A Rose By Any Other Label

342. 2008 8th Generation Pinot Meunier Rose (VQA Okanagan Valley)

I've already added the 2007 vintage of this wine to The List and I knew that we'd be coming back to it sooner than later. I'm finding more and more people are offering up their unsolicited opinions that this is their favourite BC Rose. It's certainly a favourite of Boo's and mine as well - I might not be ready to declare it absolute favourite yet, but it's right up there.

I've written a little bit about the winery before (and I have some catching up to do before the Winter Olympics start), so I'm going to keep this short.

This vintage sees the release of the winery's new label graphics that play off the "8." I think this new eye-catching generation of bottle has really hit a home run. Smart label. Smarter wine.

This is a rose for those wine drinkers that say there's nothing to Rose. Wrong. Quality roses are seeing a real resurgence in wine circles nowadays and I think this wine is a good example of why. Body, acidity, bright red berry fruit. Roses are often seen more as a summer sipper, but I don't think there's any reason to limit one's opening of this wine.

There's no limit on what types of grapes can go into a Rose, so you can find them made from almost any grape that can impart a bit of colour, but 8th Generation has found a winner with this Pinot Meunier. PM isn't a grape that many people will have heard of and, when they have, it's generally because they know it's one of the three classic grapes used in the production of Champagne - where it's primarily used to add body, fruit and aromatics.

I don't recall ever seeing Pinot Meunier much (if ever) as a varietal wine; however, it thrives in cooler, Northern climes - such as Champagne - as it both breaks bud later than most red varietals and ripens a bit earlier. Characteristics that might lend themselves to a larger exposure in BC.

In the mean time, I've got a feeling that the 2009 vintage of this 8th Generation is going to be showing up on The List - along with whatever other "generations" or vintages that are released before we reach our 2001 Bottles goal.