Oregon wine: 2020 Abacela Grenache rosé

2020 Abacela Grenache rosé

Fault Line Vineyards,
Umpqua Valley,
Southern Oregon,
Oregon

13.3% alcohol

Empty bottle weight: 16.2 ounces // 462 grams

Screwcap closure

670 cases produced

Owners Earl and Hilda Jones have spent over 25 years championing Oregon Tempranillo. In fact, they were the first to plant the varietal in the Northwest, back in 1995. Matt and I have loved Abacela wines for a least the last decade! We have visited their vineyard several times, including once for International Tempranillo Day, when we were treated to some of their older vintages. And, if you haven’t read my Why Wine? interview with Earl, check it out here.

With their iconic labels and bright yellow foil capsules, Abacela’s branding is spot-on and their wine bottles really stand out on the shelf. For whatever reason, I’ve never asked or knew exactly why the Joneses chose Abacela as the name for their winery. After a little digging, I discovered that Earl happened upon the word “Abacelar,” an old Spanish verb that meant “to plant a grape vine,” while doing some research in a library in Bilbao, Spain. The conjugated verb becomes abacela when describing he/she/they plant a vine. Years later, when he and Hilda were considering names for their new winery, Earl recalled the word and definition he’d written down while in that Spanish library. Not only is it a nod to the native Spanish origins of the Tempranillo grape, but also to how the family began planting and cultivating a vineyard on their 463-acre property west of Roseburg, Oregon.

Recently, Abacela shared the news that Dr. Greg Jones, Hilda and Earl’s son, was named CEO of the winery. In the early 1990s, Earl asked his son for help locating a suitable location to grow Tempranillo. Neither of them found much information, which eventually prompted Greg to develop a new area of study and become a wine climatologist. After almost 25 years researching climates in wine growing regions around the globe, the well-respected doctor has a long resume that includes contributing to a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report! I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds for Abacela with Greg at the helm.

Along with Tempranillo, over the last 25 years, the Joneses have planted many other varietals unique to Oregon, including; Syrah, Grenache, Albariño, and Tannat. The Grenache grapes planted in their cooler vineyard blocks become this rosé wine. After fermenting in 100% stainless steel to retain its brightness and acidity, the resulting wine is dry with some nice heft and a great mouthfeel. (Click here to read our Wine 101 on Mouthfeel.)