A friendly competition never hurt anyone. Well maybe egos. Today’s friendly competition is between Okanagan Crush Pad’s Haywire Rose 2011 and Bartier Scholefield (BS) Rose 2011. Both wines are produced from Gamay Noir grapes grown from the same vineyard in Oliver. What is different is the style of rose. The grapes were harvested two weeks apart and vinified differently. Let me review these two wines first, then I’ll pass my judgement. There will be an official “2nd Annual Rose Smack Down!” as well between these two wines at Marquis Wine Cellars where Michael Bartier and David Scholefield will defend their favourite roses.
My Review
- Bartier Scholefield Rose 2011 ($18.90) – Pale orange strawberry colour in the glass. A medium intensity youthful nose with red fruit, strawberries and red currants. Dry, medium body with higher acidity. Strawberry flavour followed by sweet red cherries primarily. Overall various red fruit flavours. A hint of smokiness too. Finishes with some flowery perfume, leafiness and mouth-watering acidity.
Bartier Scholefield Rose 2011 - Haywire Gamay Noir Rose 2011 ($19.90) – A medium squashed strawberry colour. A very subdued nose, but I was able to pick up some lees, red cherries and red fruit aromas. Heavier mouthfeel, but soft and round on the palate. Dry with medium-plus acidity. Primarily red cherries with cranberries to a lesser degree, along with some red currants. Mouthwatering finish with some tartness.
Haywire Gamay Noir Rose 2011
My Rose Vote
Overall you can see a difference in the glass between the two wines. The BS Rose is much lighter coloured, and to me more resembles a rose wine from the south of France. My first question was do I want to sip this wine on it’s own or do I want to enjoy it with food? Some wines are great with food but not as nice on their own, and vice versa. I think the Haywire Gamay Noir Rose is a nice wine to sip on it’s own, while the BS Rose is better for food. How do I know this? I tried it with food of course.
My meal consisted of salad, grilled chicken with a citrus marinade, other vegetables and bread. The BS Rose really made a nice pairing with the acidity in the salad and with the chicken, while the Haywire was a bit too heavy for either dish. Now if I had tried some other heavier flavoured dish, the Haywire may have also worked there too. I liked the lighter mouthfeel of the BS Rose and the fruitiness on the nose, which I did not get as much with the Haywire Rose. My vote for overall favourite rose is the Bartier Scholefield Rose 2011. Congratulations!
