As the heat of summer sets in, my mind turns toward wines that speak most eloquently when sun comes fully ablaze each day in all its glory. I’m far from alone in having those thoughts turn to rosé. Thankfully, the current craze for dry versions seems to have no ceiling, and more and more producers are jumping on the bandwagon with each successive vintage.
My first memories of wine, undoubtedly like many Americans my age, involve rosé wines consumed by my parents in the late 1960’s. Brands like Lancers and Mateus, which were on the 
sweet side, but came off as tart, fresh and delicious to a child raised on chocolate milk and sugar-infused cereals. Today, the best dry rosé wines grab me the same way that those simple wines did years ago.
My attention was grabbed in a big way recently by the 2018 Halter Ranch Rosé. The winery is located on the west side of the Paso Robles area in the Adelaida District, the westernmost of eleven sub-appellations established in 2014. It’s in the transition zone of Winkler Region 2 and 3 in terms of growing “degree days,” and can receive more than twenty five inches of rainfall annually. Elevations go from 900 to 2200 feet above sea level, and the vineyards regularly have diurnal temperature swings of as much as forty degrees during the growing season.
All of this means that it’s a real sweet spot for wine grapes. Simply put, it’s on the cool side, but within its boundaries are several microclimates that allow a wide range of grape varieties to perform at a high level. In the case of Halter Ranch, this means a focus on both Rhône and Bordeaux varieties spread across 280 acres of the 900 owned.
Kevin Sass, a Cal State Fresno – educated winemaker who has been at Halter Ranch since 2011, blends Grenache, Mourvedre and Picpoul Blanc again in 2018, with percentages near the ’17 version of the wine, and it’s a stunner of a rosé. The wine was crafted with a clear intention to stand above its competors in terms of aroma, flavor, finish and food pairing versatility.
It’s a beautiful, crisp, dry wine that hits all my rosé markers — strawberry, white pepper, racy acidity, mild leafy herbs and a long, lip smacking citrus driven finish that doesn’t wipe off the other flavor elements, thanks in part to a core of stony minerality that keeps the flavor elements bobbing and weaving on the palate. It’s the best Rosé I’ve tasted in a good long while — including examples from Provence, Tavel and the like.
I suspect that the inclusion of the Picpoul Blanc makes this wine a standout. The acidic pop it delivers carries the fruit, spice and other elements long into the wine’s finish…and likewise keeps my glass in need of refilling. 95 Points
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