Passaggio Shows How Delicious A Rose Can Be

Cynthia Cosco's Passaggio Wines  first caught my eye with a Chardonnay so wonderfully delicious that I changed my mind about white wines (see my review and discussion at http://savvytaste.blogspot.com/2010/11/three-tasty-whites-passaggio-foppiano.html), especially the much-abused Chardonnay.

Now Cosco, who is a winemaker and manager at the custom-crush facility Crushpad in Sonoma, CA, has produced a Rose that has exactly what I like best in a Rose: Fruit and flavor.

The fruit is a pleasant red cherry on the nose, and a lovely light cherry on the palate. This is a summer deck wine par excellence -- fruit that makes it seem lightly sweet (though it's dry), good acid balance, and packed with a surprising amount of flavor. This Rose is just delicious, there's no other word for it.

Passaggio Grande Cappello ('Big Hat') New Generation Rose Wine 2010 Napa Valley (13.4%) is a Cab Rose -- certainly the best Cab Rose I've ever tasted. It's priced at $18 at the winery, plus shipping unless you drive up to pick it up, as I did. Unfortunately for you, Cindy only made a small amount, as a trial run, and I got two of the last bottles - one of which I took to an appreciative 4th of July party, where the celebrants were also surprised that she was able to turn a Cab Rose into such a delightful beverage. But both bottles are now gone, so, like me, you will have to wait for Cyndy to finish and release next year's -- let's hope she makes more this time!