I was enjoying a warm afternoon with one of my favorite wine buddies, my cousin Kacey, and she shared with me a glass of “pink” wine, a Rose to be exact. It was a glass of Groundwork 2011 Grenache Rose. I sipped and talked and then suddenly expressed pure joy and had to know where this wine was from. I examined the bottle as I finished the glass and conversation. A couple of weeks went by and I still was curious about the wine, so I visited the Groundwork Wine website, also known as Sans Liege, and ordered a well-priced bottle to share with my husband.

I like this wine, a lot. In fact, it is the best rose I have had this year, if not ever. It tastes like a summer vacation full of travel and epicurean quests. The nose is a Provencal-style rose, fruity and floral, with the aroma of fresh strawberries and a zip of lemon zest, and on the palate is a bit of spice and sweetness like sweet basil from Greece, and extra qualities which reminded me of tropical fruit from South America. This wine is like a well stamped passport.

Sans Liege/Groundwork is owned and operated by Curt Schalchlin, Schachlin does all the cellar work himself, sourcing the fruit from various key vineyards, the vineyards are thoughtfully chosen by Curt. His story is pretty interesting, he began working at Trader Joe’s when he was young, later he built relationships with Herman Story Wines and Barrel 27, he developed his craft with unpaid, hands-on learning in winemaking, soon he was on to producing his own barrels in the Central Coast and now wholeheartedly moving forward with his wines.

Find them on facebook here

Tasting room location:

870 Price Street  Pismo Beach, California