Ron’s Wine Pick
By Ron James

Kelley & Young Winery 2008 Kathleen Rosé ($24)

You never know when or where you’ll find a great new wine. After a stimulating afternoon visiting art galleries in Healdsburg Plaza in Northern Sonoma, we dropped anchor at the famous Oakville Grocery. There’s no better place in the world to put together a great impromptu picnic than Oakville Grocery, with locations in Napa and Sonoma.
With a loaf of French bread and artisan cheese in hand I headed for the refrigerated wine section for a cold bottle of wine. It was a perfect day for a nice light rosé. I reached for the rosé I was unfamiliar with — a beautifully colored wine that cried out “drink me!” It was a 2008 Kathleen Rosé from Kelley & Young Winery in Geyserville. This dry rosé was created for just this kind of wine country experience — it’s fresh and crisp with strawberry flavors that perfectly complement the savory creamy cheese and warm crunchy bread. It was a wonderful rosé and a great way to end the day.

The next day we attended the the 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair, and we met the very nice Kathleen of the Kelley and Young rosé. But that’s another story. You can find their wines online at www.kelleyyoungwines.com.