2016 RMS Rosé Sparkling Wine we tasted at the pre-release party is another sparkling gem in the past six months from Rollin Soles - the owner and winemaker of Roco Winery of Willamette Valley of Oregon.
Rollin Soles has been making wines in Willamette Valley for over 30 years. He started in 1987 as the first winemaker for Argyle and since 2013 solely focused his own winery. He was one of the pioneers of sparkling wine in Oregon and trained and curated many winemakers in the region.
For the first time, we tasted Argyle winery bubbles in 2007 and had an opportunity to enjoy vintages as early as 1997-1999. We became fans of Rollin's bubbles from the first sip and always had a bottle of his in our wine library ever since.
Only a few months ago we had a chance to taste the third vintage of Roco's Brut - 2015 RMS sparkling wine at the release party and now another bubbly to keep it company.
We were looking forward to the first release of RMS Rosé Sparkling this year and were really excited to taste it. It was worth the wait.
2016 RMS Rosé Sparkling Wine Tasting Notes
2016 RMS Rosé is 100% Pinot Noir. In a glass, it's a light salmon skin pink with fine bubbles.
The aromas greeted us with a delicate combination of strawberry mousse, pink apple, cherry blossoms, and minerality.
As we took the first sip, the tiny bubbles of effervescence left reach creamy sensation in our mouth - the hallmark of the best Champagnes. We actually looked at each other after that first sip and nodded.
The strawberry mousse again came to mind as we tasted it. It was complemented by pink apple, yellow apple skin, and light mineral note.
The light ting of tannin adds another layer of sensation and makes this sparkling complete and one of the best we had from Rollin.
In one sentence, it's a sparkling strawberry mousse in a glass with a right balance of sweetness and acidity and refreshing aftertaste.
Now our wine library has another beautiful friend.
