Steven Kent Winery

Looking for something really classy to take to your next pool party or summer soireé? There’s hardly anything prettier in the bottle than this delightful Mourvedre rosé, and it looks plenty pretty in the glass, too. The 2006 Mourvedre Rosé is Steven Kent’s first pink release of this wonderful, spicy Rhône varietal.

Harvested from the Raboli Ranch on Mines Road, the wine was made under the saignée method where 120 gallons of juice was bled off the fermenting must after just a few hours contact with the skins, then put into neutral barrels to finish fermenting. Like a teabag that is dunked only a couple of times, the resulting color of the juice is much lighter than it would be for a red wine that underwent the full maceration regimen. The rest of the juice remained with the skins as it completed fermentation on its way to the full-blown Mourvedre made for the winery’s Collector’s Circle offering.

The aromas and flavors of fresh plum and cherry jam are extremely inviting, and the flavors are just as plum-cherry juicy. The wine has a little touch of residual sugar which gives it a nice, soft mouthfeel and allows it to fare well with spicy foods. Just over 40 cases of this wine were produced. You’ll love this rosé all by itself, relaxing by the pool, or perhaps playing a few rounds of croquet in some long, luxurious grass on a summer afternoon.

(Alc: 14.6%, Retail: $20)

Reviewed August 31, 2007 by Laura Ness.