“Summer of what?” You ask. Rosé. Duh. My goal is to provide you, my dear readers, with a new rosé to seek out and try. Hence, the title…Summer of Rosé.
I will forewarn you, some of the wines are only available through the tasting rooms. I will do my best to provide you with the information necessary to order these wines.
For the next installment, I decided that I’d venture into Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley and feature one of my favorite Willamette Valley wineries. Located in the Chehalem Mountains, between the towns of Sherwood and Newberg, Blakeslee Vineyard‘s beautiful grounds overlook the eastern portion of the Willamette Valley. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Hood from their parking lot.
Bill and Sheila Blakeslee purchased the former Quail’s Hill Vineyard in 2005, with the intent of being growers. Their first vintage in 2006 was unintentional, resulting from a trade with another winery of fruit for bottled wine. In 2010, they brought on winemaker Robert Brittan. 2011 brought Bill’s retirement from the corporate world, where he had made many connections with various wineries in the Willamette Valley. In 2013, Blakeslee Vineyard opened their tasting room, after determining that their first vintages were ready to be presented to the public.
This beautiful Rosé of Pinot Noir is a treat. With cherries and strawberries on the nose, you’re drawn into this wine from the start. The cherries carry through on the palate, and are offset with great acidity and the slightest hint of sweetness at the end. I would honestly not pair this with food, even though it certainly could go with just about anything you serve. For me, the perfect pairing on this is a pleasant evening on your back porch with good friends and good laughs.
This Rosé is not available on the website, but I recommend calling the tasting room at 503-625-6902 and seeing if you can procure some of this fantastic example of a Willamette Valley Rosé.
