Winemaker Notes
Try pairing with Salmon gravlax, thaï shrimps but this Tavel rosé wine goes with any season and any meal. Delicatessen meats, white meat, grilled fish or topped with light sauce, spicy dishes, Asian cookery, sweet and sour dishes.
Blend: 57% Grenache, 15% Clairette, 11% Cinsault, 11% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 1% Bourboulenc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
On first whiff, this deep-pink rosé is a bit demure, offering barely-there hints of crushed mineral and blossom. On the palate, however, it's invigoratingly zesty, yielding loads of crisp, concentrated red-cherry and raspberry flavors. It's a full-bodied, satisfying wine with pert structure to enjoy well through the summer or fall of 2019.
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.
The only all-rosé appellation in the Rhone, a Tavel comes in many hues from light salmon to bright pink and is said to be the only rosé that can actually age—and improve. The rosé wines of Tavel have a great historic reputation, having been favored by King Louis XIV in the 18th century, as well as famous authors, Balzac and Mistral.
Tavel are always dry but the high percentage of the fruity Grenache (30-60% of the blend by law) and even Cinsault, give charming aromas and flavors that make them feel "almost sweet." A great Tavel rosé will have a bouquet suggestive of rose petals, apricot, strawberry and red currant. The palate may be fleshy, round and layered but is always fresh and balanced.