How about this for an endorsement: the 2014 “After Hours” Rosé by Herman Story is one of the best Rosés we’ve ever had. Period. And it’s only one fun-ass wine from a portfolio of many – from a very fun-ass winemaker: first name Russell, last name From. They are so much fun over there at Herman Story Wines (we had a chance to visit them at their downtown Paso Robles HQ lately), that I wanted to use their own tasting notes instead of mine. They’re wacky! I couldn’t think of anything to add and they had me cracking up. But since I’m here to write about wine and not copy and paste others’ tasting notes, I’ll take a stab at it: this is very pretty, dark ass Rosé! Using the saigneé (pronounced “son-yay”) style of making Rosé, this baby’s got plenty of color and body. It’s not sweet at all. As a matter of fact, most Rosés in the world are dry – take a break from your white Zinfandel or Red wine on a hot day and check some out. You won’t be sorry.
It’s 100% Grenache that’s barrel fermented and aged for 6 months. A sip shows lots of red, juicy, farm-stand fresh red fruits – cherries, raspberries, strawberries and all the -ies throw an After Hours rave in your mouth (see what I did there?) that keeps on going through the morning! You had me at Grenache! Not only that, what’s outside is cool too – the label depicts an old dashboard. All of Herman Story Wines’ labels are awesome! Less than 200 cases of the After Hours were made – so get on the wait list NOW!
Also, I lied – I will copy and paste their tasting notes for you now:
“Do you dream of building a Hearst Castle style mansion that overlooks the speedway, so you can lounge in the pool and watch drag races? Are you a fan of full contact fl ower arranging? Do you hate it when men shower and shave? Well then this is for you. Rose of Grenache with a straight six that burns nothing but rose petals, cherries and inhibitions. nuf’ said.”
… and …
“NOT SWEET! Just like the joy of kicking a skateboard in the evening summer air with all the instant gratification of winning the cash prize in the claw game: strawberry daiquiri, bruised mint leaves, pink peppercorns, maraschino cherry, chalkboard eraser, raspberry sorbet with an almost debaucherous sense of being ready for anything.”
Is that not just the best? Even with a wait list – go sign up at http://hermanstorywines.com/.
