2024 Paso Pink Rosé
Our Paso Pink Rosé is back and tasting better than ever! This amazing rosé blend of 4 grapes and 5 vineyards offers densely packed fruity aromas and hearty raspberry taste on the fresh, inviting nose that presents complex and layered. The palate is snappy and quick with red fruit, tropical qualities, root-beer spices, and even orange-rind flavors. A satisfying and versatile rosé wine that can be enjoyed by itself or accompanied with a variety of charcuterie-type foods. The wine is dominated by stone fruits that lead the way to blueberry preserves, with beautiful light fruity notes present on the mid-palate. The palate is light-medium bodied and fresh from beginning to end. The unique twist of adding 5% Viognier gives it something special on the finish that lingers with mouthwatering acidity. This beautifully PINK hued Rosé is a joy to be enjoyed. Drink upon release through 2027.
For years my strategy for making Rosé has always been to first harvest the grapes at peak ripeness. I am looking to achieve ripe taste and flavors in my wine; therefore, it is essential to harvest the fruit at 24-27 BRIX levels...when the grapes are perfectly ripe yet maintaining natural and firm acidity. After the crush has occurred, I then steal 30-40% of the crush, must “the bleed” from the fermentation tank, this takes place around 24-36 hours after destemming, the crush has occurred. The juice is then chilled and settled in another stainless tank at 40 degrees F for 3 full days. This “settling” out is another crucial step and makes for a clean and silky rosé taste. After which we pump, “rack,” the juice into a new tank, warm it up to 55 degrees F, and pitch the yeast for fermentation to begin. What makes this rosé special is that it’s a combination of 4 grapes, but actually 5 different fermented rosé lots. This means that I made a total of 5 rosé wines that I later combined/blended into 1 tank for bottling. The 5 lots were each fermented with a unique yeast and kept at 60 degrees throughout the fermentation process. The final blend is complex and complemented by the 5 lots now combined as 1 amazing wine!
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Varietal | Rhone blend |
| Varietal Composition | 50% Grenache, 33% Syrah, 12% Mourvèdre, 5% Viognier |
| Appellation | Paso Robles |
| Vineyard | Frankel Family, Eugene Alonso, San Miguel Vineyards |
| Acid | 0.70 g/100ml |
| PH | 3.43 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.85 g/100ml |
| Alcohol | 14.50% |
| Wine Style | Rosé |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 02/12/2025 |
| Cases Produced | 840 |
2024 Paso Pink Rosé is truly my favorite wine to make as a winemaker. Over the years, I have enjoyed it more and more. The process is super fun, it’s unique, and I love being able to bottle a wine right after harvest is over - we bottle our Rosé with just 4 months of stainless steel aging. This is a “pop & pour” wine; it’s meant to be drunk right from bottling and best served chilled from the refrigerator. 2024 was a challenging year in the vineyard. On the morning of April 6th, 2024, ALL OF PASO ROBLES suffered from a major early springtime frost. We saw the frost headed our way, but there was nothing that could be done to protect the vines. It was 28 degrees for over 4 hours, starting at midnight and lasting through the morning. This freeze killed over 50% of the young vines’ buds, leaves, tendrils, and shoots and GREATLY limited the yield of fruit. Rhone varieties (Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre) suffered the worst from the frost. We averaged only 1-2.5 tons per acre in our vineyards. Therefore, this Rosé is very limited. The grape quantity was down, but the grape quality was high in 2024. I was very pleased with the health of the grapes…just wish we had more. This Rosé is certainly a memorable wine that shows lovely fresh red fruit aromas, coupled with a plethora of garden herbs, and lingers with a sleek/clean finish. 2022 was a very challenging growing season. A 10-day 115-degree heat spike hit us in early September and pushed all grapes into early ripeness. The grapes came in VERY ripe, giving the wine a deep color and heightened fruit-driven aromas. The crop load was very light too, making 2022 one of the lightest-yielding harvests seen in decades! Grenache was harvested from two vineyards: Sculpterra’s “El Libro” block and Rafael Jimenez's San Miguel “Sol Para Todo” block. Mourvédre comes from Sculpterra’s Estate in the coveted “Lago De Los Patos” block and Syrah comes from Eugene Alonso’s “Penman Springs” block.
Paul Frankel’s Background
Winemaking and grape growing is Paul’s passion! From an early age, Paul showed interest and excelled in science, botany, and chemistry. Most of all Paul loved the outdoors and working with his hands. His love for farming shows through in the quality of his wines. He has conducted numerous vineyard and winemaking experiments that have resulted in award-winning wines. Paul has studied the Frankel Ranch property during his lifetime and he is very well versed in soil types and meso climates on the estate. Paul grew up on the property and was mentored by winemakers Shannon O’Neil and Jason Bushong. Paul’s father and Dr. Warren Frankel planted the 125-acre vineyard and built the winery, opening the tasting room in October 2007. Paul graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Viticulture and Enology. While in college he interned at the Cal Poly Pilot Winery and worked 2 seasons at Maloy O’Neill Winery. In fact, Paul took two fall quarters off to make Sculpterra’s wines. His first vintage as a head winemaker was 2008 making 19 total tons. During harvest Paul puts in 14-hour days, conducting the pick, crush, and press.
