This is the first entry in a series that Michele and I are calling our “Summer of Wine.” We are exploring our wine refrigerator, pulling out white and rosé wines that are a bit older. Sadly, neither of us is great at tracking what we buy and drink, and more importantly, don’t drink. After a recent visit to the wine fridge, we realized we have a lot of wines that probably should have been consumed already. So the question is: are they still as good as when we bought them? Or did we wait too long to drink them?

First up is a 2009 Tempranillo Rosé from Stangeland Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It is a dark rosé, in the glass it looks more like a red wine. But it is light in body and dry on the palate.

On the nose are aromas of strawberries, cherry candies and eucalyptus. The taste was mostly cherry candies and lacked the acidity typically found in Willamette Valley wines. We think this is because the wine should have been enjoyed when it was much younger. Likely it was brighter and more vivacious in its youth.

I have always been a fan of this winery. I find their Pinot noir to be exceptional, the winery is a pleasant place to visit staffed by friendly people and it has a great valley view. It’s also off the beaten path but still easy to find. The first Memorial Day weekend I spent in the valley this winery was a standout. I was so impressed I sent my father, a true California wine snob, a Pinot noir for Father’s Day. He called it one of the best bottles of wine he’s ever had.

While I found this wine to be a pleasant sipper and it paired decently with my turkey meatloaf with marinara sauce, my conclusion is this bottle was past its prime. I guess we waited too long.