Patricia Green Cellars "Helen Dusschee - Freedom Hill" Willamette Valley Tempranillo Rose 2023

Years ago we committed to NOT making rose because we liked drinking it too much to get into the business of crafting it. That was largely in part because of our belief that rose should be made from red grapes that have more inherent muscularity than Pinot Noir and being up here in the Northern Willamette Valley means that access to grapes such as Mourvedre, Grenache, Carignan or Tempranillo was incredibly limited to non-existent. Little did we know that lurking within Freedom Hill Vineyard was a block of Tempranillo that they had planted in 2012 at the behest of another winery that has since left the scene. Tempranillo grows in a very upright fashion and has gangly, large clusters that are particularly resistant to botrytis. Due to the climate in the Northern Willamette Valley there really isn’t any way to get these grapes ripe enough to make them into any sort of red wine (we tried another winery’s efforts and they were, well, let’s say they confirmed that it shouldn’t be done). However, that means these grapes get perfectly ripe for delicious rose that has both the firmness of acidity and the soft, sweetness to make for a wine that can stand in with the best roses made in a world.