2019 Kale Rutherford Rosé, McGah Vineyard, Napa Valley

Tasting Notes

The 2019 Rosè is one of our lightest Rosès in color, “onion-peel” pink. Honeysuckle, crane melon and lemongrass notes in the nose stay fresh and vibrant as the wine picks up air. Cucumber water, grapefruit pith, and minerals liven the palate leaving you refreshed and energized. The low alcohol creates the perfect pairing for the pool, beach, or a sunny afternoon. Great for this summer, and even better next summer. This Rosè will age. We know from experience.

Vintage

2019 came on the heels of the bountiful and rich 2018 vintage. It was a long cool year in Napa that warmed near the end. There was a light sprinkle that extended the season as the reds started reaching the winery. It was a welcome sight as the drought in California continued without fires, heat spikes, or power outages. Despite the lack of water in the soils, the vines in Napa surprised us with another above-average yielding year. The wines are dense, opulent, and concentrated. It’s hard to imagine another quality year like 2018 – with the added benefit of better-aging potential.

Vineyard

McGah Family Vineyards encompasses 65 acres in Rutherford near the Silverado Trail. Being on the east side of the valley, there is intense exposure that yields ripe and concentrated fruit. The area is hallowed ground for Cabernet Sauvignon and generally growers in the area are not interested in planting unexpected varieties for economic reasons, as Cabernet Sauvignon commands a much higher price. The McGah family is an exception to the norm, and we have collaborated under a long-term contract to develop one acre of the Heritage Vineyard with special soil preparation, site-specific rootstock (St. George), and fantastic clones of Grenache (515, Tablas D) and Mourvédre in our rows. The block was redeveloped in 2011, and after much anticipation, our acre produced a small crop in 2014. The vines are trained traditionally in the Gobelet Method, with tight spacing (4x8). It is slightly sloping benchland, so the soil is well drained with classic Rutherford red, dusty soil. McGah Family Vineyards is meticulously farmed and celebrates the diversity of the Napa Valley.

Winemaking

Our Rosè is light, fresh, and dry. It is the style that we like to drink, with the same protocols that we have used for 11 years. We hand harvest at dawn, and whole cluster press cold, first thing in the morning. The Rosè gets as little skin contact as possible, and goes through the “sparkling wine” program in the bladder press, the gentlest program. The clear juice is racked to our Sonoma Cast Stone Egg fermenter. The fermentation never reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit, to preserve freshness. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. The wine is lightly filtered on the way to bottling. All natural acidity. Ingredients: Grapes, Yeast, SO2.

Specs

• Harvested: September 19, 2019
• Composition: 84% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre
• Alcohol: 13.3%
• Bottling Date: June 2020
• Release Date: April 2021
• Production: 224 cases
• Alcohol: 14.2%

2020 Kale Rutherford Rosé, McGah Vineyard, Napa Valley

Tasting Notes

The 2020 Rosé has a slightly deeper color than in years past. There are notes of classic onion skin pink that go deeper into a pale strawberry note. Light raspberry, strawberry shortcake, and delicate white flowers jump out of the glass with a backbone of wet stone and mineral on the nose. The palate is clean and crisp with immediate red berries on the attack and followed by a refreshing mineral and a tart watermelon that lingers for a medium-plus finish. Resist the temptation to serve too cold on those hot summer nights and be rewarded with subtle notes of jasmine, lemon, and grapefruit. The acid of this Rosé will help the wine outlast many other rosés on the market. Drink now or drink later, this tipple is sure to delight.

Vintage

The 2020 vintage was “interesting” to say the least. The wines that were unaffected by the infamous fires were fantastic, however, Mother Nature claimed most of our crop. It was another mega-drought year. These types of years can be amazing for quality, but we have come to learn that farming in these conditions can have pitfalls - fires. Not only were many of our vineyards threatened by flames, but if they were downwind from large flare-ups, the fruit was rendered unusable due to smoke taint. It was a “roulette” of fire, and many of us were concerned for our homes and evacuated for safety reasons. Our community persevered, and the grapes that were unaffected produced exceptional results. The 2020 wines are a direct result of our resilience and commitment to our craft.

Vineyard

McGah Family Vineyards encompasses 65 acres in Rutherford near the Silverado Trail. Being on the east side of the valley, there is intense exposure that yields ripe and concentrated fruit. The area is hallowed ground for Cabernet Sauvignon and generally growers in the area are not interested in planting unexpected varieties for economic reasons, as Cabernet Sauvignon commands a much higher price. The McGah family is an exception to the norm, and we have collaborated under a long-term contract to develop one acre of the Heritage Vineyard with special soil preparation, site-specific rootstock (St. George), and fantastic clones of Grenache (515, Tablas D) and Mourvédre in our rows. The block was redeveloped in 2011, and after much anticipation, our acre produced a small crop in 2014. The vines are trained traditionally in the Gobelet Method, with tight spacing (4x8). It is a slightly sloping benchland, so the soil is well drained with classic Rutherford red, dusty soil. McGah Family Vineyards is meticulously farmed and celebrates the diversity of the Napa Valley.

Winemaking

Our Rosè is light, fresh, and dry. It is the style that we like to drink, with the same protocols that we have used for the last 12 years. We hand harvest at dawn, and the whole cluster press cold, first thing in the morning. The Rosè gets as little skin contact as possible, and goes through the “sparkling wine” program in the bladder press, the gentlest program. The clear juice is racked to our Sonoma Cast Stone Egg concrete fermenter. The fermentation never reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit, to preserve freshness. No malolactic fermentation is allowed. The wine is lightly filtered on the way to bottling. All natural acidity.

Specs

• Harvested: August 26, 2020
• Composition: 84% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre
• Alcohol: 13.1%
• Bottling Date: June 2021
• Release Date: May 2022
• Production: 145 cases
• Ingredients: Grapes, Yeast, SO2

What’s Included

4-bottles:

• 2x 2019 Kale Rutherford Rosé, McGah Vineyard, Napa Valley
• 2x 2020 Kale Rutherford Rosé, McGah Vineyard, Napa Valley
  Case:
• 6x 2019 Kale Rutherford Rosé, McGah Vineyard, Napa Valley
• 6x 2020 Kale Rutherford Rosé, McGah Vineyard, Napa Valley

Price Comparison

Not for sale online, $480.00/case MSRP

About The Winery

• Winery: Kale Wines
• Owner: Kale Anderson
• Location: Sonoma County, CA

In 2008, Kale and his wife, Ranko, set out to create Rhône-inspired wines from extraordinary vineyards in Northern California under their own label, Kale Wines. Specializing in small-production, handcrafted wines, Kale utilizes new technologies as well as ancient techniques to express the unique vineyards’ most delicious characteristics.

Kick Ranch is a hillside vineyard located in Sonoma County’s newest AVA, Fountaingrove District. Its soil is the Pleasanton-Haire complex that has been deposited in an alluvial fan surrounding natural runoff from the Mayacama mountains. Fantastic drainage has forced the plants to dig deep roots, naturally balancing the vines with low
yields and concentrated fruit. With a straight shot through the Petaluma wind gap, the cool maritime breezes balance the intense afternoon exposure. This results in dark, ripe fruit with good acidity.

Available States

AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

Estimated Delivery

Monday, Jul 31 - Wednesday, Aug 2

Kale Wines Rosé
4 bottles for $59.99 $15/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $147.99 $12.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping

2019
2020

How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Kale Wines Rosé - $32 = 17.77%

It’s hard to be everybody’s best friend, but this rose might be it. A beautiful drink on its own, and also a great friend to food.

A lovely nose of stone fruit and hint of strawberry. Just the right amount of dry + fruit to create a very lush mouthfeel.

Great as an aperitif, and also a great friend to food. We tasted with a truffled pate and cheeses, we preferred the pate pairing.

This is a great wine to drink on its own on a nice warm patio evening, and also complex enough to pair with many foods.

YES!!!

Our good friend who was over stated friendly in general for a rose. Fresh clean and clear taste of mineral water running down a creek. Drinkable for the masses and will appeal to many palates.

It’s a Napa Rose so expected the retail price point to be higher. We estimated a $15 to $18 Casemates price.

Autobuy for me. Anybody in Columbus want to split?