This Summer has been a season of meteorological discontent in the greater Delaware Valley. The (multiple) successive (and repressive) heatwaves might actually make the local wines interesting to taste once they’re finally bottled, but it hasn’t exactly jived with the tastes of the rest of us.
In other words, it’s been too f-ing hot and miserable around here lately!
So, I for one will be very, very happy to see Summer hightail its sorry ass out of here. To celebrate this Summer’s pending death, and of course the rise of Autumn (and therefore also the hallmark of Steelers football), I recently raided the sample storage and pulled out a bunch of Rosé, because it reminds me of blood and when it comes to this Summer, I’m definitely out for its blood. The outcome of all of the vinous bloodshed is an overview of Rosé production (and a few reasonably-priced picks) that I penned last week over at Table Matters.
The good news is that the current state of international Rosé remains interesting, vibrant, fun, and for the most part affordable. If you’re a Rosé fan, it’s a good time to be alive; if you’re not yet a Rosé fan, it’s a good time to get your act together and try some because very, very good and varied examples are being made all over the world right now.
My reviews from the Rosé sample raid are below after the jump – along with a couple of badges for two standouts among the mix…
First, the badges:
2009 Paul Jaboulet “Parallele 45” Rose (Cotes du Rhone)
Very good Rosé is being made just about everywhere these days, but no one seems to have fully usurped the Rosé crown from France. Jaboulet’s Parallele 45 makes further legitimate claim to the royal French Rosé bloodline, and it’s got a killer left-jab / right-hook combo of crushed red berry and floral notes. If those don’t get you, the uppercut of tanginess probably will. At $12, it’s a total Overachiever and well worth checking out.
2009 Michel Torino Malbec Rose (Cafayate Valley)
We are dangerously close to Malbec market overload, with just about every big wine production house outside of Chile now sponsoring some kind of joint-venture Malbec project with some Argentine producer or other. Even sparkling versions are cropping up. Don’t let the Malbec glut (or the overly-cutesy-flowery label) deter you from trying Michel Torino’s Malbec Rosé, however. It’s got a great mouthfeel that will help it play well with a wide range of foods, an enticing blood-red color, and nose that is full of candied strawberries without being sweet. In other words, it’s a Crowd Pleaser and a wine that will not last long at your next get-together.
And next, thoughts on the entire Rosé round-up, from the twitter mini-review feed:
- 09 Michel Torino Malbec Rose (Cafayate Valley): You’ll have a hard time keeping our friends’ hands off this candied berry goodness. $11 B
- 09 Paul Jaboulet “Parallele 45” Rose (Cotes du Rhone): A beauty who’s not afraid to mix it up with us commoners. Total overachiever. $12 B+
- 09 Hecht & Bannier Vin de Pays d’Oc Rose (Languedoc-Rousillon): Proof that France has never really resigned the global Rose crown. $12 B+
- 09 El Coto de Rioja Rosado (Rioja): If you’re the impatient type who picks raspberries before they’re ripe, this one’s hard to beat. $9 B-
- 09 Santi “Infinito” Rose of Bardolino (Veneto): Straaaaawberryyyyy Fieeeeeelds Forevaaaahhhhhhh. $11 B-
- 09 La Scolca “Rosa Chiara” Rosato (Gavi): Like taking an exquisite bunch of roses, ripping off the petals & chucking them everywhere. $16 C+Cheers!
Really? The Jaboulet rose? Why am I the only person on the planet who doesn't "get" this wine?
That's life. And wine.
I've been on the other end of that before with several wines, where not only did I not care for them, I thought they were actually poor or poorly made. And everyone else loved them.
Same thing happens in the wine medal competitions, I'm told, where people taste a wine blind, then are asked if the wine should be considered "gold, silver, bronze or eliminate" – sure as sh*t, every other round one person's "gold" is another person's "eliminate."
Thanks, Kimberly – I concur on Tavel, it's a vinous hotspot when it comes to Rosé. Another one I've been encouraging folks to try is the Robert Oatley Sangiovese Rosé fro "down undah" – relatively inexpensive and very quaffable.
I suppose the moral of our collective story is something along the lines of "not all wine needs to be dense & complex; sometimes, it can just be refreshing & delicious."
Cheers!
Really digging this post, since John and I FINALLY made the connection that rose doesn't mean "white zin" or "Mateus Rose". For my 40th b.day dinner at Bistro 44, I wanted something sparkling, and we took a chance and grabbed a bottle of Spanish cava,: Llopart Rose brut Reserva, 2006. At $20, a freakin' bargain- crisp and dry, but with so many cool things going on in the glass-yow. I was used to Cook's pink carbonated "soda", so I never thought to go this route. So cool… and yes- I love summer, but let's KILL this one already. And thank God school has started!-Lisa
Thanks, Lisa – keep flying the Rose flag!
As for Summer… well, we know my thoughts on that one now :-).
Oh, the Robert Oatley Sangiovese Rosé — we carry that where I work and I've never tried it. Thanks for the suggestion, I was thinking about drinking Rosé this weekend, while it still feels like summer, and that might be the one!
It's still plenty warm in central Texas to drink rose. We picked up a bottle of the M. Chapoutier "Belleruche" for $14 the other night. A really nice rose that goes well with a variety of foods. Plus, the braille on the bottle is neat as well.