Last year, the majority of the rosé I ingested came from Red Car. The Sonoma Coast winery best known for their Pinot Noir makes an elegant and crisp quaffer that goes down incredibly easy on a hot summer day (or at an IPOB tasting). I finished every last bottle I had, so in time for a recent BBQ I scoured the Internet in search of some more. I purchased a few 2014s from a New York store and was very happy. A few days after the event, a friend found some 2013s at a local D.C. wine shop. And this past Saturday, we put them together for a side-by-side comparison.
Conclusions were pretty simple: 2013 was refreshing and light and included some yeasty notes (a flaw? part of the aging?) but had lost some of it’s fruit (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). 2014 was also refreshing, and had some good tart notes with a bit more body.
So my amateur assessment is there’s no reason to keep these bottles around past their seasons. That’s a good thing – because at least in my house – those bottles won’t stay very long. But if one happens to get lost in the fridge and reappears the following year – enjoy the surprise!
Editing to add: a nice little response from Red Car! Thanks for taking a look and weighing in!
It's Wine By Me! 