2020 Boschendal The Rose Garden Rosé
We haven’t seen too many wines from South Africa at Costco and that’s a shame because there are some great bottles to be discovered at compelling prices.
We last tasted and reviewed this wine a couple years ago, so seeing it pop back up at the same $8.99 Costco price piqued my interest for sure. You can’t find enough solid Rosé under $10.
Boschendal, located in South Africa’s Western Cape, is one of the oldest wine estates and farms in South Africa, and features a historic rose garden after which this bottle was named.
I poked around a bit online to find out what varietal was used in this Rosé and it sounds like a blend of Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon. And I thought it came together quite nicely.
The wine pours a pale salmon in the glass with a light muted strawberry on the nose. Then flavors of red fruit, strawberry, raspberry a little apricot; it’s juicy and fruit forward, crisp in the finish.
There’s a lot to like here and I think readers who enjoy many of the Côtes de Provence Rosé, including the Kirkland Rosé that should be hitting stores soon (will be 2020 vintage), will like this bottle.
I like to enjoy them chilled but not too chilled. I put this one in my cellar at 55 degrees and I find that to be a perfect temp, at least for me. I know many people prefer it a touch colder.
Too cold though and the flavor can really get muted. A simple way to find a good temp is to store it in the fridge for at least a couple hours and then pull it out about 15 minutes before you plan to open.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points
Costco item number: 1180084
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Perimeter)
Alc. 12.5%
Another South African rosé, the delicious Mulderbosch, is well-stocked in at Minneapolis Costcos— plenty there right now during the sub-zero snap, but it’s been in the bins since summer.
I’ll look for this one— my family lived in Johannesburg for a couple of years in the late 60s, and while I was well under drinking age, I was really interested in my PARENTS’ interest in wine while we were there. They actually packed some up to bring back to the US when we moved home— Nederburg Rosé, which I’ve always remembered. Unfortunately, some (or most?) was broken in transit, inside the big wooden crates used to ship a household in those days, so not only was the wine a loss, there was probably some damage to whatever it soaked.
The most crucial thing about that wine story, though, was that it was a clandestine operation. I was 11 or 12 at the time, and recall something about it not being legal to bring alcohol into the country without declaring it, or something like that. Probably small potatoes, but at the time I was scared witless at the thought that my folks would be found out, and thrown into prison for smuggling!
Naturally, South African wines have really interested me since I came of drinking age, but until the past 20 years they were hard to find here. It’s been really fun seeing more and more of them, although a bit sad to see that apparently the traditional Chenin Blanc vines (known there as Steen) were yanked out, as CB had a blah reputation here. Suddenly it seemed like Sauvignon Blanc had taken over! That does seem to be loosening up a bit, though, and I hope there’ll be a return to CB there.