Even though we know it’s warm out there and the temptation to open this right away is irresistible, we recommend you save some too. We just drank our last 2021 at home. - JR

From the alpine hills of the Alta Piemonte comes this absolutely sensational dry Rose made from 90% Nebbiolo (locally called Spanna) and 10% of the local Uva Rara. This property, the oldest in the Gattinara region, was purchased several years ago by Roberto Conterno, owner of the iconic Giacomo Conterno cantina in Barolo and, in a very short period of time, he has completely buttoned up what was already one of the most-revered, quality-oriented properties in all of Piemonte, starting, first, with the winery’s already-excellent Il Rosato Rose. While he still makes the Rosato in roughly the same manner as formerly (hand-picking, gentle pressing, cool fermenting and lees aging in concrete vats), he’s tweaked the style a bit to further enhance the perfume and bottle it even drier. To me, though, the best thing he’s done so far is change the label. That classic Conterno name is now front and center, and while we know that there has definitely been a Conterno surcharge its addition, the results seem, to me, absolutely worth it. It serves as a reminder that we tend to drink Roses of this character too young. Right now, this just-arrived 2023 is still primary with some trapped CO2 in there, giving it a bit of snappy prickle on the tongue. But you can tell that all the pieces are there in exactly the right spots and just waiting for father time to work its magic. Last year’s 2022 really hit its stride late last summer and drank wonderfully right through the winter and, for all I know, is probably still going strong. We had our last bottle of 2021 earlier this spring and it was sensational! I should have waited even longer, but patience was never my strong suit. Aromatic of white jasmine, green tea and juicy dark cherry, it’s a scrumptious, characterful dry pink that, if you can wait a month or two for it to mellow out a bit, will do great service alongside a lot of different cuisines and also drink great all by its lonesome. If there’s a better wine for your Thanksgiving dinner this fall, I sure can’t think of one! This has jumped the queue to become one of our very favorite Roses of the season far and an icon in the making! *** Hammocks, ***+ Arugulas on PRIMA’s scientific Rose scale.