This is the fourth vintage that we've made Rosé from wine grape varieties used in the south of France. For all four years the base has been Grenache from ancient goblet-pruned vines nurtured by Debbie Pallini and McDowell Vineyards. Navarro's first bottling was strawberry-like Grenache blended with a little cherry-like Syrah. In the second vintage we added some tropical guava notes and complexity by adding old vine Carignan grown by Debbie's relatives at Rosewood Vineyards. We thought this lot was special and so it remains an important component in our blend each year. In the third release we added a splash of Rosewood's heritage Mourvèdre which adds herbal, forest notes. This 2005 Rosé has all four varietal components of the previous three releases but we kept on tweaking.

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In the ‘04 vintage we had inched up the skin contact time on the Grenache which created a more intense flavor profile but in retrospect we decided the additional weight obtained by skin contact needed to be offset by more apparent acidity. Consequently this vintage is our driest yet to keep the finish crisp. You can even taste some yeastiness and a hint of French oak through the lovely fruit. Nothing's simple about this simply delicious Rosé, especially when served with a bubbling Gruyère Rosé Fondue. Gold Medal winner. Best of Class.

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