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A limited release of just 250 bottles, Xander Soren’s rosé charms the senses with its lovely color, enticing aromas, vibrant flavors, and refreshing acidity. The wine is a blend of all the vineyards used in making the range of Xander Soren’s Pinot Noirs, from the Sonoma Coast to the Sta. Rita Hills. The rosé is made by the saignée method, which entails bleeding off a small portion of the fermenting wine in order to add concentration to it. This juice, naturally flavorful and light in color, is transferred to stainless steel tanks to continue the primary fermentation and is then blended with the rest of the lots. Aromas of freshly picked strawberries and sweet Rainier cherries evolve into a refreshing palate of pink grapefruit and freshly cut apples. Pairing ideas include smoked salmon sushi balls, marinated octopus, sakura shrimp tempura, shrimp shumai, chicken breast and shiso leaves dressed in ume paste.
Xander Soren is the mind behind a radical wine venture that’s been years in the making: developing a high-end Pinot Noir designed specifically to pair with Japanese cuisine. After a career in Silicon Valley that included over 20 years with Apple, where he worked on such iconic products as the iPod, Garageband, and iPhone ringtones, he turned his attention to a more genteel set of passions: wine, Japanese culture and Japanese cuisine. Yet his vision and business model are a far cry not only from fast-paced Silicon Valley but from what’s typical in California wine as well. For in addition to honing his brand to appeal to Japanese connoisseurs, he’s decided to limit his production to around 600 cases per vintage - a boutique wine business for sure!
For Xander’s style of Pinot Noir, he is focusing on cooler appellations, especially the Santa Rita Hills, which, because of its unique terroir, can produce wines that rival those of Burgundy. Xander sources fruit from historic vineyards such as La Encantada, Sanford & Benedict, Sierra Mar, and Olivet Lane. He is also honored to use grapes from Yuki Vineyard, owned by Japanese producer Akiko Freeman on the Sonoma Coast.
Xander’s winemaker is Shalini Sekhar, a rising star (2015 Winemaker of the Year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2019 Winemaker to Watch) who has made wine at Williams Selyem, Stag’s Leap, and her own label called Ottavino. She also produces wine - especially Pinot Noir — for a number of small boutique labels through her custom crush operation. Winemaking at Xander Soren is non-intrusive and labor-intensive, which necessarily results in limited production. Not only vineyard blocks but clones are elevated and aged separately in carefully-selected French oak barrels and blended before bottling to ensure excellent balance. Refreshing acidity, bright flavors balanced by darker notes and character, and, above all, lower levels of alcohol are necessary to pair with sukiyaki, wagyu, tempura, and, perhaps, even sushi. Many of the wines are produced in amounts of less than 100 cases.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | California |
| Winery | Xander Soren |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Color | Rose |
| Varietal(s) | Pinot Noir |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.2 x 29.5 |
| Case Size | 34.5 x 26.0 x 30.0 |
| Alcohol | 13.5% |
| Product Code | BP24ROS |
| UPC | NONE |