We were initially planning to continue this series on lighter wines that we are enjoying at home with some more Northern California wineries, but the recent collaboration with Eve reviewing some rosés pointed Karen and me in another direction.
Ted Plemons of Cass
We drink rosés all year long but I realize that some wine drinkers especially fancy them in warmer months so it seemed like a good time to report specifically on a few of those that we have been pleased with recently.
One rosé that we really have been fond of is called “And Why Am I Mr. Pink?” – interesting name, no? The wine is produced by the Underground Wine Project, which is an intriguing name in its own right. I contacted them for more info, and they suggested I reach out to Trey Busch, Winemaker/Partner of the well-known and highly regarded Washington state winery Sleight of Hands Cellars. His response:
“Thanks for writing, and hope your liver has been holding up this past year :).
The Underground Wine Project is a collaboration between Sleight of Hand Cellars and Mark Ryan Winery. Mark and I have been friends for a long time, and we started the brand in 2007 with 100 cases of Syrah. That has transformed into adding And Why Am I Mr. Pink? to the lineup, as well as our 2 red wines, Idle Hands and Devils Playground.
We wanted an edgier brand than either of us have now, and the UWP allows for us to play in that area. Our Mr. Pink Rosé is mostly Sangio with some Syrah as well. All stainless steel (no barrel aging). We wanted to make a porch pounder rosé and this fits the bill. Juicy, terrific fruit, but then awesome acidity to hold it all together. We are making about 14,000 cases a year with the goal to increase production moving forward. National exposure with Whole Foods has helped.”
From Karen for the 2018 vintage: White/pink floral nose, light to medium finish, clean mouthfeel, moderate pear fruit, definitely a porch pounder as we were relishing it on our backyard patio on a warm Saturday evening with light nibbles for dinner.
Another winery that I’ve been a big fan of over the years Cass Winery in Paso Robles. [Yep, Paso again. I make no excuses, Paso wines are some of our favorites.] And I couldn’t pass up their special offer for Valentine’s Day of a dozen rosés. [Get it? Of course you do.]
From Karen for the 2019 vintage of the Cass Oasis Rosé: White flower floral note, dry medium body, red ripe berry fruit from the 63% Mourvedre, fresh, soft and hint of sweetness from the 37% Grenache.
Finally, an article about rosés wouldn’t be complete without the one that Karen has pronounced as her favorite for the last few years from Hoi Polloi winery right here in the Santa Clarita Valley. Doug Minnick [one of the founders of the Garagiste Festivals – I am so looking forward to these returning!] and his partners produce an assortment of terrific wines.
From Karen for the 2018 vintage of the Hoi Polloi Rosé from the Colburn Vineyard, Paso Robles: Fresh, crisp, true strawberry nose, medium to long clean finish, elegant, well-rounded body, silky soft tannins, this rosé of Grenache never fails to deliver!
Underground Wine Project
www.theundergroundwineproject.com
Cass Winery
Hoi Polloi
Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 30 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
he two bottles — ‘Rebel with a Cause’ Red Blend and Cabernet Franc Estate Rosé — offer distinct flavors that capture the essence of the terroir, an exciting, 
The 70-bottle vertical of Chateau Petrus includes every bottle produced by the renowned Bordeaux estate reaching back to the famed 1945 vintage and including the famed 1947, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1982, 1990 and 2000 vintages. This rare collection of wine serves as the centerpiece of the reconstructed Stonehouse restaurant wine cellar, which saw its entire inventory of 12,500 bottles destroyed by mudslides that flowed through the resort and restaurant in January 2018.
The predicted average score for the best red wines of the Bordeaux vintage 2020 was 93.7 points, which is almost the same as in the top vintages like 2018, 2016, 2009 and 2005.
The weeklong online auction will run from May 10 to 16, which precedes the traditional time when the annual Paso Robles Wine Festival takes place. Considering event restrictions and limitations on large gatherings, this auction allows the Paso Robles wine region to showcase the wine country lifestyle to fans and bidders from around the country. One-of-a-kind lots like A French Family Affair brings the families of L’Aventure, Clos Solène, and Benom together for a dinner for six with the highest bidder at the high-end, French cuisine restaurant Les Petites Canailles. Another multi-brand experience unique to Paso Robles brings a group of eight to Sixmilebridge where owner Jim Moroney treats guests to the dinner table with winemaker Anthony Yount. Dinner also features the wines of other brands that Anthony makes including Denner Vineyards and Royal Nonesuch Farms.
Takeaways from Time with The Count
Background
My Notes on the Wines (in italics), following notes from the technical sheets
Traditionally the first weekend of March is Wine Road’s annual Barrel Tasting weekend. This year because Sonoma County COVID-19 regulations will not allow visitors to gather in the cellars for barrel samples, Wine Road wineries are offering visitors a unique opportunity to meet winemakers and winery owners and taste their favorite wines, pulled from their library. Library wines are portions of vintages held back by wineries to re-released years after their debut.