“All that happens is as usual and familiar as the rose in spring and the crop in summer,” Marcus Aurelius Antonius
Frequent trips during my youth to visit extended family in the Napa Valley left my father, rest his merry soul, bitten and smitten by the grape. On many an occasion thereafter, one could witness a bottle of Charles Krug Rosé proudly adorning our dinner table.
My second exposure to rosé (post Mateus) was sampling my first bottle of quaffable (something college kids tended to try) French Tavel Rosé in Upstate New York. Its juicy tartness and complexity was a real treat, ultimately leading me toward teaching the Wine Course at Cornell.
Vinifying rosé isn’t true rocket science, but rather a delicate craft; one needs to take red wine grapes, whose pigment is usually in the skin, and press them lightly, liberating the light and ebullient juice (the flavor of which depends upon the grape type) from the more ponderous skins. The resultant “must” is light, nuanced and free of heavy tannins. After tactful vinification, the resultant rosé wine can range from joyously simple to beguilingly captivating and nuanced. All are well-suited for a wide range of activities and cuisines, from patio conviviality to simple grilled or chilled chicken al fresco meals.
I recently zipped over to Sendik’s in Mequon, remembering that they carried a respectable rosé inventory. The ever-active Kevin Grace was off, so I enlisted Mike’s help to snag wines for this week’s tasting. All of these candidates retailed for less than $15, and none were obvious clunkers. Here are my tasting notes for these five wines:
1) Domaine de Figueirasse Gris de Gris, 2010, France, $12.99. Pale flattering blush with medium body. The nose faintly suggested strawberries with light depth. In the mouth, this was light and barely acidic with a tad of bitterness, which faded over time. C+
2) Hecht & Bannier Rosé, 2010, Languedoc, France, $11.99. Pleasingly pink with medium-heavy body. On the nose, it displayed faint notes of tart cranberries, which I found rather fetching. On the palate, I noted nice richness with dashes of wild strawberries. Clean, pleasantly acidic finish. B-
3) El Coto Rosato Rioja, 2010, Spain, $8.99. Quite unlike a Rioja in color, with neon pink hue and Rioja-like heavy body (a combination of the traditional Tempranillo and Grenache grapes used in Spain). Lightly intense nose with medium depth. Medium body with great depth and subtly gutsy finish. B+
4) Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Rosé, 2009, California, $9.99. A blend of Merlot, Syrah and Gewurztraminer, all of which bring something to the table. Brilliant pink hue. Heavy body. The nose projected light but emphatic notes of cranberry, blueberry and melon. In the mouth, I found this to be quite pleasantly unctuous, round and spicy, gracefully sliding toward an elegant finish. A-
5) Martin Ray Dry Rosé Wine, Russian River, California, $12.99. Slightly dusty rose color with heavy body. Since, as the label said, it was sourced in the Russian River, I expected rich complexity and wasn’t disappointed. Deep, satisfying nose with nicely spicy complexity. Deep, profound intensity in the mouth with rich notes of satisfying fruit. Clean, lightly acidic finish. A-
Today’s winner was the Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Rosé, which narrowly nosed the Martin Ray Rosé.
Today’s Price/Value winner was the El Coto Rosato Rioja, a delightfully reasonable picnic wine from Wildman Importers.
A blushingly boisterous cheer to all contestants!
