Julia’s Dazzle 2017 Pinot Gris Rose, Columbia Valley

Don’t judge this wine by its bottle.  This is the type of packaging I’d expect for a White Zinfandel geared towards functional alcoholics that sell bedazzled dog leashes on Esty.  This is not such a wine: it’s a project by winemaker Gilles Nicaul of Long Shadows winery in Washington State’s Columbia Valley.

This is an excellent rosé, a skin-fermented pinot grigio from a single vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills.  This is a beautiful wine that is this closer to an orange wine in technique than the fermented sadness that is white zinfandel.

Every spring and summer, I pack my fridge with delicious rosés. I expect bottles of this wine will be gracing my top shelf from now to August. Rich textures and freshness follow Sage and apple-skin aromas. Flavors of wild strawberry and tangerine are complicated with a hint of herbs and spiced coconut.