Drink Pink: Casey Flat Ranch Rosé

The California wines of Casey Flat Ranch were featured in a virtual tasting event recently.  The sustainably farmed vineyard and winery are located in the mountains of California’s Capay Valley, east of Napa Valley, at an elevation of 2,000 feet.  Soil conditions on the ranch range from rocky to sandy, with a sandstone base.  The climate is much like that of northern St. Helena, with a swing of 40 degrees between daytime and night - suitable for Bordeaux and Rhône varieties.  That Texas longhorn on the label represents the 200 head of longhorn cattle who graze on the ranch's grassland.

The Twitter tasting was also on a live video stream, archived here.  Casey Flat Ranch Managing Partner Alison Garrett and winemaker Laura Barrett hosted, while those who joined in sipped and commented on four CFR wines, one of them being the 2013 Rosé.

The 2013 Casey Flat Ranch Rosé of Syrah is all estate Syrah, grown in the Capay Valley hills east of a Napa Valley.  Alcohol clocks in at 14.1% abv and it retails for $18.  205 cases were produced.

Winemaker Barrett reveals, “The Casey Flat Ranch Rosé is made from Syrah grapes, which are harvested early and whole-cluster pressed to yield a pale pink, well-balanced juice with all natural acidity.”

The wine is tinted a light salmon, actually almost copper-colored.  There was no skin contact, as the juice was extracted especially for the making of this rosé.  The nose is as fresh as spring itself, with strawberry aromas laced with orange peel.  An herbal note underlies the fruit, a result of pressing the grape clusters whole, with stems and all.   This rosé's palate is fruity and delicate, with strawberry, raspberry and citrus abetted by an amazing level of acidity.  Despite the angular freshness, there is a full and almost creamy feel in the mouth.  It finishes with a raspberry tartness.

On Twitter, the Casey Flat Ranch Rosé garnered some pink love.  @WINEormous tweeted, “Gorgeous pale rose color. Bone dry.”  @WineUpdate chimed in with, “deeply stylish: Sweet cherry, cranberry, mineral, spice. Savory and giving.”  @Luscious_Lushes typed, “full of blood orange and rosehips. Juicy wild strawberry, hisbiscus zing. loving the spicy notes. Perfect for Thai.”  @cliffordbrown3 offered these tasting notes, “strawberries, spice, cherries, minerals and orange blossoms.”  @MsPullThatCork let us know that the wine is “made from 100% Syrah, no skin contact! All stainless. ‘Ballet slipper pink’ in color. Delicate berry flavors, juicy acidity. “  @BigNoseWino liked the “super strawberry spicy nose w/ nice acidity that slaps the back of your throat on the finish.”  @WineJulia chipped in with, “made in a classic style & harvested for making rose'. No skin contact w/ gorgeous color!”

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Virtual Wine Tasting: Casey Flat Ranch

Virtual wine tasting events are popping up more and more often on Twitter.  Maybe a virtual wine tasting event has been held on Facebook, but it probably spiralled into a gun control rant within ten comments.  Twitter is where one can usually find a virtual tasting event that stays on topic - for the most part.

This evening (Wednesday April 30, 2014) at 5:00 p.m. PT, the fine folks at San Francisco publicity house Charles Communication are set to host another virtual tasting event, this time featuring wines from Casey Flat Ranch, located in the mountains of California’s Capay Valley AVA in Yolo County - as opposed to YOLO county.

The vineyards of this historic longhorn cattle ranch are nestled 2,000 feet high in the Vaca mountains, overlooking the Capay Valley to the east and bordering Napa county to the west.  I am told that the high elevation produces terroir-driven  wines, “serious, elegant wines, packed with fresh fruit and stunning minerality.”  I can’t wait until we find out for ourselves.

Hosting the virtual tasting event will be Casey Flat Ranch Managing Partner Alison Garrett and winemaker Laura Barrett.  Four Casey Flat Ranch wines will be tasted and tweeted about:  the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, the 2013 Syrah Rosé, the 2012 Viognier and the 2011 CFR Estate Red Blend.

If you are new to the virtual wine tasting scene, here’s how you do it.  First, sign into your Twitter account.  The tweets can be searched by hashtag - #CFRBrandLive - so be sure to use that when you jump in with comments.  If you can get a bottle of one or more of the wines, that’s great.  Even if you can’t, join in and learn a bit about Casey Flat Ranch and their wines.

You can also access the live stream of the event by using this link.  Once you click on the link, you’ll see a box on the right hand side that says ‘Questions from the Audience.’  Fill in your name and location and type up your comment or question, which will be viewed by all who are following along.

We’ll look for you in the hashtag.  You can use the rocking chairs, but please clean up your Twitter shavings.



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