Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Rosé is food-friendly and eminently quaffable, replete with mouthwatering acidity and light, refreshing body. Fruit driven aromas of strawberry, watermelon, and pineapple mingle with hints of rose petal and bubble gum. On the palate, a tarter fruit expression of gooseberry, rhubarb, and peach skin balances with notes of minerality that transitions to a medium-long, acid-driven finish. Enjoy this Willamette Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir with everything from french fries and grilled shrimp to strawberry shortcake.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A pretty rose-copper hue, this appealing rosé mixes scents of orange blossom and lemon oil, and it opens into a fairly broad palate with tart strawberry as its anchor. Threads of citrus and stone run through it, with herbal accents as well. It's well-balanced and shows interesting nuances on through a lingering finish.
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Yes, there really is a Joe! Joe Dobbes is the man behind your bottle of Wine By Joe. As the sole owner and winemaker of Wine By Joe, Dobbes is a busy guy. As he says, "Passion fuels endless energy." Joe has been making wine in Oregon for over twenty years and his passion increases with each vintage.
Driven to excellence in his art, Joe Dobbes is the consummate winemaker. Raised in a small town in the north Willamette Valley and educated in Ashland, Joe is a true Oregonian and is dedicated to Oregon wines. Yet his calling began outside Oregon, in Germany and France, where Joe spent years learning the art and science of winemaking. He apprenticed at Wiengut Erbhof Tesch, in the German Nahe region and at Domaine G. Roumier and Domaine Comtes Lafon in the Burgundy region, France, with winemasters Christophe Roumier and Dominque Lafon.
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 Pinot Noir's most successful New World outposts, the Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.
Mountain ranges bordering three sides of the valley, particularly the Chehalem Mountains, provide the option for higher-elevation vineyard sites.
The valley's three prominent soil types (volcanic, sedimentary and silty, loess) make it unique and create significant differences in wine styles among its vineyards and sub-AVAs. The iron-rich, basalt-based, Jory volcanic soils found commonly in the Dundee Hills are rich in clay and hold water well; the chalky, sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville encourage complex root systems as vines struggle to search for water and minerals. In the most southern stretch of the Willamette, the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA soils are mixed, shallow and well-drained. The Hills' close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor (which became its own appellation as of 2019) also creates grapes with great concentration and firm acidity, leading to wines that perfectly express both power and grace.
Though Pinot noir enjoys the limelight here, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also thrive in the Willamette. Increasing curiosity has risen recently in the potential of others like Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc and Gamay.