Over the past week the summer air has been intoxicating, and in an urge to prolong the feeling, I’ve decided to dig deeper into rosé.  The often maligned category of wine is still suffering from the image it gained in the 1980’s with the rise and fall of White Zinfandel.   The cloyingly sweet wine was inspired by the glut of Zinfandel hanging around, and the need to sell it quick without a lot of processing (White Zin is a press and go kind of wine). Not all rosés are sickly sweet though, in fact, many lean toward the dry side of the spectrum.  Hailing from Napa Valley, 2013 Maxwell Creek Rosé claims to be balanced and fruit forward, but does it avoid the pitfalls of it’s sickly sweet relative? 

Sight:  The appearance of 2013 Maxwell Creek Rosé is a medium pink, bordering between pink tulips and watermelon.

Smell:  On the nose, the first thing that jumps out is the overwhelming smell of cranberries, to the point it’s similar to cranberry juice.  There are touches of strawberries, raspberries, and an undercurrent of a dusty road.

Sip:  2013 Maxwell Creek Rosé taste is totally at odds with the cranberry nose, not from a brightness perspective, but from the shear earthiness that comes through.  The dusty nature of the wine comes through, and brings about an almost red beet flavor.  The acidity is thankfully very much present, and pops with a brightness of cranberries.  Despite this, the wine is still leaning away from the moderate side of body thanks to the 13.5% ABV.

Savor:  On the ending, there’s a marriage of the two minds, bringing together the brightness from the berry flavors with the dustiness of the earth.  The marriage ends up being just short of refreshing.

2013 Maxwell Creek Rosé is something of an odd duck, bringing a lot of old world character with new world wines.  The flavor is fun, but not necessarily the first rosé I’d grab if I wanted a light summer wine.  The ending is just slightly too dense, and dusty to be a refreshing wine. Now that being said, this might be a first choice wine for having salmon, or a grilled chicken dish.  2013 Maxwell Creek Rosé is a fun rosé, but might be better in the transition from summer to fall.

Verdict: Earthy, Cranberries, Bright
Price: $9.99
Napa Valley, California