Winemaker Notes
2019 goes far beyond the realm of strawberries and watermelon jolly ranchers. Sink your teeth into this vintage and have a steak for lunch, this rose can handle it. Don't let the cheerful pink hue trick you, this is a serious wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
From the moment it’s poured, Stolpman’s entrylevel rosé comes off as edgy and elegant, with a texture that bears out the warmth of Ballard Canyon and the finessed hand of winemaker Kyle Knapp. It’s very pale, with scents of cherry blossom and a spray of bitter herbs, and juicy flavors that firm up and focus with air
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.
Accounting for only ten percent of the greater Santa Ynez AVA, Ballard Canyon’s north-south orientation provides an ideal pattern of sunshine and martime fog for producing excellent Syrah. While Syrah is planted to half of the total AVA acreage, an additional third is dedicated to other Rhône varieties, red and white.