I’ve had favorable opinions of Line 39 before (the name comes from the 39th parallel latitude!) and, of course, always want to hype a woman winemaker, in this case Alyssa Reynolds, who works with the earth, not against it. To wit, Line 39 is a Certified California Sustainable Winery, creating a California Certified Organic Farmers wine.
I was highly tempted by the 2023 Organic Rosé given its heady hue (crushing on Tavel territory). This is its first year on the market; this one is made with my sweetheart Zinfandel and does have the slightest kiss of residual sugar, ala the OG “white” Zinfandels, which were, in fact, rosé. Wow, it’s like even for the easy-drinking wines, the wine world wanted to make wine terminology confusing. Not this bottle, though. Through and through labeled as rosé, it brings ripe cherry, watermelon, and a tiny touch of floral white pepper to the party. Good by the glass and (please don’t hate me) on a realllllly hot day like I was having in Los Angeles when I opened it, a nice little ice cube sliver was not unwelcome.
Don’t come for me, wine people. There is a time, place, and temperature for a tiny sliver of ice. It is. A. Vibe. Do not be afraid. I enjoyed this wine without. I’m just saying that on a sweltering day, I succumbed, and you know what? Some wines become nothing with ice–whereas THIS one took a small cube with grace and aplomb. It’s all about the right vibes, right times, right wines.
The 2023 Organic Sauvignon Blanc is pleasingly crisp, not without a bit of body and, dare I say, slight (wine nerd words alert) phenolic grip on the mid-palate? Don’t worry about that if those words mean nothing to you, though; know that it gives juiccccccy lemon-lime, slight grassy grass (as opposed to the lemon type), then actual lemongrass, some bay leaf, and a whisper of white roses and river rocks. Easy to drink as can be–it could be a porch pounder but worthy of thought, too.
Both these wines are ones that I feel punch above their price tag weight and ones I feel good about telling you you could fetch from your local vendor.