Browse Tag

rosé

Peyruguet day

Jolivet “Haut Peyruguet” 2005 Bordeaux Rosé (Bordeaux) – Some of the weedy leafiness that lingers in the background of a complex red Bordeaux is here, but without all the rest of the stuff that makes it pleasant, rather than offputting. Red cherry fruit is sticky and a little over-dulled, while there’s not much that’s refreshing or interesting to add to the mix. (1/08)

Mer, sea, mer, sea, me

[glass]Parcé Frères “La Rectorie” 2006 Collioure Rosé “Coté Mer” (Roussillon) – Comes on light, then explodes with dense cherry flavor…one that comes right up to the edge of candied over-concentration, but doesn’t cross that crucial line. This is a rosé that can function as a light red wine, but it’s also got lovely transparency around the perimeter. (12/07)

Crazy in pink

JP Brun 2006 Beaujolais “Rosé d’Folie” (Beaujolais) – For a good hour or so, this is cranky and difficult; there’s nothing specific that’s wrong with it, exactly, it just doesn’t want to play…nicely or otherwise. Afterwards, however, matters change. Striking, almost masculine floral aromas over red fruit and juicy, fresh-plucked-berry acidity form the core of this wine, but there’s a brownish-grey tint to it as well (not visually, organoleptically), one that adds a certain discord of solemnity. A wine worthy of more examination than most will give a rosé, certainly, but it does need air. (12/07)

505 ways to make your wine pink

[bottle]Wyndham Estate 2006 Shiraz Rosé “Bin 505” (Australia) – Not a saignée, but rather a wine from grapes dedicated to this purpose, with the must chilled and a relatively cold fermentation. It’s simple, with clean, minty cherry dominating, and it’s full-bodied without being over the top, with a wet finish and good acid balance. Enjoyable. (9/07)

[label]Corte Gardoni 2006 Bardolino Chiaretto (Veneto) – While overt heaviness and alcohol can be a problem for rosés, Bardolino Chiaretto often has the opposite problem: too light, too thin, too acrid. Thankfully, none of that’s on display here. Instead, it’s a bright, smiling, linear beam of light red fruit. Some sort of Disney animation of dancing and frolicking animals, flowers and children under an animatronic sun wouldn’t seem out of place, at all. Summer was the right season for this wine, but drinking it now brings the summer right back. (11/07)

Pointless

[label]Gourdon “Chateau Tour Grise” Rosé “Zéro Pointé” (Loire) – Biodynamic cabernet franc. Not at all dry, but instead candied and somewhat sickly. Like one of those rubbery strawberry fruit candies. No thanks. (9/07)

No reply Etoile

[bottle]Domaine Chandon Brut Rosé “l’Etoile” (Mendocino/Napa/Sonoma) – Crown cap. Very fruity, with strawberries to the fore, and perhaps a little sweeter and more neon-intense than I’d like. But there’s yeasty complexity underneath, and the wine firms up a little bit on the finish…though eventually it turns every so slightly candied again. Still, not bad, though not worth the price either. (8/07)

Jenny from the block

Lopez de Heredia “Viña Tondonia” 1997 Rioja Rosado (Center-North) – Such a unique wine. Blood orange through gauze, old roses, concentrated and blocky minerality, and a slightly saline, almost fishy component are supported by elusive acidity and a strong, but not hot, alcoholic texture. Fascinating. (8/07)

Serra smile

[bottle]Argiolas 2006 Isola dei Nuraghi “Serra Lori” (Sardinia) – A rosato of cannonau (grenache). Deep pink verging on purple, with a concentrated ripe berry flavor hit by little pellets of graphite and fizz, plus a keening anise note. This could pass as a light red wine, but it’s by no means overly heavy, and it avoids the common pink grenache pitfall of excess alcohol. A very good wine. (8/07)

Saladini course

[botti]Pilastri 2006 “Consenso” Rosato (Marche) – Beautiful strawberry notes dusted with the spice rack (more the dried herbs than the ground pods), with a fine, appealing balance and something on the finish that tastes like albino walnuts, if that makes any sense. There’s light complexity in its mix of fruit and spice, but it’s so juicy and drinkable that resisting a hearty quaff will be difficult. (7/07)