Porta Caeli Felici 2015
I’ve always wondered who has the fantastic job of naming colors. The big Crayola crayon box had not only an amazing array of color, but a dizzying number of color names. My favorite color was the deeply unPC “Indian Red”, that rich, reddish-brown color. Nail polish! Nail polishes have crazy names. I’m currently wearing one called “Famous” which is a bronzey tan and another called “Valuable Petroleum” 
which is a shimmery marine blue. How do you get this job?
Once in high school chemistry we did an experiment that was supposed to turn a bunch of vials of something certain colors. Then we had to describe the colors. I was musing over shades of lapis lazuli, aquamarine, azure, and so on when my unimaginative teacher came by, looked at me a moment, then yelled “Blue! They’re all BLUE!”.
It makes me happy when a name accurately describes something. I’m not sure that this bronzey-tan is what “famous” would look like. However, the Porta Caeli Felici…”happy” is definitely an accurate name for this!
The Felici rosé makes up the trifecta of Porta Caeli‘s top line of wines along with its Ament and Pacem labels. This winery, based on the Gallipoli Peninsula, prides itself on producing high-end, Bordeaux-reminiscent wines.
Porta Caeli Felici 2015 Tasting Notes
If you’re only looking at the label then you could be easily fooled into thinking that this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon rosé is actually a red. A rosé with a whopping 14% abv? Between the alcohol level and the intense watermelon pink color you know you’re in for something with this wine.
Happily, it’s something good. The nose balances sweet and tangy red fruits with watermelon and cranberry, white pepper, and a hint of clean, refreshing mint. The palate is clean, bone dry, and with lively acid. Very nicely balanced here, you don’t at all feel the high alcohol. A nice long finish of bright red fruits and iced tea flavors make this one of the more interesting Turkish rosés that I’ve had.