De Bortoli Rosé Rosé 2018 (Australia) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a pale coloured and dry rosé wine from Australia made with the Sangiovese grape varietal. It's a new wine that recently arrived in LCBO VINTAGES on August 17 and there is plenty of stock available throughout Ontario.

It is made by De Bortoli Wines, a member of Australia's First Families of Wines. However, their story actually begins in the 1920's in war-torn Europe when Vittorio and Giuseppina De Bortoli immigrated to Australia and through hard work, innovation and the support of family and friends formed De Bortoli Wines.

In 1928, Vittorio produced his first wine in Australia from grapes he acquired for free due to the glut of Shiraz grapes that vintage and sold his wine mostly to fellow European immigrants. In the 1950's, their middle child, Deen, left school to begin work at the family winery and at 21 years old was itching to modernize the winery. Soon thereafter, De Bortoli Wines expanded and consolidated under the direction of Deen and his wife Emeri. During the 1980's, Deen and Emeri's four children joined the family business and developed De Bortoli's repoutation for premium wine, firstly through their iconic Noble One dessert wine, followed closely by their success at the family's Yarra Valley Estate.

In the 1990's, the De Bortoli family purchased a vineyard in the King Valley - where the grapes for this rosé wine come from. The 90's also welcomed the 4th generation of the family.

Today, Deen and Emeri's children are the custodians of De Bortoli Wines. As the 4th generation of the family contemplates entering the family business, De Bortoli Wine’s official motto is Semper ad Majora (“always striving for better”) while the unofficial motto - good food, good wine and good friends - remain as true and central as ever.

Tasting Note:

DE BORTOLI ROSÉ ROSÉ 2018 - King Valley, Victoria, Australia (#668343) (XD) - $17.95
Screw cap. Mainly Sangiovese from their King Valley Estate Vineyard that was grown for the purpose of making this rosé, this has a medium intensity nose of floral, peach, red berry, and a hint of wild herbal notes. The mid-weighted palate is dry with clean fruit, offering herbally, red berry, strawberry, spice, and peach flavours. Acids cut nicely into palate that has a soft, rounded mouthfeel. Good length on the dry, herbally with hints of spice and mineral finish. Score: 86 pts