterie.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made entirely from this rare Italian variety, this is a consistently good, interesting and dry offering, juicy in pomegranate, rhubarb and orange zest, with a tangy vibrancy in the glass. There are hints of white pepper and dried herb that add intrigue.
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Family owned since its founding in 1961, Heitz Cellar’s legacy runs as deep as the roots throughout the Napa Valley; a winery legend that has helped shape the history of Napa Valley winemaking. In the late 1950’s, pioneering vintner Joe Heitz ushered in Napa’s modern era with his iconic, globally celebrated wines, including Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, the renowned Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard. Fifty-eight years of the Heitz family’s dedication to viticulture, stewardship, and classic winemaking, maintained the winery’s notoriety as a benchmark amongst its peers in California and Europe.
In April, 2018, Heitz Cellar entered an exciting new chapter as this rich legacy was passed into the hands of the Lawrence family, whose deep roots in agriculture and commitment to the same core values of fine winemaking made it a perfect match. The wines are made with an unwavering commitment to quality from organically farmed, 100% Napa Valley fruit, and a commitment to the sustainability of Napa Valley.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.