In The Glass: Kramer Vineyards Rosé of Pinot Noir 2011

During the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference Welcome Reception, a large banquet room was filled with many of Oregon’s stellar wineries: Benton-Lane, Evening Land, Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, Abacela and many more.

One of the wineries attending the reception that I have been hearing great things about for many years is Kramer Vineyards out of Yamhill-Carlton in the Willamette Valley. I sampled each of the Kramer wines that were being offered at the reception, and I was impressed with all of them. While I plan to write about each of the wines I tried, I wanted to mention the 2011 Rosé of Pinot Noir before summer comes to an end. This Rosé is drinking beautifully, and I thoroughly enjoyed a chilled glass of it this evening while sitting on my patio and admiring a Willamette Valley sky that mimicked the gorgeous hue of the Kramer Rosé.

Kramer Vineyards 2011 Rosé of Pinot Noir has aromas of strawberries and watermelon, which in the mouth are rounded out by cranberry and lemon zest. Dry, crisp and refreshing, I love the zingy, zesty lemon finish – and it’s one of those finishes that sticks around for just the right amount of time.

This Rosé is a great summer sipper – I only wish I had discovered it in the Spring rather than in August. It will be my ‘goodbye to summer’ wine before I move on to the hearty reds for Fall and Winter. Yes, I’m a seasonal wine drinker for the most part; however, I’ve been known to bend my own rules every now and then.