Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives
So here is my wine review for the week of June 2nd...
HEITZ CELLAR 2007 NAPA VALLEY GRIGNOLINO ROSE
Description: As summer approaches and with it, the warmer weather, I wanted to make sure I uncorked a few bottles of the new, high end roses that are being produced out of Napa Valley and offer a wonderful, refreshing way to enjoy a chilled red wine on a hot summer day.
Heitz Cellars was once one of Napa Valley’s premiere wineries that lost its way in the mid 1990s and has never regained its footing. The Grignolino grape is known in Italy as “little strawberry,” for its lightly sweet and fruity flavor (when properly grown and bottled, of course).
How and when I drank it: Friday afternoon, May 30th at my house.
How to get it: The winery sells it online and I found this bottle at BevMo Roseville.
How Much: Bevmo had it for $14, the winery wants $18 online.
My Thoughts: The nose on this wine is very nice; it’s floral and fruity all at once as though you are standing in the midst of a summer garden surrounded by strawberry patches and blooming roses. Sadly, the taste doesn’t match the scent. This Rose is far from being a lightly sweet and fruity balanced wine. Rather, the wine is dry and lacks flavor on first taste. As the wine warms and breathes, some of the fruit flavors attempt to emerge, but are drowned out by the dryness of the wine, indicating, based on their goal of creating a 100% Grignolino, a very unbalanced and poorly made wine.
Overall Score: A true disappointment. As far as Napa Valley Roses go, Peju’s Provenance is still the standard bearer for those who want a fruity, strawberry laden wine that is slightly sweet and perfectly balanced. This wine is drinkable, but not at all refreshing, thus (as far as I am concerned) a waste. 1 vine
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