Hang out with enough winemakers and you’ll learn, very quickly, how disrespected rosé can be. Last summer even The Economist, of all publications, noted the obstacles this category of wine has often faced.

“Rosé still remains a target of derision among oenophiles. It has earned the offensive moniker ‘bitch diesel’ (so named because it is pink and has been marketed to women). According to Sacha Lichine, the president of Château d’Esclans, when he first approached potential distributors he would get the door slammed in his face: traditional folk “think that it’s not a real wine. They think that it’s a Coca-Cola wine,” he explains.

Barbara Drew, a master of wine at Berry Bros & Rudd, Britain’s oldest wine merchant, suggests that the dismissal of rosé as “not a serious wine” is partly because it generally does not age as well as red, so is not of interest to some collectors and investors.”

“Not a serious wine” is pretty unfair. As anyone who truly loves wine (as opposed to those who only cynically scrutinize it) knows, there are toss-off rosés and there are serious rosés, and there are different moments for each.

In California, of course, both types exist. It’s really a difference between bleeds of wines that go on to become something more expensive and wines that are made from the beginning to be rosé.

Typically, we’re talking wines made from Pinot Noir grapes, Grenache, or some other combination of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. California rosés made from mostly Cinsaut blends are hard to find but worth seeking out, particularly from Thacher, Ernest, and Onesta. And the occasional rosé of Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Malbec, or Cabernet Sauvignon might surprise you.

In general, though, you’re on safer ground if you stick to California rosé made from Pinot Noir (expensive grapes, and therefore expensive rosé) or Rhône varieties. In the latter instance, those (usually) less expensive grapes can mean a more affordable wine, but the better examples are still outstanding and deliberate rosés.

Most producers are not making a lot of money making rosé. But it’s worth doing because there are plenty of people out there who love rosé—including some winemakers. And if a producer is a red-only house, there’s a very good reason to make at least one wine that can serve as the greeting wine—the outdoor patio pour, and the one they can get out the door earlier to bring in some cash.

That said, there are a host of California rosés that are seriously considered from start to finish: planted to be rosé, picked to be rosé, and made to be rosé. Some of my favorites are listed below. They’re all as serious as any red or white—and more than able to stand up to any rosé detractor’s annoying scrutiny.

California Rosés to Seek Out

2023 Ashes & Diamonds Rosa No. 4 Napa Valley ($45)

Winemaker and grower Steve Matthiasson uses Cabernet Franc grapes and a tiny amount of Sangiovese to make this wine. It’s fermented with a touch of skin contact, which gives it an alluringly dark color and a ton of texture. Floral and earthy, and a zero-zero wine, so it will please the most natural-minded drinkers. 

2022 Benovia Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir ($34)

Based in the heart of the Russian River Valley, Benovia winemaker Mike Sullivan makes this wine from one select block of his estate Martaella Vineyard, which is an otherwise highly desired single-vineyard site for Pinot Noir. He harvests early and whole-cluster presses the grapes into juice that can be barrel fermented for texture and richness. From nose to palate, it exudes wild strawberry and tangerine, crisp and tart with just a hint of fruit.

2023 Bedrock Ode to Lulu California Rosé ($22)

Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson blended 76 percent Mourvèdre, 16 percent Syrah, and 8 percent Grenache from what he calls “centenarian” vineyards in Contra Costa and Sonoma County to make this Ode, named in homage to the late Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier. It’s picked early to attain a lower alcohol level (it’s 12.3 percent ABV), and the grapes are pressed whole cluster to highlight aromatics and acidity. Fresh, savory, citrusy, and complex.

2023 Belong Wine Co. El Dorado County Chasing the Sunset Rosé ($30)

South African winemaker Bertus van Zyl blends 50 percent Mourvèdre, 26 percent Cinsaut, and 24 percent Grenache from Veerkamp Vineyard in the Sierra Foothills, using whole-cluster direct-to-press winemaking (and foot stomping, native yeast, and no fining or filtering) to coax the maximum amount of acidity and texture into this wine. Salty, slatey, herbal, and refined, it’s a highlight reel focusing on savory goodness more than fruit. Only two barrels were made, so grab this quickly or miss out.

2023 Donnachadh Sta. Rita Hills Estate Rosé of Syrah ($30)

From a family-owned property that tends 40 acres of vines in the heart of the appellation, this is made entirely from estate-grown Syrah. A vibrant, voluptuous and savory rosé, full of saline and stone, a reflection of the site’s marine shale deposits, cobbles, and rocks. Estate winemaker is Ernst Storm, a South African transplant who has been working in Santa Barbara (with stints at Firestone and Curtis) for many years.

2023 Limerick Lane Russian River Valley Rosé ($36)

Working with grapes grown at Limerick Lane’s estate and nearby Front Porch Farm, winemaker Chris Pittenger combines 31 percent Grenache, 31 percent Mourvèdre, 31 percent Syrah, and 7 percent Grenache Blanc into a meaty, thinking-person’s rosé. Incredibly energetic on the palate, yet complex in weight, breadth and sense of place.

2023 Newfound California Rosé ($28)

Made from 58 percent Grenache and 42 percent Mourvèdre grown at Placida Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast with a bit of Grenache from Cemetery Vineyard in Mendocino County, this is the second release of rosé from Newfound, whole-cluster pressed and fermented in concrete cubes and oval barrels with indigenous yeast. 2023 was a cold, blissful year for wine grapes, so the acidity here is smoking, while the lean flavors are all about just-ripe peach and strawberry. 

2023 Red Car Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir ($33)

This cool, coastal wine is a go-to for many, so much so that the producer uses it as bait to get folks to sign up for its wine club—the only way to guarantee fans can get some of it each year. The Pinot comes mostly from estate vineyards, along with some from the Ramondo Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills, to add clonal diversity. Aged lightly in neutral French oak, this is floral, flinty, and fresh, and worth buying by the magnum, a size not always available in the rosé world ($55). 

2023 Scar of the Sea Rosé of Pinot Noir ($36)

A unique combination of 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Sauvignon Blanc from biodynamic and organic grapes grown in Santa Maria Valley and Edna Valley, the grapes were soaked on the skins before whole-bunch pressing, and fermented separately. Tastes like pink lemonade—in a very, very good way.