A stunning clear salmon color in the glass, the 2021 Conner Lee x Solaksen Rosé gives off notes of orange aperitif, white currant, and stone fruit. Broad and viscous, but still taut, the palate elicits flavors of saline, white cherry, kumquat, and gunpowder. This well-balanced wine melds watermelon, minerals, and strawberries and cream for a pleasing finish.
Labeled Appellation
Varietal(s)
100% Pinot Noir
Vinification
The grapes for this wine were hand harvested, cluster selected, destemmed and berry selected. The juice for this blend was macerated on skins for 3 hours prior to being saigneed off into neutral French oak barrels. Barrel fermentation was cool, long, and slow to preserve aromatic intensity. Lees were stirred every week during primary fermen1tation which lasted about 2 months. This wine went through partial native malolactic fermentation. The wine remained on bulk lees for 20 months before being racked to tank and cold stabilized prior to bottling. This wine received no fining or filtration prior to bottling.
Alcohol
14.7%
Cases Produced
93
Vintage Notes
The 2021 Single Barrel Rose of Pinot Noir was crafted from the Conner Lee vineyard in the Columbia Valley AVA and from north-facing blocks in the Solaksen vineyard within the Royal Slope AVA. The winemaking team worked with vineyard managers to restrict yields, creating small, concentrated berries through canopy management and irrigation strategies. Cool fall night temperatures preserved a sense of freshness in the wine while continuing flavor development. Our vineyard partners are committed to sustainable farming practices, employing drip irrigation, cover cropping, compost additions, and physical cultivation to maintain ecological balance.
Hand-harvesting took place in the early mornings of October. Upon arriving at the winery, the fruit was cluster-sorted with 80% being destemmed and berry-sorted before being added on top of 20% whole cluster fruit. This wine, a blend of six Pinot Noir clones (91, 113, 115, 663, 777), underwent meticulous handling – hand harvesting, cluster selection, destemming, and berry selection. The juice, macerated on skins for three hours, was then saignéed into neutral French oak barrels for a cool, long, and slow barrel fermentation producing only 93 cases.
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