Monterey Wines are some very enjoyable wines along California's Central Coast. Today we take a look, and taste of De Tierra Vineyards – 2019 Russel Vineyard Rosé

First, What Is Rosé?
Rosé is a dry wine that is bright and refreshing wine that is different from a red glass of wine and sharing some traits with some dry white wines. Rosé has become more popular in the United States over the past few years. Recently in California with so much heat during the warm months of the year many are opting for something cooler for their glass. Rosé also happens to be the perfect wine for sipping in the park or at a backyard barbecue as well as sit down dinners with friend with a variety of foods. Suffice it to say, rosé has become incredibly popular, still so many of us don’t know how rosé is made or where some of the most consistent rosés comes from. Have you heard of White Zinfandel? White Zinfandel is indeed a rosé wine, made in the rosé style, it just happens to be an incredibly sweet rosé.

Kings River 2015 Chenin Blanc
During the 1960’s and 70’s here in California Chenin Blanc was a popular wine. If a wine glass contained California Chenin Blanc in the 1970s or ’80s, the chances were high that it was poured either from a jug of nondescript blended wine or a bottle of semisweet, inexpensive single-varietal Chenin from a North Coast producer. Chenin Blanc was one of California’s first popular white grapes, planted throughout much of the 20th century. It became popular in bulk blending juice, which was labeled as California Champagne or Chablis resulting in an inexpensive, palate-friendly single-varietal wine with residual sugar. Both versions were typically lackluster, with some exceptions. Once found in cheap blends, the grape is gaining popularity among boutique producers. Some 50 years later there only a handful of wineries in California make this wonderful crisp and delightful wine that originates from the Chenin Blanc grape. Over the past decade, artisanal winemakers have launched a new California wave of limited-production Chenin Blanc wines from the Central Valley, Sierra Foothills, Mendocino, Santa Barbara, and are striving to change the reputation of California Chenin Blanc for good. Kings River Winery in Sanger California produces a genuinely nice bottle that we will review here in California Corks’ “Zip Sips”

Chenin Blanc Acidity and Adaptability

I had the opportunity to meet Marty and Mimi Moseley at their original tasting room in downtown Redding, CA some years ago. Since then they have expanded not only the size and space where they produce their wines but the variety of wines available as well to be enjoyed by those visiting. Marty and Mimi have always had the attitude “come as friends, leave a family”. As they expanded their winery this required help to make sure not only delightful wines continued to be produced, but that visitors would still feel welcome and part of the winery’s “family”.  Enters Ashley Pierce winemaker, who took on the task as the winery’s winemaker. While my last visit with Ashley was brief at an wine event in Northern California, I was able to try a few of the wines Ashley had produced. This tasting lead to an exchange about a couple of the wines she has brought from the cellar to the tasting room and I am looking forward to my next visit to check those wines out as well.

Where To Find Alicante Bouschet?
Some grapes came to be by nature. Alicante Bouschet was the result of a science experiment. Over its 150-year history, Alicante Bouschet has always been in the background, sort of secret ingredient to embolden other red wines, or to make bathtub booze during prohibition. If you peel back the skin of an Alicante Bouschet grape, you’ll see what separates it from the rest. Unlike other grapes, which have clear flesh, Alicante Bouschet has red flesh. When you enjoy this wine grape be prepared for purple teeth!
Lovers of Big Reds - Look to Alicante Bouschet.

In the mid-1900s, many French and American producers realized that Alicante Bouschet wasn’t a must for rich colored wines. Winemakers no longer needed the grape’s rich color, so growth declined. Don’t worry, little orphan Alicante Bouschet – the Iberian Peninsula was happy to adopt this grape. Both Portugal and Spain have planted more Alicante Bouschet over the last 50 years. Honestly, it’s probably better suited to the climates in these two countries anyway. This wine grape is one of the few red grapes with red flesh, Alicante Bouschet is an oddity that makes big, juicy red wines. Today, Alicante Bouschet is finally bottled on its own. Lovers of rich, fruit-forward reds like Shiraz, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon take note: Alicante Bouschet is quite the find! 

Kings River Winery 2015 Albariño

A few Albariño facts:

Albariño wine (pronounced “alba-reen-yo”) is a top-shelf light-bodied white wine grown primarily in Spain and Portugal (Vinho Verde). It’s also grown in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay. Albariño was presumably brought to Iberia by Cluny monks in the twelfth century. 

• August 1st is International Albariño Day
• Some of the oldest living vines in the world are Albariño Vines and are up to 300 years old.
• It is common to see the word “Albariño on Spanish wine labels unlike other which label by region.
• Spanish and Portuguese winemakers have always treasured the freshness of Albariño and do not age in oak. 
• The grapes are small with thick skins. Not only does this make Albariño harder to produce wines, it also often results in a distinct raw-almond or citrus pith like bitterness.
• Many Albariño vineyard the vines are trained to trellis over-head to help keep the grapes dry and avoid rot.
• There are two main regions that Albariño can widely be found in Spain and in Portugal’s Vinho Verde in Portugal where it is know as Alvarinho. 

Kings River Winery 2015 Albariño is a wonderful example of this grape. 

PRIMARY FLAVORS: Lemon Zest, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Nectarine, Saline