2016 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rosé

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Constituent Services II, 4/3/2017

  (Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rose) Hello friends. This is the second in our “Constituent Services” series, where we respond to the squeaky-wheel list members who continue asking for more white and sparkling wines (and this month, I’m rolling rosé into the mix as well). Many of you know that I’ve shifted my own collecting/cellaring towards a higher proportion of whites and bubblies. They’re just so damned rewarding to age, and all it takes is a few years before they show signs of maturity, signs of tertiary complexity. They’re also fabulous, versatile food wines. In February we offered a trio of wines, and of course once that offer went out, we were inundated by wineries and importers and distributors wanting to pour more of these categories. Poor us. We missed March (barely), so I’m taking the liberty of bumping our April Constituent Services offer to a full six-pack. We’ve just been tasting too many wonderful wines to trim this any further. Because we’re including so many wines, I will endeavor to keep each description short. Or shortish anyway. Most of the best import rosés we taste are from where you’d expect – namely, Provence – but this German Pinot pink is a recent standout exception. There’s a loose connection to Washington too. Ernie Loosen, the German winemaker who collaborates on Ste Michelle’s Eroica Riesling program, took over this 1756-founded Pfalz estate in 1996, and ever since, the winery’s star has been on the rise. A nose of strawberry, melon, and cucumber gives way to an electric palate boiling over with acidity and a touch of dissolved CO2. There’s citrusy acid, cherry-pit bitters, and above all, racy nervy (11.5% alc) fruit. There’s real complexity and tension here for a twelve-dollar rosé. Pass the grilled salmon tacos.