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Robulous Wine Company 2023 Big Bear Ridge Vineyard Rosé of Merlot
Bringing a Vineyard Back
Liz and I met at the crossroads of a Bronco II and wine when a friend introduced us over twenty years ago. Our first overnight getaway was two weeks of harvest internships in Napa and Sonoma. Let's be real, we all knew that it was only a matter of time...so it is with great excitement that we invite you along on a journey we embarked on in the fall of 2021.
In the fall of 2021 on the heels of a global pandemic and local wildfire, Robert and I were reminded of "Ohana" (the Hawaiian word for family). Stich said it best, "Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind." At the height of our inspiration, a family of winemakers, wine grape growers and a region exploding with collaborative passion set us up with the ability to make our very first wine.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Robulous Wine Company, Grants Pass, Oregon
2023 Big Bear Ridge Vineyard Rosé of Merlot
Life has been a wild ride since we launched our first wine, what we thought might result in a few folks enabling our hopes and dreams has turned into a broad spectrum request and a karmic blessing that has manifested itself into the stewardship of Cellar503 and Liz making a frightening amount of wine. So here we are, inviting you along for the wild ride...presenting Robulous Wine Company*.
The memory of September 8, 2020 is still as vivid as yesterday for those of us who call the Rogue Valley home. The Almeda Fire began as a small brush fire, but it exploded into one of the most destructive Oregon wildfires in our state's history. This was a different kind of fire.
Five years ago last labor day, Oregon saw the deadliest wildfire season in state history. At one point 80% of the school children in the area were homeless. Eleven lives were lost, skies turned orange, more than 4,000 homes burned and tens of thousands of Oregonians evacuated as multiple fires scorched more than a million acres.
Local authorities in addition to state and federal agencies were overwhelmed, so while they coordinated efforts to mobilize - a group of Rogue Valley food and beverage professionals activated to ensure no one in the community went hungry. After about 7,000 meals made and distributed together Rogue Food Unites was formed to sustainably address the changing needs of our Rogue Valley neighbors, and with it a sisterhood was born.
One of those sisters decided that Liz was "God's Favorite" and brought her up to her family vineyard that had been left fallow since the patriarch in her family was no longer able to keep up with it. With vines that were decades old, this beautiful yet wild vineyard that sat a top a steep hillside just outside of Jacksonville - captivated our hearts. For two vintages we correctively pruned the site before taking the fruit from 2023 to make this Rosé of Merlot.
Harvest Dates 9/24/2023
Vineyard Source Big Bear Ridge Vineyard
AVA Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon
Harvesting & Sorting Hand picked and sorted
Processing Whole Cluster Press
Fermentation Vessel Stainless Steel start, Neutral French Oak
Fermentation Duration 45 days
Fermentation Temperature 55-65 F
Malolactic Fermentation No
Bottle Date 4/17/2024
Cases Produced 20 Cases
Bottle Chemistry
pH 3.33
TA 6.5 g/L
R.S. 0.97 g/L
Alcohol 12.4%
Great shot of Robert right? Photography credit: C503 Member Laura Harper
*Named after unintentional art that was born from chaos that transcend time to become a legacy.
A Cellar 503 selection in February 2026, Made With Love Rogue Valley | Merlot
