Best Buy! Mattawa, Wash., winegrower Mike Thiede continues to impress with the improved quality of his offerings while keeping a number of them in our “Best Buy!” category. While the Wahluke Slope is an unlikely site for Pinot Noir, he crafted this rosé starting Sept. 19 from a small estate block of Dijon 777 clone near the retirement community of Desert Aire. His six-hours of soak on the skins in stainless steel makes for gorgeous aromas of raspberry, red currant, strawberry lemonade, cotton candy and rose hips. The drink is bright and virtually bone dry (0.4% residual sugar) with a rich midpalate akin to a red table wine, bringing flavors of dried strawberry, blueberry and a pinch of caramel. It’s an impressive rosé that would be ideal for a Christmas bird with stuffing. These wines are available not only in Mattawa but also at the Ginkgo Forest tasting room in Tacoma’s Old Town.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 187 cases
Alcohol: 13.9%
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