Andy Pestoni decked two stubborn opponents with one Rose.
The first was a style of wine, loosely defined, that tarnished the image of an upstanding — and entirely innocent — varietal. For decades Americans shunned pink wines because of an unfortunate association with the so called White Zinfandels, a class of cloying entry level pops. The damage was even worse for Roses produced from the noble Zinfandel grape.
Like many other winemakers, Pestoni debated before attaching the varietal’s name to his Jelly Jar Rose, fearing the legacy of White Zins. Finally he decided to take the offensive.
“You should let people know what it is,” he said.
The 2015 Jelly Jar Rose from Zinfandel is a marvel. It offers a blush of pleasantries, with aromas of watermelon and red table grapes that seem to suggest light, exuberant conversation on a summer’s evening. But something more substantive follows — apples dipped into caramel and drying rose petals, trailed by streaks of smoked bacon fat.
There’s an evident meaty heft to the Rose, even on the nose. Pestoni allows Zinfandel to assert itself, even in a breezy summer wine.
A sip follows the same conversational path. At first a convivial introduction of light fruits — juicy watermelon again, along with fresh grapes and raspberries. It’s a fresh, cooling patter, one that leads to a more fulfilling course.
Mid-palate the bright fruits begin to fade, maturing at first into a rich red apple sensation. As summer leads to fall, the wine ventures into deeper, more reflective notes. A hint of rich, savory meat and tilled earth emerges behind the perky fruit.
It’s as if the Jelly Jar Rose prefers the twilight to the bright of day. Firefly specks of cracked peppercorn spark the eventide impression.
On the finish a familiar caramel apple note brings things to a comfortable conclusion.
The Jelly Jar 2015 Rose is an achievement, one that Pestoni at first attributes to nature.
“That wine kinda made itself,” he explained with a laugh. “That’s what I say about all my wines.”
Yet he did wait out a slow (30 days) and cold (50 degrees) fermentation in stainless steel. And to tip the juice to skin ratio in favor of his preferred outcome, Pestoni opted to use the saignee process, draining away part of the crush to intensify flavors and color.
Which brought him up against the second opponent.
You see, many content that saignee has no role in Rose. The style calls for brisk, quenching wines with pale complexions. Pestoni just ignores the chatter.
“A lot of purists will tell you you can’t make a rose from saignee,” he acknowledged. “But I don’t believe them. This wine holds up.”
I holds up in extraordinary fashion — a Rose with depth and character under the flirtatious appeal, with structure and color to balance the bright nature of a pink summer wine.
It may even stand up to a third opponent, sometimes dropped like bombs into wine on scorching afternoons. Pestoni thinks the 2015 Jelly Jar Rose might triumph in this contest, as well.
“You can put ice cubes in it — it won’t hurt my feelings,” he said with a laugh.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
