Taste it Again / Lost & Found

Taste it Again: Does Rose Age?

26 Aug 2015

My Rose Victims(August 26, 2015) ... Not sure what possessed me to do this, it was another one of my strange experiment moments and one that answers that age old question (that nobody was asking) Does Rose age?  The simple answer is ... apparently not.

I took three Roses from Ontario that were tasty in their youth, all from the 2007 vintage, and in the summer of 2008 laid them down to see what would happen.  Here are the wines and my tasting notes.

Mastronardi 2007 Cabernet Rose ... smells like old strawberry jam and tastes like strawberry jam that has been hanging out in a tin too long. It has a pseudo sweetness that might give one the idea that you could drink a full glass, though that could be the 13.3% alcohol - alas after about two sips it was hard to continue.

Erie Shore 2007 Summer Sun ... of the three this one was the most palatable, or as I put in my notes: "not unpleasant"; certainly the freshness is gone, but there is a certain amount of acidity and a citrus pith kinda of finish, the wine even seems to have a little bit of weight and texture ... I wouldn't count this one out totally, and might even finish a glass; as eight year old Roses go this one still has some merit.

Huff Estates 2007 Rose ... I'm a huge fan of the roses of Huff when they are young, but this is a completely different story.  It was hard to smell and even worse in the mouth, my notes read as follows: "totally undrinkable, and the smell ... I think someone passed gas in my glass" ... this was one nasty piece of business.

Well I have now answered the question, and unless I find a bottle accidentally lost in my cellar I will not be storing any rose away for long term ageing ... ever - I suggest you don't do much same, if you catch my drift.

To see the original reviews of these wines - click on the wine name above.

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