Chateau Ste. Michelle 2013 Syrah Rose

We belong to Chateau Ste. Michelle’s wine club. In our most recent shipment, were two wines. The 2011 Cold Creek Vineyard Syrah is in our cellar, and we’ll let that one age a bit. The 2013 Syrah Rose, was the wine we decided to have with our dinner. I served it with these summer squash pancakes with creamy goat cheese dressing. I served the pancakes with pancetta instead of the hot capicola Nutmeg Nanny recommended because I couldn’t find capicola! The pancakes were delicious, and so was the wine.

Summer squash pancakes with creamy goat cheese dressing

The wine was nice. It paired well with the meal. It was full-bodied, and had butter and bacon fat textures. It was quite green (naturally, it’s a 2013), and it would have been interesting to see where it went after cellaring for a couple of years. It had notes of oregano, white pepper, and roasted unseasoned bell pepper. It was smoky on the back end.

The winemaker’s notes said:

“This is a tale of collaboration. The red wine team pressed the grapes after a short time on skins for perfect color. The white team fermented most of the wine in stainless to retain the fruit and aromatics, then blended some barrel fermented wine for texture and complexity. The results are beautiful flavors of strawberry and raspberry with subtle smoky notes.”

In 2013, in the Columbia Valley, the summer got an early start for bud breaking, and the season was consistent and warm, which allowed the grapes to ripen nicely on the wine. They started harvesting the grapes in late August, and the harvesting season extended into November. The wines in this region produced during this time are said to be lovely and balanced, and after having the Syrah Rose, I could agree with that.

This is a great wine to pair with summer dishes. In fact, I found myself longing for backyard patio furniture so Wining Husband and I could sit out back and sip on the wine while dining al fresco. The wine would also be nice with lemon roasted chicken with a strawberry avocado salad or with the other meal we paired it with – black bean and sweet potato burgers with a side salad.

Have you tried the 2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah Rose? What did you think of it?