Rose, 2020. Twelve Barrel Ranch

Rose is taking over the world. It was just announced that the most popular wine in Abruzzo, home to the dark-skinned grape, Montepulciano, is Rosato, also known as rose. That statistic is staggering. Rose has been gaining traction all over the world for more than five years, some say even ten years. We say that the rose interest began in May of 1984 when the Wine of the Month Club, that would be us, featured their first rose selection.

It was called Chateau de Chaman from d'Anjou in the Loire Valley. It was also eight years old at the time. No one thought an eight year old rose could be used for anything but salad dressing. It was nothing short of amazing and one of the most incredible wines we have ever featured. Naturally, our thinking on rose changed dramatically and all because of that one wine.

At the time, there were only two places to look for rose, the south of France and the Loire. Most of the Loire roses were made from Cabernet Franc, as is our selection crafted at the Summerland Winery in Santa Barbara County. The first Cabernet Franc was planted in Santa Barbara over 40 years ago. Nobody thought about making a rose from it back then, but times have changed.

This selection harkens us back to that Chaman and it's a worthy comparison. The complexity and outpouring of pomegranate and Bing cherry flavors is staggering. It's a wine that could suit all manner of foods from sushi to a crab enchilada.

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