A Fun-Forward Weekend with Rocks! by Cornerstone Cellars

There are plenty of wonderful wines you can purchase for less than $20. But having tasted three wines from Rocks! by Cornerstone Cellars, one of my favorite wineries that consistently produces quality wines, I have yet more outstanding selections to share with you!

It was an easy choice to bring the 2013 Red Rocks, 2014 Rosé Rocks, and 2014 White Rocks to the lake house this past weekend and share them with friends and family who love delicious wine but don’t want to pay exhorbitant prices. Sun, fun, and clinking glasses filled with our new favorites that will only set you back $15? Yes, please!

All of the wines under the Rocks! label are blends of varieties, the percentages of which change from year to year. The blend is a carefully guarded secret. One year there may be a little bit more of one variety and a smattering of another; the following year “that” variety in the blend may be more than the other. I love a delectable surprise and apparently others do, too.  Craig Camp, Managing Partner of Cornerstone Cellars, explained that “it sounded like fun to create some wines that were not tied down to varietal labeling restrictions and just let our creativity go wild. So Rocks! was born…” Camp began loving blends in the early 1980s when most wine lovers scoffed at the idea.  He tried Vintage Tunina from Fruili and wines from the south of France all of which, in his own words, “blew me away”! Practicality was the method that drove the decision to blend at the time; a combination of varieties “helped the grower from the vagaries of vintages”.  This makes complete sense to me.

Ready to drink the day of purchase, Rocks! wines are approachable, value driven palate pleasers.  They could easily be considered your new “house wine”, in my humble, wine loving opinion.

2014 White Rocks! by Cornerstone (sample) – One of my friends immediately declared that this wine, a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Orange Muscat, is a “great day drinking wine”.  I agree, but this could certainly go into the evening, too! The intense aromas of white flowers and tropical fruit led to clean tastes of juicy fruit, pineapple, pear, mango, and grapefruit.  Light and refreshing, pair the White Rocks! with anything from spicy barbecued wings to salty chips to your favorite picnic sandwich (although our group finished the bottle before the appetizers were even served). Cost is $15.

2014 Rosé Rocks! by Cornerstone – You’d never believe that this was a rosé by the deep salmon red color in the glass.  This incredibly dry rosé of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Syrah had strength in both aroma and taste – attributes I don’t usually find but appreciate in this type of wine.  Bright, enticing aromas of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries wafted from my glass.  On the palate, luscious red fruits dominated with a backbone of bracing acidity and enough spice to make me consider this wine one of the most food friendly I’ve found.  We paired the Rosé Rocks! with old fashioned southern barbecue sandwiches on the back porch but you could also enjoy a few glasses with pizza, salads, even steak.  Cost is $15.

2013 Red Rocks! by Cornerstone – A red wine that is more complex that you would think at this price point, I found rich let light red fruits including strawberries and raspberries on the nose.  Savory tastes of more red fruit, earth, nutmeg, cloves, and spice with bright acidity and integrated tannins paired with our homemade bruschetta.  And the blend? Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Pinot Noir… You may want to throw a few burgers or brats on the grill and pair with the Red Rocks! Just don’t feel guilty about letting your friends think that you spent much more than you did! Cost is $15.

Two years ago, I wrote about earlier vintages of Rocks!   After tasting the wines reviewed above, I’m loving this new generation. Fun-forward? You bet! Our group had a fabulous time at the lake this weekend and Rocks! wines from Cornerstone Cellars made it that much more memorable.

Cheers~ Cindy