Winemaker Notes
The color is pale pink fuchsia, very bright. The nose is frank, lively, expressive, on white flowers and citrus fruits (pink grapefruit). The palate is fresh and the gooseberry meets again the grapefruit. A wine of great freshness and easy pleasure!
A versatile companion to many styles of cuisine. Enjoy with cheeses and fruit or pair with salmon dishes, poultry in light to medium weight sauces, and fresh salads.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A relatively dark pink rosé, the 2018 La Nerthe Cotes du Rhone Rose Les Cassagnes is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 20% Cinsault, the trio of Southern Rhône varieties that seem best suited to rosé production. Cherries and dried spices appear on the nose, followed by a medium-bodied, fleshy wine that's silky, mouthwatering and refreshing, with just a hint of warmth on the finish.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.