2018 "Prelude" Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir - Bells Up Winery

Fresh raspberry, wild poppies, bright red cherry. Juicy cranberry, pine needle, candied granny smith. Soft undergrowth and turned earth, sea breeze and crushed stone. Whole strawberry and tangerine zest lead a tart and expansive fresh-fruited attack that is quite lean yet extraordinarily aromatic and expressive. Lilac and delicate flowers contribute a hint of pretty perfume before evergreen and forest moss capture control, all eventually relenting to crisp and refreshing saline minerality. Bone dry and extremely energetic, featuring gobs of juicy acidity and a touch of light powdery tannin within its medium bodied frame. Complex, vibrant, and electrifying. This 2018 "Prelude" Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir by Bells Up Winery is unique and delicious single vineyard summer stunner from Oregon's Willamette Valley.

As the dog days of summer approach many wine drinkers are choosing to put down their big concentrated red wines in favor of something more refreshing. This bottling, crafted by Bells Up Winery using 100% Pinot Noir sourced from their estate vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains, is the perfect choice to appease a red drinker looking for a delicious summer sipper they can serve heavily-chilled. While technically vinified and bottled as a rosé this wine is absolutely packed full of crunchy red fruited goodness and complex notes of forest & earth, and it ultimately drinks more like a baby red than it does a typical rosé. It is noticeably darker in color than one might expect and exhibits tremendous depth likely thanks to extended skin contact. This exceptionally crafted wine manages to provide energetic refreshment while remaining structured enough to stand up to a wide range of foods, and is one of our top picks for the ideal wine to drink outside this summer.