Remembering Summer With L’Aventure

With this recent turn to nicer weather, I’ve been daydreaming about spring and summer wine adventures.  Last July and August found me in Paso Robles, where one of our favorite wineries was L’Aventure.  While I won’t be breaking out the red I bought there any time soon, this 2006 L’Aventure Rose’ was calling my name the other day. I put it in the fridge that morning and pulled a pork tenderloin from the freezer.

Later that night while making dinner, I found the wine to be as good as I remembered.  Pretty red fruits— strawberry, raspberry, and sweet cherry—along with citrus, shortbread cookies, and ocean air. BK said it reminded him of a root cellar, and I could see what he meant in terms of imagining a dry dirt floor. Made from 72% Syrah and 28% Cabernet, it had fairly high alcohol for a rose’—14.8%— but the heat blew off almost immediately, allowing us to focus on the delightful aromas and flavors.  The hint of saltiness in the wine, as well as the citrus, made it a nice match for my soy and orange juice marinade for the pork.

Luckily, there’s one more bottle of this one to have when warm weather rolls around and stays.