Winery: Akash Winery
Product/Varietal: 100% Zinfandel
Vintage: 2018
AVA on Bottle: Temecula Valley
Winemaker: Renato Sais
Rating: 90
Matt Kettmann of Wine Enthusiast gave this wine 86 points.
89 points and Silver Medal on Tastings.com.
Bronze Medal at 2019 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.
How They Describe It
This fresh, dry style rosé, has aromas of strawberry, plum, and cranberry with a crisp lime finish. Serve it cold with perhaps a salad, shellfish, or grilled fish.
How I Describe It
Appearance
Akash Winery’s second-ever release of its Parlez-Vous Rosé shows as a deep, almost illuminating salmon color. Created through momentary exposure to Zinfandel grape skins, the color is both brilliant and beautiful.
Nose
This wine has a terrific fruity bouquet, but without the in-your-face obtrusiveness of many syrupy sweet rosés. Citrus aromas hit first, with lemon peel, orange zest, and subtle grapefruit. These are anchored by strawberry, red grape, and plum red fruit. Undertones of green apple and ripe pineapple round out the nose.
Palate
The 2018 Parlez-Vous Rosé is dry with juicy, medium-plus acid. Medium flavor intensity and medium finish make this wine a pleasant drink.
Lemon juice and tart raspberry are strong at first sip, followed by red plum common in Zinfandels. Green apple, green grape, and young pineapple follow. As the wine breathes, there is a slight honeyed flavor at the finish.
Why is This Wine Special?
Akash Winery is among a few wineries which opened their doors as a fully-fledged winery within the last year. What makes their wines so special is they didn’t inherit mature vines; they planted and cultivated their grapes for almost a decade before releasing their first bottles.
I’m also a sucker for a good entrepreneurial story, and Akash Winery’s is just that. The winery was founded by Akash Patel and his family. Since 2010 they’ve been building and planting into the winery they have now. Over the last couple years they’ve also established an exceptional name for themselves in the Temecula Valley.
In full disclosure, the bottle described here was donated by Akash Winery. Other than providing the wine itself, there was no exchange of anything which would have influenced or unfairly biased this review.
Akash Winery is already producing terrific wines, and is absolutely a winery to watch over the next few years.
When & How I Would Drink It
This is a very interesting rosé. Like most rosés, it’s delicious served chilled. But like most Zinfandels, the flavors improve when allowed to breathe a bit. Finding the right combination is a bit of a balancing act, but it’s a challenge worth accepting.
Akash Winery’s 2018 Parlez-Vous Rosé is a quintessential lunchtime wine. I paired it with a turkey club. The tartness blended well with the sourdough and bacon, and the red and citrus fruit worked alongside the turkey and tomato. As with other lightly colored wines, it also works well with fish, fowl, and lightly seasoned pork.
How to Get It
Order Online: http://akashwinery.orderport.net/product-details/0100/2018-Parlez-Vous-Rose
Bottle Price: $35
Cases Produced: 447
Have you tried the Akash 2018 Parlez-Vous Rosé? How did the tasting notes compare with your experience? Leave a comment below.