Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The art of quaffing is something that more wine "snobs" should try. Instead of always acquiring the most expensive or fanciest wine, one can just buy the 2015 Saint-Roch Les Vignes Rosé for eating, drinking and being merry. This wine is solid and just wants to be opened for anyone who enjoys wine. How about this one with a turkey sandwich on freshly baked bread? Light to medium pink in color; bright aromas of raspberry fruit; medium bodied, lively on the plate; perky fruit in the flavors; lively aftertaste.
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.
Cotes de Provence is an extensive but valuable appellation that includes vineyards bordering the main Provencal appellations. Its sites vary from subalpine hills, which receive the cooling effects of the mountains to the north, to the coastal St-Tropez, a region mainly influenced by the warm Mediterranean sunshine.
Here the focus is on quality rosé, as it defines four fifths of the region’s wines. Following in the rosé footsteps, a lot of new effort is going into the region’s red production as well. A new generation has turned its focus on high quality Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan. Cotes de Provence white wines, which represent a miniscule part of the region as far as volume, are nonetheless worthy of consideration and can include any combination of Clairette, Semillon, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino.