Tag Archives: Rose Hill Vineyards

Rose Hill Vineyards and Inn: Celebratory Weekend       July 6, 2025

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
The logo reminds me of Gertrude Stein’s poem, “Rose is a rose is a rose.”

It had been a busy weekend. Aside from it being the Fourth of July, a family member was celebrating one of those “big” birthdays, and we had a large gathering at our home on Saturday, so on Sunday, the actual birthday, we wanted to go somewhere close to home and quiet.  We also had a few other requirements to meet the needs of our guests: dog friendly, okay for children, good wines, roomy enough to seat eight, and somewhere they hadn’t been before.  Rose Hill fit perfectly, plus, being somewhat off the main wine route, we knew it would be quiet, even on this July 4th weekend.  Our guests had been to the location when it was Shinn, but not since the new owners and the renovation.  So off we went to Oregon Road (so-named, according to one local, because it was so remote “it might as well be in Oregon”).

In addition to the patio, they have seating out on the lawn.

We were greeted by a very friendly young man, who quickly assessed our group and showed us to a table on the shady patio, where we felt quite comfortable despite the warm day.  One member of our group, who had spent some years on the West Coast, opined that the patio had a “California vibe,” with its natural wood, flowers, and relaxed feel.  There is also a gift shop, inside a building where one pays one’s tab.  Two young shoppers assessed the offerings as “cute but pricey.”

Some of the gift shop offerings, plus a view of the patio.

The youngsters were supplied with their own bottle of fizzy pink lemonade ($15), which they quite enjoyed, and we ordered roasted spiced nuts (not spicy) and olives for the table, medium-sized bowls for $12 each. Meanwhile, we perused the menu (accessed through a QR code on the table) for the tasting options.   

In addition to the sparkling water, free carafes of cool tap water are supplied.

Rose Hill (named for a street the owners had lived on) offers three flights: Summer, Classic, and Red, each featuring five wines for $30.  My husband and I decided to share the Summer flight, one guest also chose that one, and another decided on the Classic Flight (a third couple had already been to a couple of tastings, so they opted to share a glass of the Brut Rosé and a bottle of Saratoga sparkling water).

This is a screen shot, so it is a bit blurry!

Cat, our charming and efficient waitress, brought out the flights, pointed out the tasting notes below each glass, and we began.  Of course, as happens when we do a tasting with friends, there was a lot of conversation not related to wines, so my comments might be a bit brief.  I’ll go through our selections first.

  • 2024 Palmilla   $34

First and best!  This is a blend, primarily of chardonnay, plus albariño, gewürztraminer, and a little semillon, which I only know because someone (an owner?) stopped by our table, so I was able to ask.  Anyway, we all like it, noting an aroma of pineapple and other tropical fruits, and a flavor of pineapple and mango, plus some citrus.   

  • 2024 Concrete Blonde                $48

I happen to know that the name refers to aging in a concrete “egg,” rather that wood or steel, which tends to give wines more depth.  In this case, the sauvignon blanc is very light, with a faint aroma of earth or clay, and some herbal flavors.  My tasting buddy likes it better than I do.

The Summer Flight: one always tastes from left to right.
  • 2024 Riesling                   $28

“Off dry” means the wine is not dry, but happily this wine, though a bit sweet, is not too sweet to sip, though I think I would prefer it paired with a nice plate of Pad Thai.  Good.

  • 2024 Grüner      $28

Though One Woman’s Grüner is one of my favorite North Fork wines, this tastes quite different.  The assessment at the table is “A lot of people would not like this wine, but we do!”  It is interesting, very herbal, with an aroma that combines spice with a touch of menthol, almost medicinal.  It would pair well with a cheese tray, like the one I assembled for our party, with some of Love Lane Cheese Store’s delicious offerings, including their truffled brie, Cambazola blue, Mimolette, a smoky Gouda, and Catapano’s cranberry flavored goat cheese.

  • 2024 Rose Hill Rosé      $34

This is a just okay rosé, made from merlot, dry, with the expected strawberry aromas and flavor.  A nice dish of pasta with shrimp would pair well with it.

Now to the Classic Flight, of which I had small sips.

The Classic Flight.
  • 2022 Brut Rosé                       $48       

This is mildly bubbly, with some nice yeasty aromas and a bit of a bready taste.  Pleasant.  It is primarily chardonnay, with some pinot noir, which gives it the pink tinge.

  • 2024 Coalescence                 $28

Shinn had a wine they called Coalescence, which I really liked.  This one was judged “forgettable” by my table mates, though I thought it was okay.  It’s a blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, semillon, and pinot blanc.

  • 2023 Chardonnay                  $34

There are a LOT of chardonnays on the North Fork, and I would choose some of those over this one, which is assessed as “meh.”

  • 2023 Mojo                 $34

This is a very light red, an unoaked cabernet franc, with tastes of pomegranate and berries and a touch of earthiness.  Nice.

  • 2022 Wild Boar Doe              $52

Say the name out loud, and you will realize that this is a Bordeaux-style blend (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and malbec).  It is also our other favorite of the day, which one guest describes as “juicy and delicious,” and another as “a star.”  Lots of dark fruit taste, with some notes of spice and figs.  Yum.

Our “well-behaved” dog, who was allowed on the patio–and attracted several pats, as well as the attention of a couple of other dogs who passed by.

Reasons to visit:  pleasant setting off the beaten track; dogs allowed on the patio, though not inside; standard menu of snacks; the Palmilla and the Wild Boar Doe, in particular, though we also liked the Grüner; they have an inn, in case you want to stay the night.

Rose Hill: A Rose By Any Other Name

Posted by nofowineaux in Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 21, 2021

A recent trend in the North Fork wine country is the takeover of wineries by new owners, who often change the name.  So Martha Clara is now RG/NY, and Shinn is now Rose Hill.  Pretty name.  And the new owners have made some nice changes to the place, too.  I didn’t go inside, but the outdoor patio area is lovely, paved with flagstones and shaded by big umbrellas, with one area in the sun if you are so inclined.  It was a perfect day to sit outside, brightly sunny and just breezy enough to make a sweater or sweatshirt welcome.

We were there with my brother and sister-in-law, visiting from upstate, now that we are all vaxxed.  What a delight to hug people again!  We decided to try Rose Hill because it was new, a bit off the beaten path—it’s on Oregon Road—and they serve a variety of lunchy snacks.  According to the web page, you need to make a reservation, which we did, through Open Table (one of my favorite apps), but it turned out not to be necessary.  Still, I would make reservations as long as occupancy is limited, so you don’t get turned away. 

Several hand-written signs in the parking area (which is quite small, by the way; they should consider ways to make more spaces) direct you to go around to the back for the entrance to the tasting room.  A few parking spaces are reserved for the B&B, in a house at the front of the property.  Around the back, the soft splash of fountains frames the entrance to the patio, where a server indicated we could choose any seat we wanted.  We took a nicely sized table for four, and a very pleasant young woman rushed over to clean it off before we sat down.  A nice touch—Rose Hill has continued the Shinn practice of putting large bottles of chilled water plus glasses on the table.

The menu is accessed through a QR code card on the table, and by the time a waiter came by to ask us if we’d “had time” to look at it—clearly expecting this table of people of a certain age not to know what to do with a QR code—we had read it and decided on our order.  They offer two different flights, which have one overlap, both consisting of five wines for $24, so each couple got one flight to share, which was plenty to drink.  We also got the cheese and charcuterie board for $26 and a basket of roasted sweetened nuts for $11, both of which were very good.  Another nice touch—the disposable plates are made of bamboo, which means they are recyclable. 

We had a pleasant afternoon, sitting and talking and catching up on a year’s worth of news, but our one disappointment was the wine.  No wine was undrinkable, but no wine seemed worth the cost.  Since my brother wanted to buy a couple of wines to take back as thank you gifts, we drove over the Vintage wine shop after the tasting.

Classic Flight

* 2019 Sparkling Rosé      $42

My flight started with a slight, pleasant sparkler, made with the méthode champenoise.  It has a typical bready aroma and a bit of sweetness, plus citrus.

  • 2019 Coalescence           $25

We had liked the Shinn version of this wine, by the same name, and the aroma was promising, nicely flowery.  However, this blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot blanc, riesling, and semillon lacked depth and complexity, and was very soft and light, with a bit of citrus flavor.

  • 2020 Pinot Blanc            

Again, we commented that there was “not much to it.”  The wine had aromas and tastes of mineral and unripe pear.

  • 2020 Rose Hill Rosé        $28

Both flights included this merlot-based rosé, which my brother characterized as “highly ordinary,” with a “soft mouth feel” and “very little character.”  It is a very light wine, dry, in the Provençal style. 

  • Non-vintage Red Blend                $25

Since this blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, malbec, and cabernet franc is made with grapes from both 2017 and 2018, they call it non-vintage.  It has a very piney aroma, which my brother humorously dubbed “eau de Pine-Sol.”  A bit tannic, dry, but again, lacking depth and substance.

New Release Flight

  • 2020 First Fruit                $28

Steel-fermented sauvignon blanc, very light.

  • 2020 Concrete Blond     $42

Macari also makes a wine in a concrete “egg,” in their case a rosé, while this is a sauvignon blanc.  This wine has a lovely aroma of pear and honeysuckle, and a flowery taste, though a bit sour on the end, and has “more presence” than the first wine.

  • Rose Hill Rosé

I already talked about this one.

  • 2020 Rosé          $25

This was my favorite wine of the day, a more robust merlot-based rosé, with nice strawberry flavor and aroma.

  • 2020 Cabernet Franc      $32

Though this has some nice pomegranate flavor, overall it is rather thin, with no body.  As my brother commented, “When the best thing you can say about a tasting is that the nuts are good, you have a problem.”

Reasons to visit:  Nice location a bit off the beaten track, with a lovely outdoor patio area; good cheese and charcuterie board and roasted nuts; the 2020 Rosé, and maybe the Concrete Blond.  Most of the other wines are drinkable, but not very flavorful or complex, and we felt the price/value ratio was a bit off.  You can stay in the B&B and do tastings.