Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rose 2023, Pfalz, Germany

Ernst Loosen took over the historic J.L. Wolf estate so that he could make traditionally crafted Rhine wines to complement the light and elegant Dr. Loosen Rieslings he produces in the Mosel region. In the classic style of the Pfalz, these wines are more full-bodied than Mosel wines, with higher alcohol and pure flavors of ripe fruit and stone. The Pfalz region lies between the Haardt Mountains and the Rhine River, directly north of France’s Alsace region. As in Alsace, the mountains protect the area from harsh Atlantic weather, making it one of the warmer and drier areas of Germany. The Pfalz is a very warm and sunny region, often called ‘the Tuscany of Germany,’ so all of the Pinot varieties do well here. The Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rose is made with fruit from vineyards farmed expressly for the purpose of producing a true rosé (called Weissherbst in German). Only perfectly ripe, healthy grapes are selected. Upon harvest the fruit is given a brief maceration (four to six hours) to extract a lovely salmon color from the Pinot Noir grapes. There is no saignee or coloring with red wine. The resulting wine is light and refreshing, with deliciously bright fruit flavors and a clean, zippy finish.