Well, my Rosé summer is halfway over. I've sampled eight Rosé wines total so far, and can't wait to sample eight more. Over the next two posts, I will try to find a common theme with the Rosé wines I select and sample, but I can't guarantee anything. This month, though, I was able to find four wines with a common element: Rosé wines from France. In France, there are two major regions that are known for their Rosé: Languedoc-Rousillon and Provence. I was fortunate enough to find Rosés from each of these regions. 2017 Barton & Guestier Côtes de Provence: To begin my second month of my Rosé summer, I am going to explore four French Rosé wines. This wine was on clearance at my neighborhood supermarket for $10, so I figured I would dive right in and taste it same day. Unlike other American/mass produced Rosé, this wine had more information on the back of the label. This wine is a blend of three grapes: Grenache (50%), Cinsault (30%), and Syrah (20%). I’m sure my mind is programmed to think that the wine should be heavier because this combination if it was a red blend would be dry and medium-heavy bodied – this wine was neither of those. For some background, Côtes de Provence is the largest appellation (geographical location) in the Provence region in southeastern France. (Fun fact: the Provence region was the first Roman province outside of Italy.) Shifting back to this vintage 2017 Rosé, the wine was a pretty pronounced pink hue that led me to believe that it would be a fuller body Rosé. However, it was a very light strawberry taste that finished up with a touch of tartness. Not a bad Rosé, but it just left me desiring more, almost like there was something missing, especially with one of my favorite grape varietals making up half of the blend. 2017 Jour de Pluie: This Rosé also hails from the Côtes de Provence region of France (sensing a theme here?) and is a good contrast to the Barton & Guestier I had last week. This Rosé has a heavier body and mouthfeel. (Don’t read that as it being two polar opposites, rather it’s a noticeable difference, but not a heavy Cabernet or Zinfandel.) I was glad this Rosé had a raspberry-forward nose as I was admittedly getting a bit tired of having the strawberry stick out with the past few Rosés. This Rosé is a blend of two varietals: Cinsault (80%) and Grenache (20%). These wines, as I found out, are often combined together to give the Grenache-blend a “softer” mouthfeel, but I feel that this wine bucks that because of the 4:1 Cinsault to Grenache ratio. Either way, a solid summer drinker and would be a good one to bring to a summer BBQ as it isn’t too sweet to cover up any food you may have. 2018 La Vieille Ferme: The third French Rosé is an budget-friendly Rosé, and the second wine I’ve had from the La Vieille Ferme wine family. The first wine was a generic red blend and I was not a fan, so I was skeptical on trying this wine. Fun fact: the La Vieille Ferme winery was established by Jean Pierre Perrin more than three decades ago to create “an inexpensive, straightforward Rhône wine to sell by direct mail to French wine lovers.” (from wine.com) There is a strong strawberry and cherry taste on the front, with an excellent balance between the red fruit taste and the tannins. This Rosé doesn’t leave your mouth feeling sugary and dry, but enough to feel mineral-like. This would be another good Rosé to bring to a summer BBQ because it would pair well with grilled food, but is also good on its own. I would definitely buy this wine again, especially for $7! NV Rosé All Day: And the final French Rosé goes this wine with an extremely bougie, millennial name: Rosé All Day. This wine, having been featured in Cosmo and Refinery29 amongst other publications, made me chuckle when I saw it in my local supermarket. I admit, it’s a statement I frequently make in the summer, albeit, in jest. But there's some truth to it, especially with this Rosé. But I digress. This wine I purchased on sale for under $10 and was drawn to it not only by the name and it being French, but that it was made from Grenache grapes, one of my favorite varietals as aforementioned. Clocking in at a sturdy 12.5% ABV, this Rosé had a nose of melon and strawberry with a clean, almost mineral tasting finish; not dry, not sweet. This wine, ultimately, was sort of disappointing, though. There was such little depth to it. The fruits did come out, but you really have to pull to get what it could be. That doesn’t mean it is a “bad” wine, but that it was very, very light tasting. I usually like my wines to have a lot of depth and a lot of flavor. I would only buy Rosé All Day if it is under $10. There is much better Rosé out there at the same price point. (Something funny: I looked over this section a few times to ensure I didn't call this wine "All Day Rosé" because of Founders' Brewing iconic "All Day IPA" Session Ale.) Thanks again for reading my commentary of four French Rosés. I'm looking forward to finding four new Rosés and sharing my thoughts with you! Until then, cheers!
0 Comments
|
Author20 something living in Beer City USA with an affinity for wine. Other hobbies include photography, reading, and playing my pup. Archives
March 2020
Categories
All
|