I've been trying to prepare myself for warmer weather in Los Angeles, even as it has already begun. I have been flipping through some of my tasting notes on rosé wines I have had in the past which impressed me.
I ran across my thoughts on the Oreana Winery Malbec Rosé I tasted a few years ago at their garage-cum-winery. I like an institution to pay tribute to its heritage. From their website: "The name Oreana comes from the grand ranching days of California's Central Coast. Oreana is a term used by cattle ranchers for an unbranded calf that strays onto your property and is therefore yours to keep. Think of it as a found treasure or the renegade spirit of this beautiful region and the wines we produce here." What a nice tip of the hat!
Here are my thoughts on a wine I do not believe is available anymore, but one I liked quite a bit on my visit.
"13%...Central Coast, Santa Barbara. Pig on label?
"'Take care while pouring not to disturb the flavor buddies' - that advice jumps out from the label with a picture of a pig on it. Flavor buddies are the tartaric sediment in the bottle which they say is an antioxidant, so bring 'em on.
"A pig? Maybe that's there because Malbec was once considered the bastard cousin of the more noble Bordeaux varietals. Maybe they just like a touch of barnyard on their wine.
"The wine is a beautiful color - not pale at all, but see-through cherry red. The nose reminds me of a childhood memory, perhaps mayhaw berries we would collect roadside for a wonderful jelly. The flavor is quite full and fruity - you might call it juicy. There was a bit too much heat on the tongue - I found that to be odd - and it tingled a bit too much for my taste. It would probably be food friendly, I'd say with a chopped New York salad or antipasti. Maybe I'd try it with with salmon, chicken or pork.
"Quoting again: 'Limited batch made each year in the traditional French method of "bleeding-off" the early juice and fermenting in stainless steel tanks. The result is a lucious, dry fruit-packed explosion.'"
