Reminiscent of our 90-point 2014 vintage, bright, peachy color packs a punch of juicy flavor; clear, high-toned apricot, yellow plum, watermelon, pink grapefruit and dried cranberries. A very festive and refreshing wine.
Pairing
Great with rich seafoods and meats such as salmon, pork, chicken. Classic pairing with a charcuterie plate any time of the year. Our favorites are paella, roast game/fowl, any shellfish including sushi. In summer we love grilled veggies, fish tacos; and crab cakes or a crab and avocado salad in winter.
Vineyard/Vintage Notes
Produced by Provencal Method
Virage Rosé is produced in Southern French style from cabernet franc grapes grown in cooler-climate Oak Knoll. This is a dedicated vineyard that we farm specially for Rosé and harvesting early, before the deeper red wine flavors develop and acids dissipate. While it’s costly to dedicate the highest priced crop in Napa Valley to Rosé, we crave the fresh, bright-fruit profile we can’t get by “saignee” method, which “bleeds” super-sweet and very dark rich flavored juice from the just-pressed red grapes.
In 2016, our sixth vintage, we macerated partially-crushed clusters for just about two hours, giving an occasional turn of the press before gently releasing the fresh juices. Then we throw away the skins to keep our light color and fresh bright flavors. A long cool fermentation finished bone dry. Aged and stirred on lees for about six months in stainless steel, the final wine is highly aromatic with a satiny polished texture.
Specifications
Vintage: 2016
Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Napa Valley, Oak Knoll
Harvested: September 2016
Alcohol: 13.4%
pH; 3.4
TA: 5.8
Production: 364 cases
Included In The Box
4-bottles:
4x 2016 Virage Dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
Case:
12x 2016 Virage Dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
Virage, a French word meaning ‘bend in the road’ and 'change in perspective” reflects both our vineyard location, in the cooler northeast corner of Napa Carneros, and a change in winemaking orientation—away from focus on one grape variety, toward a balanced blend that expresses its place, reminiscent of the great wines of the Right Bank of Bordeaux.
Virage founder Emily Richer discovered wine in culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. Wine added another layer of flavor and inspiration for cooking and sharing meals with friends. The idea of wines as an expression of place creates a vehicle to access culture and travel the world–right in one’s own kitchen. A farmer at heart, Emily is inspired by wines anchored in a place–and produces wine to share her discovery of those places.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Gave this dry rosé about 15 mins in the fridge for a slight chill. Poured and started drinking immediately to taste the changes as it breathed.
It was initially more fruit forward than I expected, with strong nectarine and stone fruit flavors. After it filled its lungs, the perceived minerality (spell check says that isn’t a word, but I’m sticking with it) stepped up a few notches.
Having said that, this dry rosé is lighter and less mineral forward than many and I think it would be a nice introductory version of the style for newcomers to the dry side of Pink Wineville.
This Virage 2016 went fairly well with some pepperoni pizza, cutting through the greasy pie. I’d imagine it would pair well with a wide range of foods.
I like this wine, but do not love it. There’s a bit of an over abundance of acidity for my taste, and I think it smothers the other notes, especially as it warms up.
I was also shocked to find that the flavors directly after pouring were preferred by every one who tasted it versus where it landed after it breathed for a while. Maybe the warmer temperature at that point also had something to do with it?
I’d drink it again though, depending on the price. In fact I did, and night two had a little less acidity. Even so, for my tastes, there is better of this style around the same price.
Including some that I’ve ordered through Casemates.
@DanFielding@rjquillin This. Especially vs the North by Northwest rose. My household drinks that one UP whenever I order it, so I’m game for a good rose if they’re similar.
@rjquillin I’d say it’s closest to the WineSmith dry rosé, from what I’ve had through Casemates. But not quite on the same level, IMHO.
My favorites by far have been the Pedroncelli dry rosé of Zinfandel and the North by Northwest, if that helps describe my taste in rosé.
@DanFielding yup, thanks.
I see I got some of this earlier from Invino, happy to grab some additional, especially at this price.
I’m in with Scott, this is, other than some Nervi Gattinara Rosa or the Isa, some of the best I’ve had. The Ped is tasty and imo a touch above the NxNW but both pale to this.
@DanFielding That’s an interesting observation that the acidity seems to increase with warmth. That’s normally the opposite. I wonder if it’s a different component of the wine that you’re sensing?
@klezman The second night I tasted some more, that acidity impression was there, just slightly less so. Maybe you’re on to something, and it’s another element of the wine, but I didn’t think that when tasting.
With the tasters’ preferences all being for the first freshly poured glass vs letting it breathe, and the warming up hiding instead of showing the depth of flavors, it was a strange experience in general.
I don’t think it’s a bad wine, and for some I would guess it is exactly what they want in a dry rosé. It just was a hard one for me to truly appreciate due to the perceived oddities.
My Christmas wish might just be for all of these nice Casemates offers I’ve taken advantage of lately to arrive on or about the same day, so I can arrange to pick them up at the singular “central” UPS location here that is just shy of an hour’s drive each way (limited mid-weekday delivery windows and “rush” hour traffic, ugggghhhh…)
I got this wine last Berserker Day and loved it. And I paid more than twice as much than the case price here. This is an easy re-up for me if we can find enough splitters in SoCal.
@davirom@klezman@rjquillin
Dang where did my edit go!!.. @rjquillin yes, the 2015 was my fave too but that said, it took awhile to get there, that was a high acid offering, but once it came together it was magical–like a sparkling wine without the bubbles I used to say. Early on, I was apologizing for it and blending in glass 10-20% of the riper 2014 vintage…and it seemed most consumers --and WINE SPECTATOR, who gave it a 90pt rating, one of the few Napa Valley wines to have a 9 in front of a WS Rose’ rating–were liking the riper 2014 more! Go figure.
The 2016 --picked a little later than 2015–shows more fruit, very similar to 2014. However, I started stirring on lees in 2015 and kept that going, so the 2016 has a minerality underlying the fruit, it comes off as a sort of “wet-stone” aroma when you first pour that’s pretty great.
We had this wine last night. Thanks for the chance to rat again!
Color: more on the peach side for sure, reminds me more of a Tavel than a Cali rose. It’s pretty.
Smell: fruity but not in a sweet or cloying way. Really pleasant. As it warmed up, I got more strawberry.
Taste: without food it’s nice. Very dry, good acid. It’s a little boring in a pinot grigio kind of way - not a lot going on on the finish. Not the best deck sipper IMO, but not bad.
With food - OMG yes. We had this with Parmesan-crusted chicken from HelloFresh, broccoli, bread with garlic spread. It sang in a “how is my glass already empty?” kind of way. This wine NEEDS food IMO. I think it would be delicious with soft cheese.
We preferred this on the colder side (50-55). A lot of roses get flabby as they warm up but that was not the case here, but I did feel like it lost acidity.
I lost interest after dinner and we are leaving town Sat, so put the remaining 3rd of a bottle (mixed with water and ice) through my new Sparkel carbonation system as an experiment. Don’t do this, LOL.
Oh man, I was going to buy the small pack of this but I have to get the case. It’s a good deal at $13.75 but a screaming deal at $8.33. I’d be OK paying up to $20 if I was just buying one bottle.
@aces219 totally agree with you this vintage needs to be served cold, it’s lower acid than my prior vintages and softens as it warms up. Also like your suggestion with soft cheeses, throw in a little proscuitto etc and olives. I like with lox n goat cheese too, sprinkle of chives…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Virage Napa Valley Rosé - $65 = 39.38%
@Brakes4Rose
Many, well, more than a few of us, are familiar with your offers from Berserkers Day and have purchased this Rosé in the past.
Could you comment on how it’s changed over the past few vintages.
For me the '15 from Berserker IX was killer.
@rjquillin I loved the 2015 too, sheer minerality and bracing acidity, flavors like sparkling wine… more peach pit than peachy. That was a wine for serious French Bandol rosé lovers, one to pair with hamachi sashimi, whereas the fruitier 2016–picked just a bit later—gonna work with a happy spicy salmon roll…
@rjquillin more below, but short answer, picking earlier and earlier and pressing sooner!
First vintage was actually a GORGEOUS color, it had a bit of saignee from the merlot (red) tank that tasted like watermelon. We dubbed the color electric coral at the time, it was just a touch sweet - ok, the fermentation stuck - it was like adult cranberry lemonade, just 50 cases as an experiment… so snappy good. Of course, like blondes, rose’s darken as they age, so the photo taken in 2015 does no justice to the 2010 on left… 2013 was the first year I was brave enough to pick early and press after just a tiny soak. In 2014, I met and hired a French winemaking consultant from Provence–what a mistake–she pushed me to hang longer to 23brix, she was new to CA but was (in my opinion) thinking she was in Provence where 23brix gets more flavor without big fat sugar and acids lost through transpiration like we get here in sunny CA with longer hangtime, so my 2014 went backwards. All fruity and round. To my surprise, after much apologizing, the crowd loved it. 2015 I did an austere style anyway, had the winery all to myself and split the lot to two batches, to try whole-cluster pressing (no color, insane aromatics, like sparkling wine) and de-stemming, crushing and maceration with the other 3 tons, like I had done before (brings out more color) with the final wine being blend of both. 2016 I just picked a little too late perhaps to achieve the 2015 style, but I stirred on lees which gave a nice minerality. Might have used more press wine as it’s a higher pH than 2015. Look, you never REALLY know. And I refuse to adjust color or add anything. It’s fun to have vintage variation… I’m not Sutter Home, after all.
Ok CaseMates, for the doubters I’m going to link a shameless plug for what Emily does.
Look at what she sells this for on her site, and browse around at her other crafted bottles.
She is the real deal, and I can’t imagine how @WineDavid49 pulled this off, and I get 'nuttin for this.
@rjquillin Thanks Ron, I didn’t really understand what I was getting into haha. My former colleague at Quintessa Jim Sweeney introduced me to the group for an offering on RueLaLa (which never happened), thought this was a different sort of thing but it’s all good! As you know from my e-blast to Berserkers this week, I’m on Santa’s naughty list for not minding my sales this summer, been playing in Nashville with new boyfriend. Imagine the fun of falling in love for the first time in your 50’s Life is good. Some folks will score! Always fun to open to a new audience even if I lose my ass on the price. I made a podcast thing, by the way, but they didn’t post it yet.
I’m making a coupon code on my website, if you order the 4pak to try this wine (the whole point of this offering), and want to reorder a case, I’ll honor the case price plus shipping on my site, use code CASEMATES
@Brakes4Rose So let me get this straight you mean this web site, $112 out the door, 1 case? When will the coupon start working, and when will it expire? Do I have to order 4pk? If I order a case here, and want another, the coup will still work, right? Thanks!
@diman Well, I’ll commit to the $99 case price for a bit, choke, but not able to commit to the shipping at $12. Might be a little more depending where you are and if you want Air or Ground. I ship via FedEx. Coupon is live!! I included half bottles too in the 12 minimum. They are ridiculously cute. Make sure you order by BOTTLE - i.e., 12 bottles, not 1 case. Website clocks in the deal on total QTY.
@Brakes4Rose@diman I was interested in 375ml bottles, but it appears the full 750ml discount is applied to the 1/2 size bottles. Assuming something needs to be changed.
@diman@dirtdoctor Thanks @Dirtdoctor. Should work now, we shall see… This reminds me of BD… trial by fire on my discount programming. The half bottles are tricky: I can ship them in Qty of 6 or 12 (just the way packaging comes, major grief to pad them for shipping in standard shippers). If you love half bottles, the 2008 Virage Reds are priced to sell as well. If you want 2011 vintage red (also still available) or a mix, just mention in order notes
@Brakes4Rose Hi Emily! This sounds delicious- any chance of IL ship with that CASEMATES code on your site since IL is a no-ship via the fantastic deal this weekend?
@rjquillin I’ll tell you what, you love 2015 Virage Rose like I do, if you order a Rose 6pak from my shop I’ll share my last case of it with you Remind me in the notes that’s what you want.
@Brakes4Rose@rjquillin
Ron, you know I’ll help you with a couple if you go in on this. I foolishly passed on the 2015 that year for BD.
And Emily, with any luck you love us so much you want to do something with your Cabernets as well. Speaking of which, I have a few slumbering away and I don’t want to crack them too early. What is your drinking window suggestion?
@klezman@rjquillin On my red blends, they are built to age and getting better and better. The 2007 is absolutely AMAZING right now if you’re lucky enough to have any left, super aromatic, depth and complexity with this great minerality I rarely taste in California wine. Can still cellar but please try one. The 2010 tastes like Christmas in a bottle all plummy rich and chocolatey, it is drinking great right now, hedonistic rich and round–so good–but with solid acid lift at finish, so I think will age well for many many years to come. That said, please get some more @rjquillin knows BD Reorder codes for 25% discount on any red in da house.
2008 completely sold out, except half bottles weirdly enough. Don’t regret not having more 2007!! Just a few cases left, probably will not be part of BD in January. We’ll see…
@Brakes4Rose@klezman@rjquillin
I can help with some but as I said before it’s shipping season and I have less than zero room! BTW I am pretty sure that Emily doesn’t make any Cabernet just Merlot and cab franc blends hence the right bank monkier. And she does them very well IMHO.
@Brakes4Rose do you know when it’ll ship? Says Jan 6-9 delivery est. (for CT); is this accurate? Just need to know to order to work or to home (depends on date). No big deal anyway, just good to know. Thanks!
@diman If I ship, need biz address (or ship to hold at local FedEx Office), and good weather (unless you pop for Express2DayAir+), if Casemates ships I honestly am not part of that process—not sure if they coordinate with you?
@Brakes4Rose Thanks for info. I am good now; called Fedex. They say I can re-route to a Walgreens if needed at no charge. Placed order, and won’t get a chance to use your coupon as I bit the bullet and got two cases instead of one . Figured it can’t be bad. Happy holidays!
Thought I was done for a while with the close of 10 Days of Christmas. . .but, I can’t pass up a good rose and this price turns this into a no-brainer. Now, to go figure out where all this wine is going to be stored. . .
/giphy glorious-grateful-snowglobe
Sorry NEOH, office split. With the winery participation, the recommendations, and the insane pricing, had to move on this. @Brakes4Rose would love to know your thoughts on how long these can age. With no spare room at home, looks like that ‘offsite’ that we talked about last week will start to see real use!
@Brakes4Rose I remember looking at your wines on BD in January, but due to an overwhelming abundance of choices passed… I’m in for this offer though!
/giphy peaceful-memorable-merrymaking
@Brakes4Rose
Seriously? The Negroni is a popular Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet), and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
But I’ve never had one either…
Ok one more pairing suggestion—from my dinner. Any dish with sun-dried or oven-roasted tomatoes! I like to slick up grape tomatoes with olive oil and roast slowly til they pop and caramelize (low heat, like 300F tops). Tossed into pasta with a pesto tonight. Yum.
@chipgreen, @mrn1, @marikar PJ split with his office. I was out partying the last two days and just saw this and finished reading all of the info here. So I just grabbed a case with minutes to go! Splits available!
@cleluvswootwine@klezman@rjquillin@TechnoViking This wine was really something different and new for us. First bottle we had as our weekly bottle to split over Thursday/Friday nights after my wife comes home from work. It did the job but nothing special. Next was at Bonefish grill with my salmon and my wife’s crab cakes, where we really liked it. Partially ‘with food’ was better. And I think those were good pairings. But also maybe were getting used to this new type of wine, our first serious rosé made in that fancy way. Shared a few with casemates, but we’re quite happy to have 6 bottles left. We’ll have with food, usually in place of a white. Next will be with a good chicken or pork meal.
We’ve enjoyed it room temp, chilled, and even on the rocks. Because it was 5:00 and we needed our happy hour. No food pairings, just sipping and laughing. I also opened a bottle at home recently, and I thought it was quite good, both before dinner and during. IIRC that meal was salmon, sous-vide and then seared. It was great with the meal. Beautiful color, too.
@livelonglife Yep, beautiful bottle and color. It wasn’t love at first taste, for us; it was quite a different/new wine for us (style, right-bank, non-saignee). But at 2nd bottle, with food, the love started growing fast. The feeling of joy you get when 8 years old and you’re given sugary cool-aid. (taste is nothing like that of course, I’m talking about the feeling of satiation + delight.)
For a newbie to this style, I think have this with food. You’ll be pleased with how it holds up while you get used to it.
After some sharing, glad I have a half-case+ left.
Tasting Notes
Reminiscent of our 90-point 2014 vintage, bright, peachy color packs a punch of juicy flavor; clear, high-toned apricot, yellow plum, watermelon, pink grapefruit and dried cranberries. A very festive and refreshing wine.
Pairing
Great with rich seafoods and meats such as salmon, pork, chicken. Classic pairing with a charcuterie plate any time of the year. Our favorites are paella, roast game/fowl, any shellfish including sushi. In summer we love grilled veggies, fish tacos; and crab cakes or a crab and avocado salad in winter.
Vineyard/Vintage Notes
Produced by Provencal Method
Virage Rosé is produced in Southern French style from cabernet franc grapes grown in cooler-climate Oak Knoll. This is a dedicated vineyard that we farm specially for Rosé and harvesting early, before the deeper red wine flavors develop and acids dissipate. While it’s costly to dedicate the highest priced crop in Napa Valley to Rosé, we crave the fresh, bright-fruit profile we can’t get by “saignee” method, which “bleeds” super-sweet and very dark rich flavored juice from the just-pressed red grapes.
In 2016, our sixth vintage, we macerated partially-crushed clusters for just about two hours, giving an occasional turn of the press before gently releasing the fresh juices. Then we throw away the skins to keep our light color and fresh bright flavors. A long cool fermentation finished bone dry. Aged and stirred on lees for about six months in stainless steel, the final wine is highly aromatic with a satiny polished texture.
Specifications
Included In The Box
Price Comparison
$369.11/case at Virage Napa Valley
About The Winery
Winery: Virage Vineyards
Virage, a French word meaning ‘bend in the road’ and 'change in perspective” reflects both our vineyard location, in the cooler northeast corner of Napa Carneros, and a change in winemaking orientation—away from focus on one grape variety, toward a balanced blend that expresses its place, reminiscent of the great wines of the Right Bank of Bordeaux.
Virage founder Emily Richer discovered wine in culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. Wine added another layer of flavor and inspiration for cooking and sharing meals with friends. The idea of wines as an expression of place creates a vehicle to access culture and travel the world–right in one’s own kitchen. A farmer at heart, Emily is inspired by wines anchored in a place–and produces wine to share her discovery of those places.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 6 - Wednesday, Jan 8
Virage Napa Valley Rosé
4 bottles for $54.99 $13.75/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 Virage Napa Valley Rosé
Gave this dry rosé about 15 mins in the fridge for a slight chill. Poured and started drinking immediately to taste the changes as it breathed.
It was initially more fruit forward than I expected, with strong nectarine and stone fruit flavors. After it filled its lungs, the perceived minerality (spell check says that isn’t a word, but I’m sticking with it) stepped up a few notches.
Having said that, this dry rosé is lighter and less mineral forward than many and I think it would be a nice introductory version of the style for newcomers to the dry side of Pink Wineville.
This Virage 2016 went fairly well with some pepperoni pizza, cutting through the greasy pie. I’d imagine it would pair well with a wide range of foods.
I like this wine, but do not love it. There’s a bit of an over abundance of acidity for my taste, and I think it smothers the other notes, especially as it warms up.
I was also shocked to find that the flavors directly after pouring were preferred by every one who tasted it versus where it landed after it breathed for a while. Maybe the warmer temperature at that point also had something to do with it?
I’d drink it again though, depending on the price. In fact I did, and night two had a little less acidity. Even so, for my tastes, there is better of this style around the same price.
Including some that I’ve ordered through Casemates.
Thanks again for the ratportunity.
Happy Holidays!
@DanFielding Curious as to what else has been here you’d compare it to.
@DanFielding @rjquillin This. Especially vs the North by Northwest rose. My household drinks that one UP whenever I order it, so I’m game for a good rose if they’re similar.
@rjquillin I’d say it’s closest to the WineSmith dry rosé, from what I’ve had through Casemates. But not quite on the same level, IMHO.
My favorites by far have been the Pedroncelli dry rosé of Zinfandel and the North by Northwest, if that helps describe my taste in rosé.
@DanFielding yup, thanks.
I see I got some of this earlier from Invino, happy to grab some additional, especially at this price.
I’m in with Scott, this is, other than some Nervi Gattinara Rosa or the Isa, some of the best I’ve had. The Ped is tasty and imo a touch above the NxNW but both pale to this.
@DanFielding That’s an interesting observation that the acidity seems to increase with warmth. That’s normally the opposite. I wonder if it’s a different component of the wine that you’re sensing?
@klezman The second night I tasted some more, that acidity impression was there, just slightly less so. Maybe you’re on to something, and it’s another element of the wine, but I didn’t think that when tasting.
With the tasters’ preferences all being for the first freshly poured glass vs letting it breathe, and the warming up hiding instead of showing the depth of flavors, it was a strange experience in general.
I don’t think it’s a bad wine, and for some I would guess it is exactly what they want in a dry rosé. It just was a hard one for me to truly appreciate due to the perceived oddities.
IMHO Emily makes the very best rose that California can make! My loves it too, and I would never pair it with pizza
@ScottW58 which pairing would you suggest? I recently found that pizza does not agree with me anymore.
@TechnoViking
Anything but a tomato based sauce, acid on acid doesn’t work for me.
@ScottW58 Thanks Scott, thought I’d experiment with a new audience here
$16/btl @ Invino earlier this year.
My Christmas wish might just be for all of these nice Casemates offers I’ve taken advantage of lately to arrive on or about the same day, so I can arrange to pick them up at the singular “central” UPS location here that is just shy of an hour’s drive each way (limited mid-weekday delivery windows and “rush” hour traffic, ugggghhhh…)
/giphy snowy-blinking-gremlin
@winedavid49
Know if Emily is going to join us?
@rjquillin Yep! Just need a little coffee first!
I got this wine last Berserker Day and loved it. And I paid more than twice as much than the case price here. This is an easy re-up for me if we can find enough splitters in SoCal.
@klezman Thanks! This is a ridiculous price. I think they are offering too cheap!!
@klezman I’ll take 3 if that helps
@davirom @klezman @Brakes4Rose
Wondering if Emily could share some thoughts on how the vintages and profile have changed the last few years…
@davirom that works! I’d ideally take 3-4 more since I’ve got 3 remaining still.
@ScottW58 you in?
@rjquillin you already get a case for SD?
@davirom @klezman @rjquillin
Dang where did my edit go!!.. @rjquillin yes, the 2015 was my fave too but that said, it took awhile to get there, that was a high acid offering, but once it came together it was magical–like a sparkling wine without the bubbles I used to say. Early on, I was apologizing for it and blending in glass 10-20% of the riper 2014 vintage…and it seemed most consumers --and WINE SPECTATOR, who gave it a 90pt rating, one of the few Napa Valley wines to have a 9 in front of a WS Rose’ rating–were liking the riper 2014 more! Go figure.
The 2016 --picked a little later than 2015–shows more fruit, very similar to 2014. However, I started stirring on lees in 2015 and kept that going, so the 2016 has a minerality underlying the fruit, it comes off as a sort of “wet-stone” aroma when you first pour that’s pretty great.
I find Cabernet Franc shows minerality well.
@klezman I can go up to 4, but I am space limited. I am surprised there isn’t more SoCal interest.
@davirom OK, thanks!
Just need somebody to help out with the rest. @ScottW58? @CorTot? @merrybill? @funnywontons? @i8dacat?
@CorTot @davirom @funnywontons @klezman @merrybill @ScottW58
I’ll jump in to close it out. 3 for me.
@CorTot @davirom @i8dacat
Case purchased!
/giphy quilted-indulgent-vacation
@CorTot @davirom @i8dacat $28 each
/giphy wishful-iconic-toboggan
@losthighwayz in for a case based on Klez, Scott, and RJ
/giphy crisp-wintry-sweater
case ordered…any Vegas folks want some? Text me.
/giphy glorious-kind-glitter
We had this wine last night. Thanks for the chance to rat again!
Color: more on the peach side for sure, reminds me more of a Tavel than a Cali rose. It’s pretty.
Smell: fruity but not in a sweet or cloying way. Really pleasant. As it warmed up, I got more strawberry.
Taste: without food it’s nice. Very dry, good acid. It’s a little boring in a pinot grigio kind of way - not a lot going on on the finish. Not the best deck sipper IMO, but not bad.
With food - OMG yes. We had this with Parmesan-crusted chicken from HelloFresh, broccoli, bread with garlic spread. It sang in a “how is my glass already empty?” kind of way. This wine NEEDS food IMO. I think it would be delicious with soft cheese.
We preferred this on the colder side (50-55). A lot of roses get flabby as they warm up but that was not the case here, but I did feel like it lost acidity.
I lost interest after dinner and we are leaving town Sat, so put the remaining 3rd of a bottle (mixed with water and ice) through my new Sparkel carbonation system as an experiment. Don’t do this, LOL.
Oh man, I was going to buy the small pack of this but I have to get the case. It’s a good deal at $13.75 but a screaming deal at $8.33. I’d be OK paying up to $20 if I was just buying one bottle.
@aces219 totally agree with you this vintage needs to be served cold, it’s lower acid than my prior vintages and softens as it warms up. Also like your suggestion with soft cheeses, throw in a little proscuitto etc and olives. I like with lox n goat cheese too, sprinkle of chives…
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 Virage Napa Valley Rosé - $65 = 39.38%
In for 4 bottles!
/giphy snowy-garish-nostalgia
Good morning folks, this is Emily the winemaker at Virage. The color is way off on that photo! It’s a gorgeous apricot peachy… Lemme find a pic for ya
@Brakes4Rose Greetings!
@rjquillin Can we get a Mod up in here?
The actual bottle in my frig gonna finish off with butternut squash soup today
@Brakes4Rose
@Brakes4Rose
Many, well, more than a few of us, are familiar with your offers from Berserkers Day and have purchased this Rosé in the past.
Could you comment on how it’s changed over the past few vintages.
For me the '15 from Berserker IX was killer.
@rjquillin I loved the 2015 too, sheer minerality and bracing acidity, flavors like sparkling wine… more peach pit than peachy. That was a wine for serious French Bandol rosé lovers, one to pair with hamachi sashimi, whereas the fruitier 2016–picked just a bit later—gonna work with a happy spicy salmon roll…
@rjquillin it’s fun i can post photos—here’s a pro shot of my first four vintages, 2010 to 2013
@rjquillin
@Brakes4Rose Beautiful. How has your process evolved for such dramatic hue changes?
@rjquillin more below, but short answer, picking earlier and earlier and pressing sooner!
First vintage was actually a GORGEOUS color, it had a bit of saignee from the merlot (red) tank that tasted like watermelon. We dubbed the color electric coral at the time, it was just a touch sweet - ok, the fermentation stuck - it was like adult cranberry lemonade, just 50 cases as an experiment… so snappy good. Of course, like blondes, rose’s darken as they age, so the photo taken in 2015 does no justice to the 2010 on left… 2013 was the first year I was brave enough to pick early and press after just a tiny soak. In 2014, I met and hired a French winemaking consultant from Provence–what a mistake–she pushed me to hang longer to 23brix, she was new to CA but was (in my opinion) thinking she was in Provence where 23brix gets more flavor without big fat sugar and acids lost through transpiration like we get here in sunny CA with longer hangtime, so my 2014 went backwards. All fruity and round. To my surprise, after much apologizing, the crowd loved it. 2015 I did an austere style anyway, had the winery all to myself and split the lot to two batches, to try whole-cluster pressing (no color, insane aromatics, like sparkling wine) and de-stemming, crushing and maceration with the other 3 tons, like I had done before (brings out more color) with the final wine being blend of both. 2016 I just picked a little too late perhaps to achieve the 2015 style, but I stirred on lees which gave a nice minerality. Might have used more press wine as it’s a higher pH than 2015. Look, you never REALLY know. And I refuse to adjust color or add anything. It’s fun to have vintage variation… I’m not Sutter Home, after all.
Here’s a pro shot. It’s the 2014 vintage but nearly identical color
@Brakes4Rose Honestly, rosés taste like they look… the only thing looks don’t reveal is dryness—this baby is fully dry.
I can always use more Rose, and between the reports and the photos…
/giphy frosted-comfortable-starlight
Ok CaseMates, for the doubters I’m going to link a shameless plug for what Emily does.
Look at what she sells this for on her site, and browse around at her other crafted bottles.
She is the real deal, and I can’t imagine how @WineDavid49 pulled this off, and I get 'nuttin for this.
@rjquillin Thanks Ron, I didn’t really understand what I was getting into haha. My former colleague at Quintessa Jim Sweeney introduced me to the group for an offering on RueLaLa (which never happened), thought this was a different sort of thing but it’s all good! As you know from my e-blast to Berserkers this week, I’m on Santa’s naughty list for not minding my sales this summer, been playing in Nashville with new boyfriend. Imagine the fun of falling in love for the first time in your 50’s
Life is good. Some folks will score! Always fun to open to a new audience even if I lose my ass on the price. I made a podcast thing, by the way, but they didn’t post it yet.
@Brakes4Rose Word is they’re working on getting it up…
Guess we’ll all have to ‘stand by’ 'till they figure it out.
I’m making a coupon code on my website, if you order the 4pak to try this wine (the whole point of this offering), and want to reorder a case, I’ll honor the case price plus shipping on my site, use code CASEMATES
@Brakes4Rose You and @winesmith cousins?
@Brakes4Rose So let me get this straight
you mean this web site, $112 out the door, 1 case? When will the coupon start working, and when will it expire? Do I have to order 4pk? If I order a case here, and want another, the coup will still work, right? Thanks!
@diman Well, I’ll commit to the $99 case price for a bit, choke, but not able to commit to the shipping at $12. Might be a little more depending where you are and if you want Air or Ground. I ship via FedEx. Coupon is live!! I included half bottles too in the 12 minimum. They are ridiculously cute. Make sure you order by BOTTLE - i.e., 12 bottles, not 1 case. Website clocks in the deal on total QTY.
@Brakes4Rose The coupon looks live, thanks! but it INCREASES the price
@diman oops! I entered the discount as a negative by habit, gimme 30 to get home an’ fix that haha sorry
@diman Fixed!! Too funny.
@Brakes4Rose @diman I was interested in 375ml bottles, but it appears the full 750ml discount is applied to the 1/2 size bottles. Assuming something needs to be changed.
@diman @dirtdoctor Oops again. Gimme five.
@diman @dirtdoctor Thanks @Dirtdoctor. Should work now, we shall see… This reminds me of BD… trial by fire on my discount programming. The half bottles are tricky: I can ship them in Qty of 6 or 12 (just the way packaging comes, major grief to pad them for shipping in standard shippers). If you love half bottles, the 2008 Virage Reds are priced to sell as well. If you want 2011 vintage red (also still available) or a mix, just mention in order notes
@Brakes4Rose @diman Thanks. I’ll check them out.
@Brakes4Rose Hi Emily! This sounds delicious- any chance of IL ship with that CASEMATES code on your site since IL is a no-ship via the fantastic deal this weekend?
@rjquillin I’ll tell you what, you love 2015 Virage Rose like I do, if you order a Rose 6pak from my shop I’ll share my last case of it with you
Remind me in the notes that’s what you want.
@Brakes4Rose @rjquillin
Ron, you know I’ll help you with a couple if you go in on this. I foolishly passed on the 2015 that year for BD.
And Emily, with any luck you love us so much you want to do something with your Cabernets as well. Speaking of which, I have a few slumbering away and I don’t want to crack them too early. What is your drinking window suggestion?
@Brakes4Rose @klezman @rjquillin I’m sure I can help out on a case, my wife drinks rose like water…
@Brakes4Rose @CorTot @klezman
I’m already in for a case of this offer, some for me, some for work…
@klezman @rjquillin On my red blends, they are built to age and getting better and better. The 2007 is absolutely AMAZING right now if you’re lucky enough to have any left, super aromatic, depth and complexity with this great minerality I rarely taste in California wine. Can still cellar but please try one. The 2010 tastes like Christmas in a bottle all plummy rich and chocolatey, it is drinking great right now, hedonistic rich and round–so good–but with solid acid lift at finish, so I think will age well for many many years to come. That said, please get some more
@rjquillin knows BD Reorder codes for 25% discount on any red in da house.
@Brakes4Rose @rjquillin I know he got that coupon - I sent it to him!
Very tempted, to be honest. And I only have 2008 and 2011 at the moment.
2008 completely sold out, except half bottles weirdly enough. Don’t regret not having more 2007!! Just a few cases left, probably will not be part of BD in January. We’ll see…
@Brakes4Rose @klezman @rjquillin
I can help with some but as I said before it’s shipping season and I have less than zero room! BTW I am pretty sure that Emily doesn’t make any Cabernet just Merlot and cab franc blends hence the right bank monkier. And she does them very well IMHO.
@Brakes4Rose @rjquillin @ScottW58
We’re covered on the case.
And Cabernet Franc is Cabernet :p
@klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 Thanks for the kind words on the red wines @ScottW58
I’ll come back later to see whassup, gotta run to my local store to make a delivery —they’re selling a case a week at $19.99ea
So much for my SIWBM. Been wanting to try these for awhile. NJ peeps, splits are available to those deemed worthy (i.e., anyone at all).
@Brakes4Rose do you know when it’ll ship? Says Jan 6-9 delivery est. (for CT); is this accurate? Just need to know to order to work or to home (depends on date). No big deal anyway, just good to know. Thanks!
@diman If I ship, need biz address (or ship to hold at local FedEx Office), and good weather (unless you pop for Express2DayAir+), if Casemates ships I honestly am not part of that process—not sure if they coordinate with you?
@Brakes4Rose Thanks for info. I am good now; called Fedex. They say I can re-route to a Walgreens if needed at no charge. Placed order, and won’t get a chance to use your coupon as I bit the bullet and got two cases instead of one
. Figured it can’t be bad. Happy holidays!
@diman FYI, Casemates ships (I believe) with UPS. Thanks for ordering! And coupon testing
Thought I was done for a while with the close of 10 Days of Christmas. . .but, I can’t pass up a good rose and this price turns this into a no-brainer. Now, to go figure out where all this wine is going to be stored. . .
/giphy glorious-grateful-snowglobe
Sorry NEOH, office split. With the winery participation, the recommendations, and the insane pricing, had to move on this. @Brakes4Rose would love to know your thoughts on how long these can age. With no spare room at home, looks like that ‘offsite’ that we talked about last week will start to see real use!
@pjmartin Drink up I think, but hard to say; the prior two vintage still really nice though higher acidity.
@Brakes4Rose I remember looking at your wines on BD in January, but due to an overwhelming abundance of choices passed… I’m in for this offer though!
/giphy peaceful-memorable-merrymaking
My first shipment to a UPS store.
/giphy little-happiest-vacation
Iowa Split? This is an outstanding rose!
@Kildahl
I’ll split with you.
No Illinois again…
@ellen3kay Agreed- would love to pick this one up. Alas!
/giphy flickering-loving-elves
With great comments and great winery participation, how could I not?
@mommadeb
Ha ha. I just realized iI never finished my sentence. I went in for a case.
/giphy tranquil-frozen-toyland
My sommelier neighbor just came over, we loved a 2-day open bottle with smoked salmon, goat cheese on toasted everything bagel. OMG.
@Brakes4Rose I’m going to do this - maybe with cream cheese maybe goat cheese. Either way I win
@klezman This will be my New Years Day brunch! Cream cheese perfect too. Cracked pepper. A few snips of fresh chive?
@Brakes4Rose I’ll take the chives or red onion on it for sure!
Actually, we’ve decided at this point, it’s actually BETTER after two days open (kept in frig) and tastes like a Negroni. Yum.
@Brakes4Rose
Seriously?
The Negroni is a popular Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso (red, semi-sweet), and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
But I’ve never had one either…
@rjquillin Seriously. No doubt the orange peel and yummy bitters in Campari. Maybe Aperol even closer. Also an aperitif, as is wine, right?
Ooof, I can’t buy two cases in one month but I want some! Anyone in PDX looking to split?
@Brakes4Rose
Finally, podcast is up and active.
Well done and worth the 3:43 it takes.
@rjquillin Sorry, I do ramble!!
@Brakes4Rose @rjquillin the pod cast is great and well worth the wait! welcome to the community! you fit right in.
Darn, no Illinois?
This looks lovely and right up my alley.
Thanks Everyone!! Cheers and Happy Holidays!
Ok one more pairing suggestion—from my dinner. Any dish with sun-dried or oven-roasted tomatoes! I like to slick up grape tomatoes with olive oil and roast slowly til they pop and caramelize (low heat, like 300F tops). Tossed into pasta with a pesto tonight. Yum.
@Brakes4Rose Ok, where are the pictures…?
@Brakes4Rose
Feta with some pesto?
Please come visit us over on our ‘what are you drinking tonight’ thread. It changes monthly. For December
@Brakes4Rose @rjquillin Oh, i really need to try that. I grow a lot of basil every year to make pesto.
@chipgreen, @mrn1, @marikar PJ split with his office. I was out partying the last two days and just saw this and finished reading all of the info here. So I just grabbed a case with minutes to go! Splits available!
@Boatman72 If you insist! I’ll take 3, 4 or 6…however it works out.
@Boatman72 @mrn1 @chipgreen Yeah, we definately have a problem
@chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin LOL
Sadly haven’t found the right pairing - tried spicy, fishy, and light pasta. It’s been a tough go to finish this case. We’ll keep keeping on.
@cleluvswootwine Did you try the bagel, lox, and goat or cream cheese that Emily suggested above?
@cleluvswootwine @klezman
It worked well for me, especially with capers.
@cleluvswootwine @klezman @rjquillin looking forward to Sunday brunch.
@cleluvswootwine @klezman @rjquillin @TechnoViking This wine was really something different and new for us. First bottle we had as our weekly bottle to split over Thursday/Friday nights after my wife comes home from work. It did the job but nothing special. Next was at Bonefish grill with my salmon and my wife’s crab cakes, where we really liked it. Partially ‘with food’ was better. And I think those were good pairings. But also maybe were getting used to this new type of wine, our first serious rosé made in that fancy way. Shared a few with casemates, but we’re quite happy to have 6 bottles left. We’ll have with food, usually in place of a white. Next will be with a good chicken or pork meal.
@cleluvswootwine @klezman @PatrickKarcher @TechnoViking @Brakes4Rose
Thought I’d tag Emily as well for the above post, as she may like the feedback on the offer.
You should check out some of her other bottlings as well. Hard to go wrong with any of them.
@Brakes4Rose @cleluvswootwine @klezman @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @TechnoViking This is great and what a deal. I didn’t like it with any chill on it; room temp is the way to go. Alone or with baked salmon, grilled chicken, haven’t found a failure yet.
@Brakes4Rose @cleluvswootwine @klezman @pjmartin @rjquillin @TechnoViking Ah, we’ll try it warmer. It’s more . . . substantial (that the right word?) than others we’ve had.
@Brakes4Rose @cleluvswootwine @klezman @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @TechnoViking Well in that case, tag this! I didn’t get to open the case until the beginning of this month, after the holidays, and it’s almost gone. It’s a big hit with the gang at work. I’m down to just a couple of bottles.
We’ve enjoyed it room temp, chilled, and even on the rocks. Because it was 5:00 and we needed our happy hour. No food pairings, just sipping and laughing. I also opened a bottle at home recently, and I thought it was quite good, both before dinner and during. IIRC that meal was salmon, sous-vide and then seared. It was great with the meal. Beautiful color, too.
@Brakes4Rose @cleluvswootwine @InFrom @klezman @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @TechnoViking
Sushi!
I put this rose’ over ice too!!! Don’t feel bad
@Brakes4Rose
Good to see you’re still around.
Tooling up for BD yet?
this is love at first sight.
@livelonglife Yep, beautiful bottle and color. It wasn’t love at first taste, for us; it was quite a different/new wine for us (style, right-bank, non-saignee). But at 2nd bottle, with food, the love started growing fast. The feeling of joy you get when 8 years old and you’re given sugary cool-aid. (taste is nothing like that of course, I’m talking about the feeling of satiation + delight.)
For a newbie to this style, I think have this with food. You’ll be pleased with how it holds up while you get used to it.
After some sharing, glad I have a half-case+ left.