2018 Saignee Rose TerraVox vineyard

We enjoy visiting vineyards. When we toured Oregon vineyards in the 1990’s, we always rented a gray or silver car, because the roads into these new vineyards were so dusty. Recently, I drove to the Terravox vineyard, just outside Farley, MO. Or about 40 miles N.W of Kansas City, MO. Driving along the Missouri River on MO Hwy 45 was pleasant. Then, I had to veer due North on a narrow two-lane, wending county road. I turned onto a gravel lane that lead to the winery’s main buildings. Stepping from the car, I was greeted by a flock of Gennie hens. (I hadn’t seen these birds since my Uncle’s farm in Kansas.) All of this to focus on visiting the vineyard.. The winery has a tasting room at another location in nearby Weston, MO. But, sampling mix with other foods smells that interfere with tasting. So, I dove the vineyard for wine. The vineyard sits on rolling hills. The scene is picturesque, and it’s in Missouri. Interestingly, the vineyard was started in 1996. Rows of the Norton Grape were planted. But the owners did not get their retail license until 2012. Terravox is a rather recent to Missouri’s wine industry. After entering their main building, I was greeted by a young lady. She was working int their wine processing room. She was kind of enough to give the grand tour: we saw the processing and storage area. We walked along the fields, spoke about their newly planted vines, and then she helped select six mixed bottles for me to take back. Being upfront, I mentioned I am not a Norton varietal fan. Note: we have toured dozens of other Missouri wineries, but have not found a Norton that I enjoyed. We’ve gone on the Missouri wine trail near Herman, MO. We’ve tried wineries around Stockton Lake, MO. And stopped along I-70, etc. Other varietals were interesting, just not Norton. The first wine opened was their ’18 Saignee, which really is a processing method that involves “bleeding” off a portion of red wine juice after it’s been in contact with the skins and seeds. It is a unique style of rosé wine that heartier and a darker pink in color than many other rosé wines. The nose was a surprise- a floral reminding me of white clover. The tasting was fruity with berry, raisin, and a smooth finish. Back to those Norton wines: This is a Norton-lite, the after-part of the first crushing. From here, I returned to some reviews about other Rose wines: 2 from France, one Kendall-Jackson, and a canned Rose from Pirtle winery. This Terravox Rose differed from traditional processing. The wine was heavier, offered more nuances, and had a deeper pink/red in color. At last, I found a Norton that was truly enjoyable. And so did the Wall Street Journal. In its “off Duty” section, D: Saturday/Sunday, November 16-17, 2019, page-d8, their editor, Lettie Teague gave this Saignee a high recommendation.