Jeff Cohn Cellars

** 93 Pts Connoisseurs' Guide Iris Brut Rosé California 2016 60% Grenache; 20% Syrah; 20% Mourvèdre. Most of the wines bearing the sparkling wine title are built more or less in the image of Champagne and are most often a blending of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with occasional small proportions of Pinot Meunier or even Pinot Blanc. The Australians do make something called Sparkling Shiraz--a red Syrah with bubbles and tannin. This wine comes a little bit out of left field and uses a cépage that is wholly its own. Yet, in a tasting of sparkling Rosé, the rest of which were fairly traditional in composition, this wine earned full marks for its great beauty, its approachability and its pristine winemaking. Its color is bright pink in appearance, and its aromas are every bit as lively and bright as its color. It is unabashedly fruity yet it comes with the lightness of sparkling wine and is carried by small, insistent bubbles that give it a level of finesse found in the top bubblies. Long, lively and tasty, it may skirt the traditional norms, but it convincingly earns its high rating.