Marachal Foch Rosé, Good Harbor Vineyards ($7.50)
The late renowned winemaker Bruce Simpson pressed this rich-hued, fruit-forward, semisweet wine from 100 percent M. Foch grapes. His son Sam Simpson started working with it in January, bottling and releasing only 300 cases. Good Harbor Vineyards, Leelanau County.
2008 Pinot Noir Rosé, Forty-Five North ($20)
Clean, refined, historymaking. Competing against 954 reds at the 2009 Pacific Rim Wine Competition, this gorgeous rosé came in second to the California-made Barbara by Jeff Runquist, compelling judges to create a new Best Rosé category, which it won hands down. Forty-Five North, Leelanau County.
2008 Rosé, Left Foot Charley ($15)
Winemaker Bryan Ulbrich quips, “Don’t fear the pink, it’s a great summer drink!” Delightfully dry yet robust; a delicious pair with burgers. Made from Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Dornfelder grapes grown on Old Mission Peninsula and in Antrim County. Left Foot Charley, Traverse City.
2007 Pinot Noir Rosé, Brys Estate ($17.50)
Spicy, dry and subtly floral, great with bacon-wrapped scallops or vineyard owner Eileen Brys’s Cherry Pork Loin. Brys Estate, Old Mission Peninsula.
2008 Rosé of Cabernet Franc, 2 Lads ($17)
Lush, ripe, herbaceous, bold. At press time only a handful of bottles left at the Old Mission tasting room. 2 Lads Winery, Old Mission Peninsula.