Winemaker Notes
Very light pink with orange hues. Lively fresh creamy aromas of strawberry and watermelon with a hint of minerality. Dry, crisp on the palate, and very persistent. Fruitiness balanced with a touch of mouth-watering acidity and plenty of verve. This is a refreshing, dry spring and summer rosé for picnics and other activities.
Blend: 81% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 8% Counoise, 3% Mourvèdre
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This Grenache-based rosé always manages to balance hedonistic approachability with the complex gravity of a serious wine. Fresh aromas of pink-rose petals, nectarine and light strawberry lead into a very chalky palate, whose firm texture holds up the bubblegum and stone-fruit flavors.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Margerum Rivera Rosé is delicate, refined, and finely structured. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with lovely aromas and flavors of ripe fruit and dried earth. Pair it with fresh salmon and red tuna nigiri sashimi. (Tasted: May 27, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.