Whenever I notice someone buying good quality dry rosé, I look to see what else they're buying. These are people I should know, or at least I should know what they drink. They're not stuck in a red and white world. They are open-minded wine drinkers. And they aren't afraid of color.
Some people have no time to stop and smell the rosés. But I wonder, how can you not like a good rosé? No wine is as much fun to look at in a glass, and none is more versatile. Rosé is the de-facto picnic wine and is the liquid stuff of romantic sidewalk cafés. Still, few Americans venture to the middle of the wine spectrum.
Hendry Napa Rosé, like most good dry rosés, is really all about the color. You're not so much drinking rosé because of the flavor. The flavor can be really good, of course, as with this Hendry, still it's not tremendously different from drinking a white wine. But look into a glass while you swirl it around and what do you see? Of course, you can't help but to think of the flower. Anarchist Emma Goldman was quoted as saying, "I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds 'round my neck." Personally, I couldn't agree more. Does that make those of us who like rosé, wine anarchists? Then there are the sunsets that stop us in our tracks, whatever hurry we're in. Even neon comes to mind when swirling a glass, like the pink elephant neon sign near the Space Needle in Seattle. Rosé also brings to mind the brilliant turning leaves that happen in the fall. We usually think of Vermont, but this brilliant color can even be seen in Hendry's vineyards.
Hendry Napa Rosé comes into being when the lots of freshly crushed Cabernet and Primitivo grapes have been in the fermentation tank a short time, and a judicious cut of the brightly hued juice is bled off. The saignée process as it is called, results in a fanciful rosé from great stock, while also concentrating the phenolics and deepening the color of the red wine that is left on the grape skins. It's a win-win, or you could say, wine-wine situation.
Breathe in Hendry Rosé and your apt to sense lots of citrus, grapefruit and blood orange, plus stone fruit, peaches and nectarines, and a hint of something plummy. Your tongue will be delighted by a bittersweet sensation that carries through the citrus character. This is a real picnic wine that makes me think of cold fried chicken, pimento cheese sandwiches and those addictive salt and pepper kettle chips.
Another real nice thing about Hendry Rosé is it's kind of like an early bird special. You'll pay $55 for a bottle of Hendry Cab, or $31 for the Primitivo, both of which gave up some of their juice to make this rosé, which you can buy for under $15. That's a great deal for this estate bottled beauty. There's only a few hundred cases of it, but you can buy it online direct from Hendry if your state allows it.
Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.5%.
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