MATHIS

Rosé lends itself to a bit of mystery. Many wine consumers are intrigued by this not-white, not-red wine and want to know more about it. So here are a few tidbits about the Mathis Rosé:

As you can see in the above image, the juice is nearly clear coming out of the press. Unlike some rosés, I make mine specifically from grapes grown for my rosé - not another wine. The 800 block in the Mathis Vineyard is farmed specifically for use in my rosé. The grapes are picked earlier than those used in my red Grenache wine.

The grapes are delivered whole cluster from the vineyard to the crushpad for direct press. Other rosé-making methods bleed off the clear juice (saignée) from red wine juice or blend batches to make rosé. My juice actually darkens a bit after this first press to develop the delicate pink color I am targeting. It only spends a modest amount of time on the skins, from which it gets its light pink color. To see more, view the videos on making my rosé.

You can see above that the fermenting juice is now turning light pink. This is part of the Provençal winemaking style I'm using. It is characterized by the very pale pink color and flavor profile of very aromatic, but dry, rosés. The wines of Provence are predominantly rosés made from Grenache. But rosé can be made from a wide variety of grapes, including Pinot Noir and even Cabernet Sauvignon.

You can see above there are faint roses depicted in the label design, designed by my friend David Chung. The label itself is made from kraft paper, providing a slightly rustic impression of the wine.

An important characteristic in choosing a bottle is its color. For red wines I want very dark glass which helps to preserve the wine itself by blocking UV rays. For rosé wine, however, it's very important to see the beautiful pale pink color of the wine. (In this photo, the wine look slightly yellow since the bottles were shot sitting on a yellow table, but you get the idea from other images.) And to continue my theme of a simplistic look and feel, I opted not to add a foil capsule over the neck of the bottle so you can see the natural cork through the glass.

In case you've missed it from past posts, the grapes that go into my Mathis Rosé are all estate - all from the Mathis Vineyard in Sonoma Valley. This picture was taken on the day the grapes were harvested in 2015.

I'm happy to report the 2015 Mathis Rosé de Grenache was awarded Best in Class at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition this past January (and I happen to think it's the best rosé I've ever made!)

While you can quaff this rosé by itself (and I do), it's a fabulous food wine. At my house, it gets paired with many Asian dishes. It's terrific with summer grilling fare. And it's wonderful with triple creme cheeses. But for an added bonus, here is fan Erica Timmerman's terrific salmon salad (above) recipe which pairs perfectly with this rosé:

Whisk together:
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1.5 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper

The salad:
3-4 medium boiled, cooked, peeled, diced new potatoes
8 oz. cold smoked salmon, diced
1 to 1.5 Tbsp. diced red onion
1 to 1.5 Tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1.5 Tbsp. minced fresh dill

Gently toss the ingredients together.  Add enough dressing to evenly coat the salad being careful not to over mix.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Serve with lettuce cups.

Drink more rosé! Cheers!