Even though fall is around the corner (you know you’ve already seen Halloween merch at stores), I can’t help but keep grasping at summer. I live in Miami, where it’s oh so hot, so it’s truly an endless summer (except for that one week of “winter” in January). I take advantage, prance around in my “resort wear,” and try to chill at the beach or lay by the pool as often as I can. That’s when a good day-drinking wine comes into play. My latest beverage of choice came from my Winestyr box—a 2017 Gros Ventre Rosé.
Winestyr spends countless hours searching for the best small wine producers. Based in Sonoma County, California, their mission is to relentlessly curate the best selection of small production wines possible and make them accessible to consumers. They boast an unprecedented access to a curated collection of wines from over 7,000 wineries in the United States. Most of these producers are actually too small to warrant the attention of retailers, so they are genuinely hard to find. They have combed the country for the best producers, met with hundreds of winemakers, and tasted thousands of wines, with the favorites joining their website.
Courtesy Gros Ventre
Founded by Sarah and Chris Pittenger in 2009, Gros Ventre Cellars is a small, family-owned winery operating out of Healdsburg, CA. The winery’s name is close to their heart—they were considering the name Gros Ventre, because they met in the region, when they learned during Sarah’s pregnancy that “gros ventre” is French for “big belly.” It was too good of a coincidence to pass up.
Courtesy Gros Ventre
They produce about 2,000 cases of wine, including vineyard-designated Pinot noir from the West Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley, and several wines from the El Dorado region. Gros Ventre sources grapes from growers in Anderson Valley, Russian River Valley, and the True Sonoma Coast. All of them are sustainably farmed, some organic or bio-dynamic, and all are managed by teams dedicated to producing world class Pinot noir.
What I first noticed about the Rosé was its delicate-looking label, full of flowery imagery. The wine is made up of 65% Pinot Noir, 22% Valdiguié, and 13% Gamay Noir, with 279 cases produced. It comes from the El Dorado AVA and was aged for six months in neutral oak and stainless steel.
The wine has a peachy tone with a copper hue and has undefined legs when it sticks to the glass. It’s heavy on the nose, with some oaky vibes, floral notes, and peach. It was fresh and crisp with notes of white fruit, grapefruit (or some other citrus), strawberries, and something else I just couldn’t put my finger on. It had a nice balance of acidity and dryness. You can find it on Winestyr for the $22 club price. I paired it with a day outdoors. It’s definitely a nice summer day sipper.
