2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
Tasting Notes
Onesta Rosé is opulent and bursting with flavors of guava and melon, delivering a mouthwatering long finish. Made in a Provençal style, the Rosé is completely dry (no residual sugar) and elegant with rich texture. Cinsault is the king of Rosé varieties in Provence, producing elegant & sophisticated wines.
Vineyard Notes
Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
The oldest vineyard in the Lodi region, 25 acres of Cinsault planted in 1886. The old vines are head trained, organically grown and dry farmed. One side of the vineyard is bordered by a cement lined water canal, which seeps water into the soil. The old roots from the Cinsault vines that border this canal have drank from this water for decades. These vines have a larger crop and are naturally lower in brix, so perfect for rosé production. Cinsault is the king of Rosé varieties in Provence, producing elegant & sophisticated wines.
The Rosé is 50% saignée and 50% fruit picked specifically for Rosé. The juice is blended and fermented in stainless steel and 15% very neutral French oak barrels. The wine is aged on the lees for 6 months to enhance the rich mouthfeel typical of the Rosé wines in Provence.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Appellation: Lodi, California
Alcohol: 13.5%
2017 Onesta Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
Tasting Notes
This A-typical, rich and intense Cinsault has every right to be bottled as 100% Cinsault, coming from the oldest Cinsault vineyard on the planet. The vineyard, planted in 1886 produces fruit with good color, serious fruit intensity and rounded tannins. For those that do not know Cinsault, it can be described as having the elegant weight of a hearty Pinot Noir, with the fruit forward attitude of a Zinfandel. Onesta Cinsault explodes strawberry and spiced rhubarb, with hints of vanilla from aging in mostly neutral French oak barrels. We dare you to have just one glass.
Cinsault (San-soh) a high-yielding, early-ripening, hot-weather red grape, generally used in blends. Cinsault tends to be low in tannin, and is often added to blends to add a spicy component. Not often found as a varietal bottling. Cinsault is the “king” of grape varieties in Provence Rosé winemaking. Its large juicy berries produce elegant mouthwatering dry Rosés, for the sophisticated palate. Among the grape’s claim to fame is being half the genetic cross (along with pinot noir) behind the South African Pinotage grape. Cinsault came to California in the 1860s, but total planting in 2004 was only 144 acres, producing a mere 672 tons.
The Bechthold vineyard is the oldest vineyard in the Lodi region, planted in 1886. It is the oldest Cinsault vineyard in the world! The old vines are head trained, organically grown and dry farmed. Onesta is lucky to have a 4.2 acre block on the east side of the vineyard where the weakest vines are planted producing the most concentrated fruit in the whole vineyard.
Vinification Notes
100% Cinsault from 130 year old vines in the famous Bechthold Vineyard in Lodi. The perfect recipe involves gentle handling, saignée, cold soak, raging fermentation, extended maceration, and 12 months aging untouched in neutral French oak barrels.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Varietal: Cinsault
Appellation: Lodi, California
Alcohol: 14.5%
What’s Included
4-bottles:
2x 2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
2x 2017 Onesta Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
Case:
6x 2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
6x 2017 Onesta Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
Jillian found her passion for wine while studying neurobiology at UC Davis. Home brewing introduced her to the magic of fermentation, and after taking the “Introductory to Winemaking” class at UC Davis, she quickly switched her major to Viticulture and Enology. She graduated with her degree in 2001 and soon thereafter found herself as an intern at the famous Bonny Doon Winery.
Her desire to learn more about winemaking has taken her around the globe. To gain essential winemaking experience in a short time, Jillian traveled to the southern hemisphere to work an additional harvest each year. For three years she traveled south to learn how to work with different varieties and observe different winemaking styles. She did internships in McLaren Vale (South Australia), Margaret River (Western Australia), and Stellenbosch (South Africa).
Syrah quickly became her deepest passion and she returned to Bonny Doon as Associate Winemaker in 2005, focusing her talents on the Rhone varieties that the Dooner is known for. She played a major role in the transition to biodynamic winemaking at Bonny Doon. Now a truly seasoned winemaker, Jillian has started her own passion project, Onesta. Her artistic expression is manifested in her wines. Jillian’s wines speak the truth of each growing season and each vintage is a new adventure for her, riding the waves of Mother Nature. Her promise to herself and her customers is to deliver wines with personality and depth every year. Jillian’s wines are made with passion and love, just like she lives her life. Her hope is that every sip of Onesta will ignite the soul with passion and enthusiasm for living life to the fullest.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
My wife and I were excited to have this bottle of 2019 Onesta Bechthold Vineyard Rosé arrive at our house on Wednesday.
As a reference point, for a relatively inexpensive bottle of rose, our go to is Gerard Bertrand Cote des Rosé (CT Link). We think it’s always very solid and the price point at Costco, total wine, etc (~$11-13) makes it really hard for us to justify buying other Rosé in this price range. The Onesta is a Cinsault Rosé and the Gerard Bertrand is Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.
First off, we apologize, as we totally forgot to take pictures. The the wine has a nice peach hue. First taste, we got immediate notes on the first smell of strawberry and tropical flavors, with a nice long finish. It’s a relatively dry, versatile wine. We had our first taste with Indian food, which paired reasonably well, before bringing the rest to share with our neighbors. 4 opinions are better than 2! We drank our next glass with our neighbors without food and felt it was equally good, perhaps better. We initially drank the wine fresh out of the refrigerator, but ended up enjoying the wine more as it warmed up. We all agreed that we could imagine sharing this bottle on a hot summer day, or in a couple weeks with Thanksgiving appetizers.
Now, back to the comparison against Gerard Bertrand Cote des Rosé. We expected this to be a tough comparison. But after finishing the bottle, dollar for dollar versus the casemates price (it appears to be sub $15 based on a prior posting), the Onesta Rosé wins for sure.
This is our 3rd time being a lab rat. We have more wine than we can drink, so we are very picky on where we pull the trigger to buy. For Onesta Rosé, we’re in, and we’ll buy again if it ever comes up in the future.
@stevenfarber527 good notes, thank you for the report! I remember trying the Bertrand rosé years ago… but I remember the bottle better than the wine now.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Onesta Cinsault and Rosé of Cinsault - $10 = 6.66%
@hscottk I have not. According to my spreadsheet, those bottles are still in their top-secret, Manhattan location. In the meantime, I still have a couple of the '15 vintage to polish off.
I’m looking forward to trying the Rosé. And I can probably bring myself to part with a couple of the now 10 bottles of the Cinsault.
TL;DR you won’t regret buying this, and if you only buy a partial, you might regret not buying a full case.
Onesta has become an auto-buy for me. I’ve purchased different Onesta wines 7 times here on Casemates, and my wife and I have enjoyed each of them…great QPR.
We are not typically fans of Rosé, but I bought a 4-pack of the Onesta 2018 Rose when it was offered, and we both wished I would have bought a case! It was really good.
Re: the red Cinsault: we love the 2013 and really like the 2015. So I’m pretty confident this 2017 will be good as well. The Onesta Cinsaults go surprisingly well with spicy Indian food believe it or not (especially the 2013). I don’t remember if it was due to a previous rat or the vintner, but for some reason we thought to try Indian food one time with the 2013, and it paired well and actually cut the spice from the Indian food.
@TimW All right, you talked me into it. I ordered a 4-pack just looking at the specs, but after this and the rat notes, I upgraded to a case… hopefully going about it the right way, canceling the pack order and placing a new one.
Also, I’m now thinking more wines need puffins on their labels.
On the fence here.
I’ve heard great things about the Cinsault, and have yet to try it.
Based on those great things I’ve heard, I bought a cause of the 2018 rose last offering. To be frank, we were not that impressed with it and I am having issues getting them out of my cellar.
I enjoyed other Onesta offerings. My wine fridges are full but I have the willpower if a golden retriever, so in for four. Don’t judge.
/giphy bronze-tricky-needle
Try
Onesta does some phenomenal work with Cinsault - both the red and rose. The latter is not your typical rose - full-bodied, balanced dry and semi sweet.
Auto buy for me!
2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
Tasting Notes
Vineyard Notes
Specs
2017 Onesta Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
Tasting Notes
Vinification Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$390/Case at Onesta Wines for 6x 2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California & 6x 2017 Onesta Cinsault, Bechthold Vineyard, Lodi, California
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Dec 2 - Monday, Dec 6
Onesta Cinsault and Rosé of Cinsault
4 bottles for $49.99 $12.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault
2017 Onesta Cinsault
2019 Onesta Rosé of Cinsault
My wife and I were excited to have this bottle of 2019 Onesta Bechthold Vineyard Rosé arrive at our house on Wednesday.
As a reference point, for a relatively inexpensive bottle of rose, our go to is Gerard Bertrand Cote des Rosé (CT Link). We think it’s always very solid and the price point at Costco, total wine, etc (~$11-13) makes it really hard for us to justify buying other Rosé in this price range. The Onesta is a Cinsault Rosé and the Gerard Bertrand is Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.
First off, we apologize, as we totally forgot to take pictures. The the wine has a nice peach hue. First taste, we got immediate notes on the first smell of strawberry and tropical flavors, with a nice long finish. It’s a relatively dry, versatile wine. We had our first taste with Indian food, which paired reasonably well, before bringing the rest to share with our neighbors. 4 opinions are better than 2! We drank our next glass with our neighbors without food and felt it was equally good, perhaps better. We initially drank the wine fresh out of the refrigerator, but ended up enjoying the wine more as it warmed up. We all agreed that we could imagine sharing this bottle on a hot summer day, or in a couple weeks with Thanksgiving appetizers.
Now, back to the comparison against Gerard Bertrand Cote des Rosé. We expected this to be a tough comparison. But after finishing the bottle, dollar for dollar versus the casemates price (it appears to be sub $15 based on a prior posting), the Onesta Rosé wins for sure.
This is our 3rd time being a lab rat. We have more wine than we can drink, so we are very picky on where we pull the trigger to buy. For Onesta Rosé, we’re in, and we’ll buy again if it ever comes up in the future.
@stevenfarber527 good notes, thank you for the report! I remember trying the Bertrand rosé years ago… but I remember the bottle better than the wine now.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Onesta Cinsault and Rosé of Cinsault - $10 = 6.66%
@chipgreen Wow, the pendulum really swung between yesterday and today in terms of the penalty for placing the smaller order!
Happy to see these wines, in for a mini-pack.
/giphy elaborate-pervasive-flag
@InFrom Have you tried the 2017? Looks like you were in for a split in a previous offer this year.
@hscottk I have not. According to my spreadsheet, those bottles are still in their top-secret, Manhattan location. In the meantime, I still have a couple of the '15 vintage to polish off.
I’m looking forward to trying the Rosé. And I can probably bring myself to part with a couple of the now 10 bottles of the Cinsault.
Super interested. I bought the Cinsault previously as was pretty happy with the QPR. The Rose is definitely piquing my curiosity.
TL;DR you won’t regret buying this, and if you only buy a partial, you might regret not buying a full case.
Onesta has become an auto-buy for me. I’ve purchased different Onesta wines 7 times here on Casemates, and my wife and I have enjoyed each of them…great QPR.
We are not typically fans of Rosé, but I bought a 4-pack of the Onesta 2018 Rose when it was offered, and we both wished I would have bought a case! It was really good.
Re: the red Cinsault: we love the 2013 and really like the 2015. So I’m pretty confident this 2017 will be good as well. The Onesta Cinsaults go surprisingly well with spicy Indian food believe it or not (especially the 2013). I don’t remember if it was due to a previous rat or the vintner, but for some reason we thought to try Indian food one time with the 2013, and it paired well and actually cut the spice from the Indian food.
Bottom line: I’m in for a case.
/giphy positive-gushy-puffin
@TimW All right, you talked me into it. I ordered a 4-pack just looking at the specs, but after this and the rat notes, I upgraded to a case… hopefully going about it the right way, canceling the pack order and placing a new one.
Also, I’m now thinking more wines need puffins on their labels.
On the fence here.
I’ve heard great things about the Cinsault, and have yet to try it.
Based on those great things I’ve heard, I bought a cause of the 2018 rose last offering. To be frank, we were not that impressed with it and I am having issues getting them out of my cellar.
Any comparison from the 2018 to 2019 rose?
@Drez143
numberless-elicit-space
After the last Onesta Cinsault I bought, there is no “on the fence”! In for one!
@Drez143 agree. We were not fans of the rose either. Not crisp enough and too much weight for our liking
@Drez143 @losthighwayz and I guess those are the reasons we liked the Cinsault Rose since we don’t typically like Rose.
No room for more wine. Glad the 4-pack penalty (as compared to the case price) is minimal.
/giphy supreme-unhelpful-leg
Link to the June 16 Cinsault offer.
Love the stuff. Way overflowing right now and it’s shipping season.
I enjoyed other Onesta offerings. My wine fridges are full but I have the willpower if a golden retriever, so in for four. Don’t judge.
/giphy bronze-tricky-needle
Try
I keep rooting for IL to be back on this list for the Cinsault- I think we have two lonely bottles left that are being closely safeguarded.
Onesta does some phenomenal work with Cinsault - both the red and rose. The latter is not your typical rose - full-bodied, balanced dry and semi sweet.
Auto buy for me!
Have wanted to try these for a while. In for a 4 pack.
4pk secured!
/giphy greedy-horrific-bean
Thanks for getting it here well before Tgiving!