I love a wine that is wonderfully complex but also very easy to drink. Years ago Long Shadows had the terrific idea to craft their Rose wine from outstanding Pinot Gris grapes at The Benches Vineyard. This created a style of wine that had a sensational texture and wonderful melon and pretty, delicate red fruits.
For many years the Long Shadows Julia’s Dazzle has been one of the most consistently great Rose wines out of Washington. This is Rose that has plenty of stuffing but always maintains a wonderful sense of verve — great for when the weather warms up.
I was very honored to be the first wine critic to try the 2020 Long Shadows ‘Julia’s Dazzle’ Rose (OB, 91) which is a downright awesome Rose bottling that continues the line of remarkable consistency not only for this brand but superstar winemaker Gilles Nicault. Cheers to warmer days ahead! Learn more at longshadows.com
Here is my review of the 2020 Long Shadows ‘Julia’s Dazzle’ Rose.
2020 Long Shadows 'Julia’s Dazzle' Rose- The 2020 Julia’s Dazzle Rose is another impressive bottling by famed winemaker Giles Nicault. This 2020 Rose is 100% Pinot Gris sourced from the the Yakima Valley that was whole cluster pressed. Right away this shows peach and orange rind tones alongside wet stone, strawberry and shades of wild mushroom on the nose. The palate is beautifully textured with a great sense of weight and finesse. Kiwi and Mandarin orange rind flavors collide with minerals, wet stone and guava tones all artfully combine on the palate. Fresh and lithe, this has some nice medium-term cellaring potential. This is very nuanced stuff. Drink 2021-2025- 91