2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
91 Points, Wine & Spirits Best Buy, Year’s Best Summer Sparklers, Wine & Spirits
Beautiful peach color with aromas of roses and grapefruit the wine is crisp and bright with tons of fruity flavors of candied lime, rainier cherry and grapefruit juice cocktail. This is a fruit bomb with a clean and fruity finish so will make a great wine to enjoy while you’re decompressing from work, enjoying time with friends and or light snacking with something salty like crackers, chips and salsa, corn nuts or mixed nuts, basically any snacky food will pair well.
Vintage & Vineyards Notes
The 2020 growing season proved to be an excellent year, particularly for red varieties. Quality from this vintage has proven excellent due to stellar weather. Beautiful growing conditions during maturation and low disease pressure gave our winemakers a promising start. Smaller-than-anticipated tons per acre and relatively small berry size allowed the grapes to ripen earlier than prior years. The vineyard teams harvested earlier than usual while the weather outside was ideal. At harvest, the reds were showing more intensity in this vintage that the last few harvests; most lots expressed exceptional fruity characteristics and darker colors, promising more intense flavor concentrations in the end result. Aromatics such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Viognier were also true to variety and wonderfully floral. Ultimately, 2020 delivered a high quality harvest.
Yakima Valley - 100% Canyon Vineyard Ranch
Known for its many varied microclimates {cool, warm, windy, hilly, flat), Columbia Valley acts as an umbrella AVA under which many of the state’s sub-AVA’s fall. While it contains 99% of wine grapes grown in Washington State, 6,851 of its acres are unique to the Columbia Valley and don’t overlap another sub-AVA in the state.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Harvest Date: Sept. 18-19, 2020
Blend: 100% Grenache
Ageing: 5 months in stainless steel
TA: 6.7 g/l
pH: 3.11
Alcohol: 10.61%
2018 Primarius Pinot Noir, Oregon
Tasting Notes
Red fruit, cran-raspberry and orange blossom on the nose. Bright, juicy entry. Lively, fruit-forward mid-palate and smooth finish with soft tannins and moderate length. Great food wine. Ready now or cellar for 5-8 years.
Vintage Notes
We can conclusively deem 2018 one of the best Oregon vintages to date. We had an unusually mild winter, followed by warm days of early summer, which stretched into warmer days of mid-summer. This resulted in record-setting periods of consecutive rain-free days without the excessive heat spells that we have experienced in this valley in recent vintages. Our 2018 wine grape harvest finished on Monday, October 22 with a final reception number of 1,394 tons of exceptional Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a few other special, small lots of more unusual varietal for our region. Every vintage in this region brings us a different collection of surprises; some which end up being incredibly beneficial to our wine production and some which serve to keep our growers and winemaker awake at night. In retrospect, it’s apparent that most of the surprises turned out to be very favorable gifts for us.
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Vineyard Sources: Sunshine Mtn, Evergreen, Smith Nut, Waldo Hills, Red Hills of Douglas County, Yamhill Valley Vineyards
Aging: 8 months in 95% French Oak, and 5% American Oak
TA: 5.39 g/L
pH: 3.69
Alcohol: 13.6%
Gruet Blanc de Noirs
Tasting Notes
90 Points, Smart Buy, Top 100, Wine Spectator
Best Buy, Year’s Best Summer Sparklers, Wine & Spirits
French for “white of black,” Blanc de Noirs describes a sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir grapes that are gently pressed and its juice runs off the skins. Our Blanc de Noirs NV was first released in 1990. Following the success of our Brut release, we wanted to add a non vintage wine using Pinot Noir, similar to the classic
blends of NV Champagnes.
Pale salmon in color, this full-bodied wine has a fine mousse and a creamy, rich texture. Complex aromas and flavors of raspberry, baked pear and cherry are complemented by a hint of toasted vanilla. The balance of fruit, minerals and crisp acidity lead to a round mouthfeel and lasting finish.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Variety Blend: 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay
AVA: American
pH: 3.12
Acidity: 70 PPM
Alcohol: 12%
RS: 0.8 g/L
Fining: Sterile Pads
Filtering: Diatomaceous Earth
Aging: Aged en Tirage for a minimum of 18 months
What’s Included
6-bottles:
2x 2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
2x 2018 Primarius Pinot Noir, Oregon
2x Gruet Blanc de Noirs
Case:
4x 2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
Inspired by the greatness of one man: William Bitner Browne, grandfather of proprietor Andrew Browne. Integrity and excellence are the standards upon which Browne wines are created. Browne Family is premium Washington wine, 15 years in the making before its first vintage debuted, crafted with the utmost quality and enjoyment in mind.
Founded in 1984, Gruet Winery specializes in Methode Champenoise sparkling wines. Family owned and run, the New Mexico-based winery produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay-based sparkling wines and a small collection of still wines, with roots originating from Gilbert Gruet’s Champagne house in Bethon, France.
Primarius is produced in Dundee, Oregon, considered to be a cooler climate wine growing region, boasting a long, gentle growing season. With warm summers, mild winters and long, often rainy springs, Oregon’s climate is particularly well matched to the early ripening Pinot Noir grape. The grapes in Oregon benefit from growing on a variety of hillside slopes and on a range of soils, created by volcanic activity and sedimentary rock.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Summer Wine for Every Occasion - $20 = 13.33%
@Springbank So you’re passing but you know you really liked at least one of ‘em? But yeah I can understand the wine box and/or credit card overload happenin’ to many of us lately.
88 Points. The aromas display a sense of purity, with notes of strawberry, cinnamon stick, peppermint and spice. Fresh fruit-forward flavors follow, backed by bunched up tannins. A lingering finish caps it off. It needs time to open up, but it delivers. SPS 10/1/20
Our household was very lucky to receive a bottle of the Gruet Blanc de Noirs. I’ve never actually tried the Gruet but believe it’s been a favorite around here for a while. I can see why.
We poured this last night. It was a pale golden color in the glass (note the description above says pale salmon. I had a small amount left this morning and poured it to check the color in case I missed it. There was not even a hint of pink in it). Small bubbles, and a nice mouthfeel, like you would expect of a good sparkler. It was bright and balanced with a good amount of acidity and a slight pleasant tartness on the finish. Flavors were green apple and pear with a decent amount of minerality.
I quite like this wine and highly recommend it, especially at this price point.
@pseudogourmet98
I know. I hit say it… then I kept getting a forbidden message. So I tried again… successfully. But without the proper heading. hopefully someone can please fix?
Sorry for the delay, my kids flew in for the weekend and I didn’t have time to taste before we went over to Disney.
2018 Primarius Pinot Noir
Tasters were the usual Myself and my folks. For the record…We are not usually not Pinot lovers. The only Pinot that has convinced us otherwise is Gaza. But, We are always open and willing to try new wines in to see if they change our opinion… it just hasn’t happened yet.
PnP
Color- we all agreed it reminded us of black cherry jello after you have dissolved the powder with the hot water.
Aroma- Smelled very sweet, which was surprising. Almost a hard cherry candy sweet… maybe jolly rancher?
Taste- tannic, like eating a piece of fruit that wasn’t quite ripe. That weird taste/feel on your tongue when you bite into the fruit. Some cherry? maybe strawberry that wasn’t quite ripe. None of us could really put our finger on any flavor that stood out. Did not seem complex.
Venturi
After pouring through the Venturi this wine lost all aroma and flavor. It was not pleasant to taste.
Glass left on counter for 40 min.
We revisited the wine.
Aroma was very faint.
Taste- seemed to loose whatever flavor we had originally tasted.
Leaving it out, did not enhance the wine at all.
I’m sorry to say, this was just not for us. We were hoping this would be a Pinot to change our mind… but it did not.
2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
Apologies for the late report. We did have a chance to drink the wine last night, around a backyard bonfire with friends.
COLOR: Somewhere between pale salmon and bubble gum.
NOSE: I didn’t get much on the nose initially. Might have still been a little too chilled. I got some vague citrus notes while my LW said it smelled like cran-raspberry.
ENTRY: Tart and acidic at first sip, with notes of strawberry and citrus.
MID-PALATE: Fruit is a little more prevalent, masking a bit of the tartness but still quite acidic (not in a bad way). Still getting strawberry and citrus plus a hint of cherry.
FINISH: The tartness returns and the acidity carries all the way through the medium finish.
SUMMARY: Overall, we both liked it but didn’t love it. The high acidity would probably make it a good food wine. Unfortunately, we did not get to try it with food.
For $10.83/bottle you could do much worse but I wouldn’t look for the Rose to anchor this summer wine trio relay team. Much thanks to WD and Alice for the opportunity and a huge Memorial Day thank you and God Bless to all those who have served our country and especially those who have sacrificed their lives doing so.
@chipgreen Thanks for the review even if you think it wasn’t your cup of tea, um Rose’.
It actually sounds like what I’d expect from a Columbia Valley wine 100% varietal as this is (and apparently single-vineyard). So it’s not going to have the rounder fuller profile of Rose’ blends.
I would expect it to be more focused, which it sounds like it was for you. Also perhaps a bit too cold as you mention. I usually have wines like this at “cellar” temp not refrigerated. And probably needing a food pairing, though I’m not sure about the suggestion in the product write-up of “salty food” as I generally don’t do much of that.
@chipgreen@WCCWineGirl BTW the color of the Rose’ in those photos looks absolutely perfect to me. And also what I would imagine it tastes like – though I haven’t tasted it yet.
It seems this is an interesting mix at a not-too-bad price. I think many people might skip it because 1 of the 3 isn’t their type. I would say all 3 are solid wines, if you want to build some variety in your “cellar.” The only one I haven’t tried is the Rose’ but the labrat report confirmed what I would expect a 100% single-vineyard grenache to be like. In fact it’s the main reason I may go for this offer even though I already know the other two.
The Primarius PN I think is the same one sold at Costco here (OR,WA) a few years ago (would have been older vintage). At one point I think there was an instant-rebate (as Costco does sometimes) so price came down to about $10-12/btl, same as here. I remember it had good ratings (perhaps the 91 score mentioned earlier). I thought it was good but not my ideal PN (which tastes like dirt and usually costs a lot more). But for a $10-12 PN I’d say it’s pretty good! I think I have one in my “cellar,” aka basement hallway, and maybe I’ll post an update.
@pmarin I’ll hop onto a wee pulpit for a second. I’m a huge advocate of trying as wide a variety of wines as possible and challenging your prior experience with various wines that you may have liked or disliked once upon a time. So to me that means that one of the three “isn’t [my] type” is a reason to buy not to avoid.
Of course there are plenty of people who’ve revisited similar styles of wine over many years and their opinions don’t change - my comment doesn’t apply there.
OK, getting off the soap box now.
2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
Tasting Notes
91 Points, Wine & Spirits
Best Buy, Year’s Best Summer Sparklers, Wine & Spirits
Vintage & Vineyards Notes
Specs
2018 Primarius Pinot Noir, Oregon
Tasting Notes
Vintage Notes
Specs
Gruet Blanc de Noirs
Tasting Notes
90 Points, Smart Buy, Top 100, Wine Spectator
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $204-288/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Jun 18 - Tuesday, Jun 22
Summer Wine for Every Occasion
6 bottles for $74.99 $12.50/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $129.99 $10.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé
2018 Primarius Pinot Noir
NV Gruet Blanc de Noirs
@ilCesare err 2020
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Summer Wine for Every Occasion - $20 = 13.33%
Wellllll…that was a no-brainer…
busy toothy banshee
After all the wine I bought last week, this in an easy pass. I’ve really liked the Gruet.
@Springbank So you’re passing but you know you really liked at least one of ‘em? But yeah I can understand the wine box and/or credit card overload happenin’ to many of us lately.
Rat report for the Pinot will be in later this afternoon…sorry for the delay…
Wine Enthusiast says about the Primarius:
88 Points. The aromas display a sense of purity, with notes of strawberry, cinnamon stick, peppermint and spice. Fresh fruit-forward flavors follow, backed by bunched up tannins. A lingering finish caps it off. It needs time to open up, but it delivers. SPS 10/1/20
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/primarius-2018-pinot-noir-oregon/
Wine Spectacle also on the Primarius:
87 Points. Easygoing and juicy, with sleek and zesty raspberry and spice flavors. Drink now through 2023. 6,272 cases made. -TF 3/21
Browne website references a 91 point Wine Spectator review for the rosé ??
fwiw
Our household was very lucky to receive a bottle of the Gruet Blanc de Noirs. I’ve never actually tried the Gruet but believe it’s been a favorite around here for a while. I can see why.
We poured this last night. It was a pale golden color in the glass (note the description above says pale salmon. I had a small amount left this morning and poured it to check the color in case I missed it. There was not even a hint of pink in it). Small bubbles, and a nice mouthfeel, like you would expect of a good sparkler. It was bright and balanced with a good amount of acidity and a slight pleasant tartness on the finish. Flavors were green apple and pear with a decent amount of minerality.
I quite like this wine and highly recommend it, especially at this price point.
@airynne Thank you so much for the review
@mommadeb
I think the rat ate/drank your review!
@pseudogourmet98
hopefully someone can please fix?
I know. I hit say it… then I kept getting a forbidden message. So I tried again… successfully. But without the proper heading.
Sorry for the delay, my kids flew in for the weekend and I didn’t have time to taste before we went over to Disney.
2018 Primarius Pinot Noir
Tasters were the usual Myself and my folks. For the record…We are not usually not Pinot lovers. The only Pinot that has convinced us otherwise is Gaza. But, We are always open and willing to try new wines in to see if they change our opinion… it just hasn’t happened yet.
PnP
Color- we all agreed it reminded us of black cherry jello after you have dissolved the powder with the hot water.
Aroma- Smelled very sweet, which was surprising. Almost a hard cherry candy sweet… maybe jolly rancher?
Taste- tannic, like eating a piece of fruit that wasn’t quite ripe. That weird taste/feel on your tongue when you bite into the fruit. Some cherry? maybe strawberry that wasn’t quite ripe. None of us could really put our finger on any flavor that stood out. Did not seem complex.
Venturi
After pouring through the Venturi this wine lost all aroma and flavor. It was not pleasant to taste.
Glass left on counter for 40 min.
We revisited the wine.
Aroma was very faint.
Taste- seemed to loose whatever flavor we had originally tasted.
Leaving it out, did not enhance the wine at all.
I’m sorry to say, this was just not for us. We were hoping this would be a Pinot to change our mind… but it did not.
Thanks WD and Alice
@mommadeb Thank you for the review - you had me at “disney”
2020 Browne Family Vineyards Grenache Rosé, Columbia Valley
Apologies for the late report. We did have a chance to drink the wine last night, around a backyard bonfire with friends.
COLOR: Somewhere between pale salmon and bubble gum.
NOSE: I didn’t get much on the nose initially. Might have still been a little too chilled. I got some vague citrus notes while my LW said it smelled like cran-raspberry.
ENTRY: Tart and acidic at first sip, with notes of strawberry and citrus.
MID-PALATE: Fruit is a little more prevalent, masking a bit of the tartness but still quite acidic (not in a bad way). Still getting strawberry and citrus plus a hint of cherry.
FINISH: The tartness returns and the acidity carries all the way through the medium finish.
SUMMARY: Overall, we both liked it but didn’t love it. The high acidity would probably make it a good food wine. Unfortunately, we did not get to try it with food.
For $10.83/bottle you could do much worse but I wouldn’t look for the Rose to anchor this summer wine trio relay team. Much thanks to WD and Alice for the opportunity and a huge Memorial Day thank you and God Bless to all those who have served our country and especially those who have sacrificed their lives doing so.
@chipgreen Thanks for the review even if you think it wasn’t your cup of tea, um Rose’.
It actually sounds like what I’d expect from a Columbia Valley wine 100% varietal as this is (and apparently single-vineyard). So it’s not going to have the rounder fuller profile of Rose’ blends.
I would expect it to be more focused, which it sounds like it was for you. Also perhaps a bit too cold as you mention. I usually have wines like this at “cellar” temp not refrigerated. And probably needing a food pairing, though I’m not sure about the suggestion in the product write-up of “salty food” as I generally don’t do much of that.
@chipgreen Thank you for the report & the Memorial Day remembrance
@chipgreen @WCCWineGirl BTW the color of the Rose’ in those photos looks absolutely perfect to me. And also what I would imagine it tastes like – though I haven’t tasted it yet.
It seems this is an interesting mix at a not-too-bad price. I think many people might skip it because 1 of the 3 isn’t their type. I would say all 3 are solid wines, if you want to build some variety in your “cellar.” The only one I haven’t tried is the Rose’ but the labrat report confirmed what I would expect a 100% single-vineyard grenache to be like. In fact it’s the main reason I may go for this offer even though I already know the other two.
The Primarius PN I think is the same one sold at Costco here (OR,WA) a few years ago (would have been older vintage). At one point I think there was an instant-rebate (as Costco does sometimes) so price came down to about $10-12/btl, same as here. I remember it had good ratings (perhaps the 91 score mentioned earlier). I thought it was good but not my ideal PN (which tastes like dirt and usually costs a lot more). But for a $10-12 PN I’d say it’s pretty good! I think I have one in my “cellar,” aka basement hallway, and maybe I’ll post an update.
@pmarin I’ll hop onto a wee pulpit for a second. I’m a huge advocate of trying as wide a variety of wines as possible and challenging your prior experience with various wines that you may have liked or disliked once upon a time. So to me that means that one of the three “isn’t [my] type” is a reason to buy not to avoid.
Of course there are plenty of people who’ve revisited similar styles of wine over many years and their opinions don’t change - my comment doesn’t apply there.
OK, getting off the soap box now.