Rosé Rocks!

Rosé is one of the things I like the most about summer. Every year we look forward to seeking out new, and familiar, rosés to enjoy as outdoor temperatures rise. I love rosé for many reasons. Flavors: strawberries, citrus, raspberries in a lighter bodied wine. Lower alcohol: 12.5% – 13.5% is the general range. Color: salmon, pale salmon, blush, pink. Versatility: rosé accompanies everything from salads, to roasted chicken, to fish tacos.

We recently tasted a group of rosés at a Thursday night wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton. They were an interesting collection of rosé made from a variety of grapes produced around the globe. Here’s what we tasted and a bit about each wine.

2013 Listel Sable de Camargue Grain de Gris Rosé — light salmon in color with delicate floral and strawberry aromas. Light flavors of berries combine with lime zest, a kiss of sweetness and crisp, clean finish. Subtle but flavorful. ABV 12.5%

This rose is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Carignan produced using a very short period of skin contact to impart color and flavor into the wine.  The Sable de Camargue Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) applies to vineyards planted in sandy soils along the ocean (just south of Picpoul de Pinet) in the eastern portion of the Languedoc. This region’s sandy soils largely protected the vines here from the phylloxera epidemic in the 1880s.

2013 Jean-Luc Colombio Cape Bleue Rosé — very light pink in the glass with blackberry aromas. Citrus pith dominates the flavors along with blackberries, minerality and good acidity. This wine feels a bit rounder in the mouth. ABV 12.5%.

A blend of 67% Syrah and 33% Mourvèdre is produced near Marseille in the Languedoc. It’s Méditérranée IGP classification means winemakers have more latitude in selecting grape varieties for their wine and less restrictive winemaking regulations than Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) classifications.

2012 Cline Cellars Mourvèdre Rosé — darker salmon in the glass with aromas of raspberries and blackberries. Flavors are reflective of the aromas with a combination of sweet and tart red berries. This wine has lots of flavor and perhaps a bit of fizz. I noticed some tiny bubbles clinging to the inside of my glass. It has plenty of flavor and texture. ABV 13%.

Produced from Mourvèdre harvested from Cline’s 100 year old vineyard in Contra Costa County. These red grapes are pressed prior to fermentation so that a bit of color and tannins are extracted from the grape skins. Cool fermentation aims to preserve the bright flavor and it is not quite fermented to dry. There is just a touch of residual sugar.

2013 CrossBarn Rosé of Pinot Noir —very light salmon in the glass with minerals on the nose. A burst of citrus flavor is followed by minerals and berry fruit and juicy acidity. This wine is weightless in the mouth. I like that. ABV 12.5%.

This wine is fermented to dryness in stainless steel without going through malolactic fermentation. Paul Hobbs, who in addition to producing California wine at CrossBarn, produces wine under the Paul Hobbs label in Napa and Vina Cobos in Argentina. He is also beginning a wine project in the Fingerlakes region of New York State. Busy man.

2013 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé — bright rose color in the glass with complex aromas of minerals, ripe berries and vegetal notes in the background. Flavors are mostly berries to me with a touch of sweetness and adequate acidity for a clean finish. It gains complexity in the glass over time (maybe as it warmed a bit). ABV 12.5%.

While I did not think this wine was lacking in flavor, it did not have a great depth of flavor, especially after those complex aromas. There was a lot of discussion about this wine among the group. Everyone seemed to taste something different in it.

Mulderbosch is a South African producer widely distributed in the US. They do not produce this Cabernet Sauvignon rosé by bleeding off juice from their red wine production, but harvest the Cabernet Sauvignon early to preserve flavor and natural acidity. Hint: this is the way rosé should be made. The wine is cold fermented using aromatic yeasts.

2013 Caves D’Esclans Whispering Angel — the palest of pinks in the glass, ballet slipper pink to me, with aromas of berries and roses. Berry and floral flavors repeat from the aromas and combine with minerals and good acidity. This wine is subtle but interesting and satisfying. ABV 13%

Produced from a blend of Grenache, Vermentino, Cinsault, Syrah and Tibouren sourced from around the village of Le Motte in Provence. After destemming and light crushing, both free-run and pressed juice is fermented in stainless steel.

You may be unfamiliar with Tibouren, I was. It is a variety not widely planted elsewhere, but it is commonly used in the rosés of Provence. It’s a bit difficult in the vineyard, producing wildly variable yields from year to year, and for that reason it is used mostly as a blender. It is credited with producing distinctive earthy aromas characteristic of Procençal wines. I missed it in the Whispering Angel, but look for more wine containing the variety. Now I’m curious.

With the price of many of these wines very close to $10 and the alcohol levels around 12.5% rosè is a winner in my book. Most are so versatile, pairing well with lighter fare but even charcuterie, or pork.

My take-aways for the evening: complex flavors in a lighter bodied, very dry, rosè is what I’m looking for. I’m not a fan of sweeter rosè. The best way to figure that out is to get out there and taste some rosè.

Also, don’t judge a rosè by its color, or lack thereof. Sometimes very light rosès can be very flavorful. That’s the goal in Provence, to create the most flavorful rosè possible with a very light color.

The Whispering Angel was my favorite and the CrossBarn my second favorite. The group voted the same way.

Cheers!