Fast facts:
- 2017 Seaglass Monterey County Rosé ($7.99 @Costco; California)
- 2017 Benziger Winery North Coast Rosé ($9.99@Costco; California)
We are enjoying a short spell of early summer-like weather (temps in the mid 80s) here in SoCal, so last night my wife and I sat poolside and put these two wines to the test to see which one “we” liked better so it could be featured in this week’s post.
I preferred the Benziger and she was a bigger fan of the Seaglass. So I decided I should just feature both!
Rosé wines have become crazy popular. Crazy is the operative word. They used to be a seasonal item, but while they are unquestionably more popular when the temperatures are warm, lately there is no “off-season” for dry pink wines. (Not to be confused with semi-sweet pink wines such as White Zinfandel.) But with this new popularity has come, not surprisingly, high prices. Some of them unwarranted in my opinion. There are some pretty mediocre rosés being produced in massive quantities selling for upwards of $20, even a few dollars more. These two wines are proof that you can find equally good, or even better pink wines for under $10 – at least at Costco.
But truth be told, it took a $6 “instant discount” at Costco to get the Benziger to its $9.99 price point. I like it a lot at $9.99, not so much at $15.99. This North Coast rosé is bursting with perfumed lavender notes and flavors of juicy strawberries. Crisp and well-balanced, it is an authentic representation of the Grenache and Syrah vineyards where it was grown. Says the Winemaker: “the lots for our Rosé went straight to press as whole clusters. The juice was cold-fermented to dryness to preserve the crisp acidity and aromatic fruit character. Its flush hue comes from the very short amount of time the juice spent on its skins. This wine was 100% stainless steel fermented at very low temperatures to preserve the fresh fruit components.”
Works for me!
But not so much for my wife, who found it too tart. As I mentioned, she preferred the Seaglass from cool climate Monterey County. It seems she and Wine Enthusiast magazine agreed on this wine. They awarded it 90 points and at just $7.99, also declared it a Best Buy. It features wonderful aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry and has a crisp, clean, and citrusy finish.
So which one should YOU buy? Heck, since you could secure one of each for under $20 at Costco, why not pick up two bottles and put them to the test yourself?
Cheers!