A Splendid Spring Afternoon With The Lovely Corallina

Spring is definitely here in Orange County! The sun is shining and people are enjoying these beautiful days to the fullest. One of the things I love to do is sit outside with a nice glass of wine in hand and enjoy the day. A beautiful bottle of pink in my cellar caught my eye on that very day, so I decided to open it up. It was a bottle of Cornerstone Cellars 2012 Stepping Stone Corallina Rosé. You’ll notice the colorful label right away. This is a new style label for Corallina for this new release. The artwork is entitled, “Wine Dance” by artist Janet Ekholm. It depicts the vibrancy and spirit of Corallina.

Cornerstone Cellars Stepping Stone 2012 Corallina Rosé

This is no ordinary Rosé. Cornerstone is very serious about making Rosé and it shows in the color of the wine and flavor profile. The wine is made from 100% single vineyard Napa Valley Syrah. It comes from Crane Ranch Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District of the Napa Valley. The wine is aged 5 months in mature French oak and fermented bone-dry. This is no sweet Rosé. The name “Corallina” is Italian for Coral and that is exactly the color that the wine is. The color is absolutely beautiful. The aromatics of the wine are absolutely lovely. On the nose, there are fresh cut flowers and strawberries. There are also aromatics of tropical fruits, ruby grapefruit and fresh pine trees. Flavors of white peach and grapefruit dance on the palate as well as kisses of orange zest and strawberry; all balanced out by vibrant acidity. The wine finishes long with a burst of citrus. The wine is crisp and refreshing. It is a Rosé that I have enjoyed over the years and it is definitely one of my favorites. I had a friend that was visiting and he is not a Rosé drinker; he had never found one that he liked before and unfortuntely, just wrote Rosé off entirely, until he tried Corallina. He was impressed at the complexity and richness of the wine as well as how well made it was; it definitely made him re-think Rosé.

Stepping Stone 2012 Corallina Rosé

This Rosé is fresh and vibrant; definitely worthy of a place in your cellar. Corallina will make the perfect accompaniment to picnics, lazy days by the pool, parties, or for no reason but to enjoy a delightful glass of Rosé. This is a very versatile wine. It will pair with many different foods or perfect to enjoy on its own. The wine sells for $16 per bottle on the Cornerstone Cellars website. This is a highly recommended wine and for the price, definitely stock up on it to have on hand for spring and summer sipping; or if you’re like me, you’ll want to have it on hand year-round.

Cornerstone Cellars can be found on Facebook and Twitter. They have a fantastic social media team in place, led by Craig Camp. You can find all the latest news on events and releases on their Twitter and Facebook pages. Be sure to connect with them.

Always a pleasure hanging out with Miss Corallina. It was a lot of fun introducing this Rosé to my friend and making him a fan. Until the next time!

Cheers!

~Monica

* This wine was provided as a media sample for review purposes.