Just to be clear, it’s been years—decades, maybe—since pink wine was a bachelorette-party exclusive, a sugary sip for those not used to proper wine. Today, dry rosé is an all-gender, warm-weather favorite the world over.
That said, we can’t help but suggest that rosé would make the perfect wine for Mother’s Day this year. It’s not a matter of color (although there might be some lovely overlap with a few of the flowers on the table) so much as the palette (spelling intentional) of flavors and textures the wine paints with. Generally bright with red fruit, stone fruit, and citrus, and taut with vibrant acidity, rosé is the perfect foil for brunch (who doesn’t love a breakfast wine?). And we’re guessing that more Mother’s Day brunches than ever will be produced in home kitchens this year than in recent memory.
One other argument presents itself for making crisp, dry rosé your Mother’s Day brunch beverage this year: The crop of 2019s, releasing as we speak, is unusually well stocked with delicious versions. Rosé can be made from any red grape, of course. A brief spell in contact with the skins gives the juice some shade of pink, and presumably, a whiff of the character of the variety, such as a little weight from the red Bordeaux family, say. This year, though, we have to give a shout out to the producers who made a 2019 rosé of Pinot Noir. One after another in our tasting proved beautifully balanced between ripe fruit and lively acidity, managing that delicate dance with grace and elegance.
And a final note: We’ve concentrated on West Coast bottles here. That’s not to say we don’t love a good rosé from the south of France. This year, though, that scene has been complicated, first with tariffs put in place last fall affecting imports from the Old World, and now with a great deal of international commerce on hold altogether. On the bright side, buying local throws much-needed support behind our own wine industry. And any one of these beauties will make you forget continental dreams with the first sip.
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Sullivan Rutherford Estate 2019 Rosé, Rutherford, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Sullivan Rutherford Estate This pale, Malbec-based rosé from Sullivan is beautifully balanced, with fresh floral aromas that lead into a bright (nice acidity here) mélange of red berry, cherry and tropical flavors.
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Cakebread Cellars 2019 Vin de Porche Rosé, Anderson Valley
Image Credit: Cakebread This Mendocino County rosé from Cakebread—93 percent Pinot Noir, with 7 percent Syrah splashed in—could take you through the whole warm season on the porch. Briary rose petal aromas float over a range of orchard fruits and berries, with a strawberry lemonade quality on a refreshingly dry palate.
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Daou 2019 Rosé, Paso Robles
Image Credit: Daou For visual appeal alone, this Daou rosé would be spectacular on a Mother’s Day table. But the wine delivers the goods, with exotic hibiscus, peach, and pink grapefruit aromas followed by red plum, ripe cherry, strawberry and watermelon flavors.
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Ehlers Estate 2019 Sylviane Rosé, St. Helena, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Ehlers Estate Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this rosé from Ehlers isn’t shy, offering up spicy florals and dusty wild strawberry aromas. Bright citrus sets off layers of peach, apricot, Rainier cherry, and raspberry, with a sense of gravitas on the palate.
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2019 Paraduxx Rose, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Paraduxx From Duckhorn’s red-blend champion branch, Paraduxx, comes a Syrah-based pink with 6 percent Grenache splashed in. Its impressively complex nose unfolds with layers from red berries and apple to stone fruit to earthy streaks of minerality. Vibrant citrus dominates the palate (this is an all-stainless rosé), joined by tart red cherry flavors, apricot, and orange zest.
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Blue Farm 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Image Credit: Blue Farm Echoes of winegrower and proprietor Anne Moller-Racke’s spectacular rose garden lead in this lovely pink from Blue Farm, with cherry blossoms and damp earth joining the party. The intriguing savory palate is less about fruit than most of this year’s rosés are; still, tart rhubarb and cranberry, with broad strokes of grapefruit, are layered with fresh herbs.
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Benovia Winery 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Image Credit: Benovia From talented Benovia winemaker Mike Sullivan, this pale salmon beauty ranks as one of Northern California’s best rosés of the season. Opening in the form of a rose garden interplanted with strawberries, it follows with a gamut of bright red fruit flavors, from cranberry to Santa Rosa plum, with an edge of orange zest lifting the vibrant flavors even further.
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Cuvaison 2019 Small Lot Pinot Noir Rosé, Los Carneros, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Cuvaison Fresh, savory herbs and a hint of briny salinity add distinctiveness to this cool-weather rosé from Cuvaison’s Carneros estate. Rose hips and raspberry aromas wrap around energetic red fruit (cherry, berry, and watermelon) through a bright, savory finish.
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Gamble Family Vineyards 2019 Rosé, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Gamble Rose Hints of a coastal spring garden in a fresh ocean breeze open on this Gamble Family pink that includes four of the five Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. There’s weight in the mouth, as you’d expect from those grapes, but it’s all in balance with cherry, raspberry, barely ripe stone fruit and a squeeze of orange.
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Flowers Vineyards & Winery 2019 Rosé, Sonoma Coast
Image Credit: Flowers Vineyards & Winery This Pinot Noir rosé from Flowers is one of the prettiest of this year’s crop. Its aromas conjure a perfumed nosegay, or an orchard after a spring shower. Juicy grapefruit flavors mix with tart red berries and peach on an intense and vibrant palate.
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Ram’s Gate 2019 Rosé, Sonoma Coast
Image Credit: Rams Gate On the downright pretty side, this pink from Ram’s Gate (90 percent Pinot Noir and 10 percent Grenache) offers delicate rose petal aromas along with strawberries still hugging the earth. Flavors of red fruit, from cherry and raspberry to cranberry, are punched up by bright citrus.
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Gehricke 2019 Rosé Los Carneros, Sonoma County
Image Credit: Gehricke This pale-salmon Pinot Noir rosé is Gehricke’s first vintage of a pink. Distinctive spicy floral aromas pop on the nose, joined by strawberry and peach. Crisp and juicy, the palate is light on its feet, with delicate layers of watermelon, apricot, nectarine and candied orange peel on the finish.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard 2019 Dianthus, Adelaida District, Paso Robles
Image Credit: Tablas Creek Here’s a Rhône blend from Tablas Creek—52 percent Mourvèdre, 33 percent Grenache, and 15 percent Counoise—that will convince any doubter that rosé can be a serious wine. Deep pink from generous skin contact, it leads with dusty, earthy aromas under rose petals, cherries and spicy herbs. A satisfyingly long and structured palate offers up bright cherry and rhubarb flavors.
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Anaba 2019 Rosé of Grenache, Sonoma County
Image Credit: Anaba This pink from Anaba is a reminder of what’s so appealing about a rosé made out of Grenache. Just a little briny and minerally on the nose, under vibrant fruit aromas that range from stone fruit to tropicals, it follows up on a dry palate with juicy apple, peach and a kick of orange zest.
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AldenAlli 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Image Credit: AldenAlli This first release of a rosé from AldenAlli, cofounded by Dan Kosta of Kosta Browne fame, leads with a beautiful mix of honeysuckle and watermelon. The palate that follows is refreshingly dry, but brimming with bright, juicy fruit—berry and stone fruit buoyed by crisp citrus.
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Captûre 2019 Rosé of Sangiovese Alexander Valley
Image Credit: Captûre Escaping the Burgundy and Rhône rosé families, this barely blushing Sangio version from Captûre opens with aromas conjuring the first of the season’s rain in a dusty orchard—wild cherry and just a hint of bubble gum joining in (that last is a good thing). Beautifully dry, tart, and savory, the palate follows up with more cherry and white peach balanced with grapefruit. It’s long and intense, with lovely, energetic tension.
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Lioco 2019 Rosé of Carignan Mendocino County
Image Credit: Lioco This bright, dry wine from Lioco falls in the rare-variety camp. Tapping Carignan’s earthy red fruit character, it leads with cherry and cranberry with a side of crushed herbs, followed by intense flavors of tart rhubarb and watermelon through a long, vibrating finish.
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Joseph Swan Vineyards 2019 Trenton Estate Vineyard Syrah Rosé Russian River Valley
Image Credit: Joseph Swan Vineyards/Trenton Estate Vineyard From one of Northern California’s old-school producers—Joseph Swan (with more than 50 vintages under its belt)—comes a rosé with no reference points. Just try to wrap your head around this explanation: “Whole clusters were lightly pressed on top of already pressed Gewürztraminer and Viognier skins.” The result is exotic—perfumed aromas of stone fruit and almonds on the nose. On the palate, complex layers of plum, apricot and mango are set off by crushed herbs and orange zest.
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Hartford Court 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Image Credit: Hartford Fresh and almost a little briny (that’s a good thing), this rosé from Hartford Family Wines opens with red berries and hints of roses. A downright pretty palate mixes stone fruit and red cherry with bright citrus.
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Gundlach Bundschu 2019 Rhinefarm Rosé Sonoma Coast
Image Credit: Gundlach Bundschu This Pinot Noir–based rosé from Gun-Bun goes wild with the florals—gardenias in particular—on the nose, followed by a crisp, juicy bushel of cherries. This one’s light enough on its feet to be a summer-long porch sipper.
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Copain 2019 Les Voisins Rosé of Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
Image Credit: Copain Lovely veins of minerals and earth course through this one from Copain. Cherry and stone fruit blossom aromas lead into briary berry flavors layered with nectarine and hints of tropicals—delicate but vibrant at the same time.
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Cenyth 2019 Rosé of Cabernet Franc, Sonoma County
Image Credit: Cenyth Showcasing a Bordeaux variety that rarely speaks for itself on the rosé front, this Cenyth covers unusual ground. Wet stone aromas underlie gardenias and pears, opening to exotic citrus—lemongrass and lime—and bright red fruit flavors (especially raspberry).
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Blushing Bear 2019 Rosé, Columbia Valley
Image Credit: Blushing Bear Here’s a beautiful Rhône version from Pursued by Bear wines, owned by Washington native and actor Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives, Dune, Portlandia … The name is a reference to one of Shakespeare’s most famous stage directions, in Winter’s Tale: “Exit stage, pursued by a bear.”), blended with 62 percent Grenache and 38 percent Mourvèdre. Fresh, light honeysuckle aromas mix it up a little with a pleasant briny salinity on the nose, while strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon join red-fruit forces, layered with juicy nectarine on a vibrant palate.
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WillaKenzie Estate 2019 Rosé, Willamette Valley
Image Credit: WillaKenzie Estate This rosé from longtime Oregon producer WillaKenzie measures in with 95 percent Pinot Noir, 4 percent Pinot Blanc, and 1 percent Pinot Meunier. It’s a lively sip, aromatic with honeysuckle, strawberry, stone fruit, and nice minerality. Bright, dry citrus carries the palate under white peach and cherry, with interesting textures through the finish.
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Minus Tide 2019 Feliz Creek Vineyard Carignan Rosé Mendocino
Image Credit: Minus Tide Another of California’s rare Carignan rosés, this Minus Tide comes from one of Mendocino’s ancient (100+-year-old), head-pruned vineyards. Alive and brimming with character, the pale wine opens with perfumed and spicy potpourri aromas, followed by a bushel of red fruit—cherry and raspberry—layered with peach and almond melba notes.
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Lucy 2019 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Image Credit: Lucy Here’s a lovely steal from Pisoni Family Vineyards (helmed by Jeff and Mark Pisoni, sons of Monterey’s favorite maverick Gary Pisoni), who will donate $1 from every bottle sold to breast cancer research. Highly aromatic with wild rose, strawberry, and hints of stone fruit, the wine is finely balanced—vibrant and intense—with raspberry, cranberry, and cherry fading to a savory finish.
