Winemaker Notes
The 2024 Monarch Challenge Rosé is a unique, coastal blend coming from the RAEN Pinot Noir lots, married with a block of beautiful, old vine Grenache, all hailing from organically farmed vineyards in line with the Monarch Challenge's goal of a cleaner, healthier, more brilliant planet.
The wine opens with a bouquet of sun-ripened wild strawberries, crushed white peach, and delicate whispers of freshly plucked apricots. Notes of wet stone, spring nectar, and lime blossom follow, weaving through the vibrant, red fruits before finishing with a touch of crushed river rock. On the palate, sweetened berries and white nectarine take center stage, leading into a zesty and flinty finish, with a lingering hint of citrus and strawberry.
Blend: 70% Grenache, 30% Pinot Noir
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.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.