Winemaker Notes
Delightful as an aperitif, or with grilled meats and fish, raw or grilled vegetables, charcuterie, soft white cheese, and spicy dishes. Also great with fresh fruit-based desserts and sorbet.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The estate rose (this family makes a handful of terrific roses under their Le Paradou label) is the 2018 Ventoux Terrasses Rose and it’s a blend of 50% Cinsault, 40% Grenache, and 10% Syrah brought up in tank. Its light pink color is followed by a terrific array of wild strawberry and peach fruits intermixed with complex notes of sappy herbs and pine forest-like characteristics. Clean, crisp, medium-bodied, and with a dry, lengthy finish, it’s terrific rose that’s going to shine on the dinner table over the coming summer months.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 50% Cinsault, 40% Grenache and 10% Syrah, the 2018 Ventoux Rose Terrasses is another fine vintage for this cuvée. Dried spices, watermelon rind and strawberries mingle easily on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate delivers mixed berry and citrus flavors aboard a silky texture. It's fully dry on the finish, with a hint of bitterness.
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.
Stretching across the slopes of the Ventoux mountain in the southeastern region of the Rhône River Valley, Cotes du Ventoux excels in the production of spicy and characterful red blends based on Grenache, Syrah, and other indigenous varieties. The region also produces rich and aromatic whites and rosés.