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By Manos Angelakis
Many do not consider rosé as a serious wine. Yet, here I am, on a glorious March afternoon, tasting rosé wines from Provence and enjoying every minute of the tasting.
Provence is a French region that specializes in producing dry, high quality rosé wines in six AOC appellations. The wines are made from red grapes, but the grape juice is allowed very limited contact with the grape skin, hence the pink coloration. Most Provençal winemakers vinify single-variety grapes in individual vats. Then the final cuvée is assembled from these individual batches. And, even though Provence is the dominant player in the rosé arena, there are producers in other areas of the world that create excellent rosés.
The Provence tasting was of a young, fresh, 2009 vintage. I normally would not suggest keeping rosés for more than 2 to 3 years from bottling. But, many of the Provençal rosés will remain enticing for 4 to 6 years in cellar.
There was one winery that made a rosé that I loved, it is called “Eternelle Favorite (Eternal Favorite)” made by Château de Saint-Martin in the Côtes de Provence. An extremely aromatic blend of Tibouren, Carignan, and Grenache, it has a very complex nose of rose, honeysuckle, and mandarin orange. The palate is smooth with white fruit flavors predominating and a long finish. This is a par excellence summer sipping wine and at an SRP of $19 it should find a ready audience.
The same producer also makes a Grande Réserve that is a blend of Grenache, Tibouren, Cinsault, Carignan, and Syrah. It is a bit paler than the Eternelle Favorite, a bit shyer on the nose, but is a more complex and very food friendly wine. The long finish has red fruits, especially cherry and blackberry. As opposed to the Eternelle Favorite, this is more of a mass produced wine, harvested by machine very early in the morning. Skin contact is for 6 hours, and fermentation is temperature controlled.
Château Miraval is a biodynamic (for more information on Biodynamic wineries see story in this section) estate that presented a very pale rosé with a SRP$25. Called Pink Floyd Rosé, it is a blend of Cinsault and Grenache. The wine is named Pink Floyd because the rock band used the recording studio on the property to record “The Wall”. Cold fermentation ensures a lightly aromatic nose and a delicate body. This is more of an aperitif than a food wine, though it would go well with grilled fish and seafood and most simpler Mediterranean dishes.
Domaine de Fontlade is an estate that has 100 acres of vines and creates two interesting rosés, Aurelia Prima Rosé and Saint Qvinis Rosé. The Saint Qvinis wine is a blend of 50% Cinsault and 50% Grenache and is nicely aromatic. At a SRP$12 per bottle, it is a very affordable treat. The color is intensely rosé with burnished gold highlights. The nose is a mix of white peaches and wild raspberries; the body is fresh and lively. It is well balanced with proper acidity.
The Aurelia Prima Rosé is 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. A bit shy on the nose, it is much drier than the aroma would suggest. Also white peaches but with strawberries on the nose, it has a lighter body than its brother and a pleasant length. At SRP $18, it is a limited production wine.
Domaine de Rimauresq creates one aromatic, very pale rosé with white flowers on the nose and an appealing minerality. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Tibouren it is called Rimauresq Rosé. This is a food wine that would pair very well with light Provençal dishes, especially a good bouillabaisse. Unfortunately, the same winery also had one of the worse wines in the tasting, a blend of Grenache and Cinsault, called Petit Rimauresq.
Domaine Sainte Lucie presented three rosés in the SRP$16 to $20 range. The best of the three was QIM-MIP Premium Rosé, a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Vermentino. It is a very pale wine with a rather subdued nose, in a distinctive square bottle. Palate of pink grapefruit, green apples, D’ Anjou pears and gooseberries.
There were numerous other participants, but the above had the most noteworthy bottles.
But, rosé wines are not the exclusive purview of Provence.
Earlier in the month, I also tasted three rosés that I would consider as equal to most of the better Provençal rosés.
The first, and best, was from South Africa. Charles Beck is the owner and winemaker of Fairview Wine Estate, near Cape Town. Some of his wines are branded “Goats do Roam” which is a play on words to Côte du Rhone – his red wine under that brand name, I would consider a Côte du Rhone equivalent. But, what impressed me was his Goats do Roam rosé. For an SRP under $10, it is a fine, clean and fruity wine, with fresh raspberry and lemon aromas and flavors. Ready to be drunk on purchase.
Another nice rosé, perhaps not as aromatic, but certainly having a vibrant pink color, light and fruity palate with pleasant red berry, sage, and minerals on the nose is Banfi’s Centine Rosé from Tuscany. It is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Finally, from Chile, from the Montes winery. Cherub, a 100% Syrah rosé wine from the Archangel vineyard. It is a delightful indulgence. Crisp and dry with a nose of red fruit and summer roses and an intense cherry-pink color. Soft tannins give the wine a definite structure. The long finish shows a backbone of acidity that makes it very food-friendly.
À santé!
© April 2010 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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