Kleinlerer Cuvée Sacha & Nitza Rosé 2025

The 2025 Kleinlerer Cuvée Sacha & Nitza is our newest vintage of Rosé from one of the greatest grape varieties for Rosé: Cinsault. The wine is named after my parents, Sacha and Nitza Kleinlerer. Our home was a blend of cultures, fiercely passionate personalities, varied interests, and warmth towards all. Neither a white nor a red wine, rosé stands on its own and shares qualities with both styles of wines.

Cinsault produces some of the finest and most interesting rosés in France. And yet there are only 121 acres of Cinsault grown in California. I was thrilled to find Cinsault growing in an organic vineyard in the heart of Lodi, a region known for Rhône varieties. The grapes were handpicked in mid-September before being whole-cluster pressed. Fermentation in neutral French oak barrels occured using only indigenous yeast and then aged in the same barrels. The wine is unfined, unfiltered, and was produced using minimal sulfur (30-33 PPM) to prevent the wine from undergoing malolactic fermentation. It meets the European Union definitions for “natural wine.”

This Rosé is bright and fresh, bursting with notes of strawberry and watermelon. Thanks to its naturally high acidity, this wine is an incredibly versatile food wine, but equally delicious on its own. The wine is sligthly cloudy from being unfined and unfiltered but allows for texture that balances out the lightness of the body and the mouthwatering acidity. It is a wine that truly reflects the greatness that is Cinsault Rosé.