Las Jaras Old Vine Rose

Origin: Mendocino County, California

Grape(s): 69% Zinfandel / 28% Carignan / 3% Petite Sirah

Yes, this is a pink party wine—but it’s a classy pink party wine. A departure from the rosés of Provence with its razzmatazz rosé, the Old Vine Rosé is both fruity and savory; on the nose, it is all about big red fruit and hibiscus, on the palate, it is packed with acid and minerality, with a bone-dry finish. It is also texturally interesting, as a result of destemming the Zinfandel and pressing immediately. This is a rosé you want to bring home to meet your parents. It deserves to be drunk alongside imported tinned fish, salted butter, and impeccably made, artisanal baguettes. If this rosé could talk, it would have a lilting French accent and quote Godard.

Las Jaras' approach to rosé is to think less about the varietal makeup and more about the style and vibe it conveys. They have seen their Old Vine Rosé go from 100% Carignan, 35% Zinfandel, to 69% Zinfandel in this new vintage. Even though the cépage has changed, the wine can be seen as an evolution of the style that it has always been. Every year they nudge the wine into the direction it needs to go in a quest for balance, deliciousness and refreshment.