When Rob Griffin started playing around with making a dry rosé about seven years ago, he had little inkling what it might turn into.
Today, the winemaker and co-owner of Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash., can confidently say: Think pink.
Some of the country's top wine judges agree -- again.
On Friday, Barnard Griffin's 2007 rosé of Sangiovese earned not only a gold medal, but also the award for the top rosé in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in Cloverdale, Calif. The judging, with more than 4,200 entries, is the largest wine competition in North America.
The news should come as no surprise to Griffin. Last year, the 2006 rosé won three gold medals, all in California competitions. And the 2005 version won a top award at the Chronicle judging the year prior.
Griffin, a native Californian, moved to Washington three decades ago to become winemaker for Preston Premium Wines in Pasco. He later was head winemaker for Hogue Cellars in Prosser until 1991. He and his wife, Deborah Barnard, started their eponymous operation in 1983 and made it their full-time jobs after Griffin left Hogue.
Today, they produce more than 70,000 cases of wine, making them one of the largest family-owned wineries in the state.
If your idea of a pink wine is white Zinfandel, a sweet wine made in vast abundance in California, you will be surprised by Barnard Griffin's rosé, which is dry, bursting with fruit and made to enjoy with food. Griffin models his version on the dry rosés made in the south of France, and not coincidentally, he thinks it pairs quite well with Mediterranean cuisine.
"That's the secret of this wine," Griffin said. "It is bone dry, and it's a very serious wine. It's also lots of fun. It's really focused on food. A bottle of rosé and a salade nioise is about as good as it gets if you're sitting out in the sun enjoying a summer meal."
Sangiovese is an Italian grape, perhaps most famous in the red wines of Chianti classico, Montalcino and Montepulciano, all important regions of Tuscany. While they make world-class wines there, that success doesn't necessarily translate to the West Coast, Griffin said.
"I've been intrigued with Sangiovese. I don't think it works very well in Washington's climate," he said. "It makes a wonderful rosé for the same reasons it makes a lousy red."
He would argue that the best use for the grape in Washington is rosé, where its aromas and flavors of pomegranates, strawberries and tropical fruits can shine without the rough tannins that accompany it in a full-blown red wine.
The Sangiovese is grown by Maury Balcom, a longtime friend and colleague of Griffin's who has been growing grapes north of Pasco, Wash., for decades. Balcom farms about 5 acres of Sangiovese, and the success of this wine is prompting him to plant another four.
Barnard Griffin's 2007 rosé is not yet for sale, but Griffin expects it to be available in the tasting room in Richland in February. The wine retails for $12 a bottle and typically sells out within six months, he said.
Barnard Griffin isn't turning heads only for its rosé. At the Chronicle competition, the winery also won a unanimous double gold for its 2005 Merlot and a gold for its 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Kiona Vineyards Winery on Red Mountain won a double gold for its 2006 Lemberger.
Other Mid-Columbia wineries winning gold in the Chronicle competition were Col Solare of Red Mountain for its 2004 red wine, Spring Valley Vineyard of Walla Walla for its 2005 Frederick red blend, Zerba Cellars of Milton-Freewater for its 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest of Paterson for its 2004 reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Gordon Brothers near Pasco for its 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sandhill Winery on Red Mountain for its 2003 Merlot, Waterbrook Winery of Walla Walla for its 2005 reserve Merlot, Maryhill Winery of Goldendale for its 2005 Syrah and Kiona for its 2007 Chenin Blanc.
* Complete results at www.winejudging.com.
