WTN: Peconic Bay Winery 2006 (North Fork of Long Island)

In the past, I've had some less-than-nice things to say about Peconic Bay Winery. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy some of their wines--I absolutely do and have for quite a while. Their Stainless Steel Chardonnay and Riesling are both great every day wines at fair prices.

But man, they made some sweet, koolaid-esque rose in the past. And, in their tasting room, flights started off with those wines, which I thought probably turned off the serious wine drinkers before they got down to the better wines. I knew that it did me.

I'm sure that it's purely a coincidence (it's not like I'm Robert Parker or or something) but with the 2006 vintage, they've started to produce a dry rose that is a welcome start to any tasting flight.

According to the back label, it's with merlot grapes with some steel-fermented chardonnay, and the result is fresh and thirst quenching. On the nose there's a lot of citrus--grapefruit and lime--with hints of watermelon and watermelon. It's lively on the palate and tastes like a fresh watermelon slice sprinkled with fresh lime juice...without the sweetness of fresh watermelon. Nicely balanced acidity leaves it clean on the finish.

It's probably best suited to sipping on it's own, but I could see enjoying this with any summer lunch--salads, sandwiches, seafood. 

While not as nuanced as some of the other local 2006 roses on the market, it's still a good, satisfying rose for $14. And at the end of the day, isn't that what rose is supposed to be, satisfying?