Winemaker Notes
Pastel pink color with purple and salmon reflections. This wine has a variety of scents ranging from violet to small wild strawberries with a hint of vine peach. The mouth is lively, quenching, incredibly stimulating. The notes of wild berries and peach offer, thanks to the very low pH of the soil, freshness and length well beyond expectations.
Undoubtedly, this rosé is one of the few that can be used with fresh fish on the grill or cooking lightly in a sauce, but also lightly greasy white meat in a pan or in foil with, for example, lemongrass, and herbs of Provence.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Limpid orange-pink. Displays lively, mineral- and spice inflected red fruit and orange scents and a floral nuance builds in the glass. Taut and energetic on the palate, offering zesty strawberry and redcurrant flavors that turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Shows sharp definition and spicy cut on the persistent finish, which echoes the berry note.
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.
An appellation full of some of the most delightful and particularly charming reds, Côtes du Rhône Villages includes the best villages of the greater Côtes du Rhône appellation. The possibility for an appellation promotion exists for every named village but each has to achieve and prove superior quality before an upgrade will be granted. The main ones today are Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vinsobres, Rasteau and Cairanne.
The Gigondas appellation, while sometimes producing wines with a touch of rusticity, can often rival Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Its elevations are higher and soils richer in limestone. Vacqueyras reds are more concentrated than the more general Côtes du Rhône reds and must be at least one half comprised of Grenache by law. Beaumes de Venise also includes some excellent higher elevation spots for making snappy, fruity and spicy reds but historically the appellation’s esteem came from its fragrant, sweet and golden Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.