The Wine Curmudgeon appreciated this wine the first time he tasted it, in those long ago days of newspaper wine columns. It's cheap, it's consistent, and it comes from a producer that cares about the quality of its inexpensive wine. What's not to like?
However, I have neglected to review the Toad Hollow ($10, purchased) in the blog's three-plus years of existence (though it is an original member of the $10 Hall of Fame). So let's remedy this now as we celebrate rose wine on the blog this week; my annual rose preview will run tomorrow.
Look for lots of strawberry and acid to complement the fruit, which has always been a Toad Hollow trademark. The wine seemed a bit sweeter this vintage than in the past couple, though that may have been because it had not been in the bottle long enough for all of its bits to come together (a wine geek would describe a young wine like that as a little shocky).
Update: I did a little checking, and the wine is noticably sweeter than usual this year. That's disappointing, because this has always been one of the great dry roses produced in the U.S. It probably won't stay in the Hall of Fame.
Will be visiting Toad Hollow for the first time on Saturday and my wife LOVES Rose. It's her fave. Thanks for a great blog and this timely post.
Posted by: Jeff | May 25, 2011 at 08:06 AM
Funny, when we got to Toad Hollow's tasting room, we didn't much care for the Rose' either. My wife, the Rose' nut, was not impressed. Maybe it'll be better next year. We left without buying a single bottle.
Posted by: Jeff | July 30, 2011 at 06:13 PM