07/05/2023
"Where in Washington are we? Drive over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth. Continue east almost into Cashmere, make your way into Olalla Canyon, and climb for about a half hour until you reach Bear Barton Vineyards.
This is where Gregg and Lauren Bear-Barton have their 42-acre estate. They estimate that only about 5% is currently planted to vineyard; that would be a little over 2 acres, so this is a boutique project indeed. The site is planted out to two Austrian varieties (Gruner Veltliner and Zweigelt) and one Hungarian red (Agria). This picture from winter shows just how ruggedly mountainous the terrain is here.
Gregg and Lauren are working with a number of industry veterans to bring this project to fruition, including Jerry and Jean Bookwalter and Ray Sandidge on the winemaking side. Right now, production is limited to exactly two wines, and they’re both rosés; one sparkling and one still.
The ALLURE 2022 still Rosé came in on September 26 (as you can imagine, rosé harvest is fairly late when elevation is this high), and it is a blend of 45% Gruner, 40% Zweigelt, and 15% Agria, fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel.
It pours delicate pale pink and offers a lovely aromatic profile, with layers of fruit (cantaloupe and kiwi and rainier cherry) complemented by insistent minerality and lovely spice notes (thank you Zweigelt). It’s dry, racy (12.5% listed alcohol), with rippin’ mouthwatering acidity capably balancing the mineral-soaked alpine fruit.
This is Rosé chiseled out of the high Cascades, as intellectually interesting as it is pleasurable for the senses; a new project to watch carefully for sure."
* Review Created by Full Pull Wines