Longevity Wines Debra's Cuvee Rose 2020
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This Rose´ exhibits a brilliantly sweet, fruit flavor, featuring strawberry, pomegranate, and white cherry.
Winemaker/Founder Phil Long of Longevity Wines began his journey making wine in his garage with his wife Debra. Today, with almost two decades of winemaking experience and a list of awards too long to print, Winemaker Phil Sr. and Assistant Winemaker Phil Jr. continue the journey with the constant of always improving in place. “In the business of winemaking, the minute you think you know it all, it’s time to get out,” says Phil Sr. who also serves as president of the Association of African American Vintners.
Phil and Debra started an online wine club as a business in 2003. Utilizing their licenses for that business, began making wine in the Livermore Valley in 2006 under the Longevity label, using other wineries’ facilities. It was only a matter of time before production was moved to Longevity’s own facility in Livermore. Yearly production gradually ramped from 500 cases per year to the current production of 3,000. At Longevity’s facility in Livermore, the wines are produced in small lots to maintain a hands-on approach to quality control. “We handle everything from bin to bottle,” says Phil Jr.
“The Longevity Phil-osophy (pun intended) is to focus on the experience of enjoying quality wine: the food you had with it, the place you enjoyed it and the friends you shared the wine with. It’s those pairings that makes great memories,” says Phil Sr. “Everyone who visits the tasting room is treated like family, and they always bring back friends to share the experience.” Father and son enjoy the challenge that making multiple varietals brings and approach each one with the same dedication.
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.
Responsible for the vast majority of American wine production, if California were a country, it would be the world’s fourth largest wine-producing nation. The state’s diverse terrain and microclimates allow for an incredible range of red wine styles, and unlike tradition-bound Europe, experimentation is more than welcome here. California wineries range from tiny, family-owned boutiques to massive corporations, and price and production are equally varied. Plenty of inexpensive bulk wine is made in the Central Valley area, while Napa Valley is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious and expensive “cult” wines.
Each American Viticultural Area (AVA) and sub-AVA of has its own distinct personality, allowing California to produce red wine of every fashion: from bone dry to unctuously sweet, still to sparkling, light and fresh to rich and full-bodied. In the Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate vineyard acreage. Sonoma County is best known for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé and Zinfandel. The Central Coast has carved out a niche with Rhône Blends based on Grenache and Syrah, while Mendocino has found success with cool climate varieties such as Pinot noir, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. With all the diversity that California wine has to offer, any wine lover will find something to get excited about here.