Lately we decided to explore the world of Rosé wines. We have always tried some rosé on and off but had not really focused on them. This spring we decided to try a larger variety and see what we liked and didn’t like. Rosé wine is made from many different varietals and can me made three different ways.
The three ways used to make a rosé are blending, Saignée and skin contact. Blending is just mixing red and white wine together, it is rarely used and is illegal in France and some other countries. Saignée is when the winemaker decides to intensify the red wine before fermentation and bleeds some of the juice off the skins. The wine that is removed is fermented separately into a rosé. The third method is skin contact, the winemaker uses a red wine and crushes it as usual but then removes the skins after a day or two so the juice does not pick up as much color as a red wine which is fermented with the skins.
While they make rosé everywhere in the world, some of the best come from France, both from Provence and from the Rhone River Valley. In Provence, particularly Bandol, the grapes are Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Grenache which are the same grapes often used in the Rhone Valley. You may also see Pinot Gris in Provence and other areas of France. Other areas of the world will use just about any grape you can think of, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and more.
We have been buying and tasting just about every rosé we could find in local stores, not always the best selection but you do what you can. Below are the tasting notes for some of the wines we were able to find. Please leave us any recommendations you may have in the comments so we can try them if available to us.
We will start with the 2009 Point Concepcion Celestina, a Pinot Grigio rosé from Santa Barbara County. We usually think of Pinot Grigio as a white wine but it often has lightly colored berries in the clusters. The wine was cold soaked for a few days and fermented in oak. The wine was a light salmon color with initially a somewhat stinky nose. There was light fruit and tobacco flavors and good acidity. Enjoyable and tasty the bottle did not last long.
Next a 2011 Heitz Cellars Napa Valley Grignolino. Made from the Grignolino grape, a red varietal commonly grown in the Piedmont area of Italy. Kind of a light cranberry color, the nose is melon and berry. The flavors were the same as the nose with a little bit of tannins and great acidity. Another nice rosé to have with some cheese or a light meal.
The 2011 Reuilly from Domaine de Reuilly produced by Denis Jamain is a Pinot Gris from the eastern Loire Valley. This wine was a light copper color, very pretty! The nose was mineral and the flavors were some floral notes and light fruit, berries. There was good acidity for a very clean finish.
The 2011 Chateau de Lascaux Coteaux Du Languedoc by J.B. Cavalier is 40% Cinsault, 30% Syrah and 30% Grenache. The wine was a light salmon orange color with a slightly floral nose and complex fruit flavors. With a light body and complex flavors this was a really pleasant wine to drink. More complex than the Reuilly, this wine would do well with a light meal.
The 2011 Chateau DU Ronët Cotes de Provence was a light coppery color with light floral fruit on the nose. This wine has real depth of flavor. Rich fruit and citrus rind along with good acidity. Crisp and clean finish.
The 2011 Domaine Sorin from Bandol in Provence is a blend of 60% Mourvèdre and 40% Grenache. The color was a light salmon and there was a red fruit nose, strawberry and mineral. The flavors were light red fruit, cedar and spice. Just a touch of tannins and great acidity for a crisp finish.
The 2011 Domaine De Fontsainte Corbieres is from the Corbieres AOC in the Languedoc region. This wine was a light salmon leaning towards copper color. There was bright red fruit on the nose, cherries and roses. Good acidity with red fruit, cherries and strawberries and a pleasant fruity finish.
I think that is enough for now. I have several more wines to taste plus we are attending a rosé tasting this Thursday at our local wine shop, Fine Wines of Stockton. What we have found are a lot of very nice wines that are great when you want something light but something more than a white wine. If you have any recommendations of wines we should try, please leave a comment.
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