Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Pale, brilliant pink. Lively and sharply focused on the incisive nose, displaying fresh red berry, peach, orange zest and floral scents, plus a dusty mineral top note. Shows very good tension on the palate; mineral-laced strawberry, tangerine and white pepper flavors deepen as the wine opens up. The mineral note repeats on the penetrating finish, which hangs on with strong, floral-driven tenacity. This is one interesting pink wine.
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James Suckling
This pale rosé from the Gigondas appellation is all about textural complexity and elegance. Delicate peach and melon character. Long and supple, but clean finish.
Range: 91-92
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.
A small category representing the wines that either fall outside of appellation lines or don’t subscribe to the law and traditions set forth by the French government within certain classified appellations, “Vin De France” is a catch-all that includes some of the most basic French wines as well as those of superior quality. The category includes large production, value-driven wines. It also includes some that were made with a great deal of creativity, diligence and talent by those who desire to make wine outside of governmental restrictions. These used to be called Vin de Table (table wine) but were renamed to compete with other European countries' wines of similar quality.