EVERYTHING COMING UP, ROSÉ!
We have a lot of pink in our house. Did I say A LOT? I mean, Pinkalicious has nothing on us. After two girls, you acquire a lot of…. dare I say it again… PINK. When my son was born, I was way too overwhelmed with three kids to ‘buy some blue’. Let’s just say he has an affinity for pink. Riding a PINK scooter? Nope, doesn’t bother him. He might try to kick it and ramp it down a flight of stairs, but pink never looked so good. So when someone invited me to a rose wine tasting, I obviously HAD TO GO. Taking one for the team, because more pink in our house is always welcome.
If you haven’t heard, it’s rose season. I was in so much pink that I felt right at home. The event is called “La Nuit En Rose” – or as I called it, more rose than I could dream of. Rose comes in many shades of pink. Your typical Provence, France rose wines are made from Grenache and blended with Cinsault and Syrah. Then you have Pinot Noir rose, a shade darker than Provence, which provides a similar taste but with a slightly earthy quality. Tempranillo, a staple grape in Spain, tends to make spicier roses, and you have White Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tavel roses in order from light to dark. Tavel was the surprise of the day for me. It is a region in the Rhone Valley dedicated to making rose wines. Tavel roses can be hearty, spicy and intensely colored. Tavel was once a very sought-after wine, with a price tag to match. The quality hasn’t changed, but consumers are going for the lighter roses in recent years over the Tavel.
I tasted a few, and my favorite was Domaine de La Mordoree, La Dame Rousse 2014, $30. This wine is complex, spicy and perfect. It can definitely hold up to fish, meat and a hearty meal. http://www.domaine-mordoree.com/fe/e/sheet_rose_tavel_dr.htm.
A few other notable Tavel wines were the Domaine La Rocaliere, Le Classique 2014, $20.00, and the Lafond Roc-Epine, Roc Epine 2014, $21.00.
Next up, Chateau d’Esclans Whispering Angel 2014, $24.00 – this is one of my friends’ favorite wines, although it is not one of my favorites… but I will mention it here because I seem to be on an island all by myself about this. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I find so many other wines out there that taste better, but alas you can’t win them all. http://esclans.com/whispering-angel/. A few notable other wines with a similar profile were Domaine Montrose Rose, $15.00, and Domaine L’Ostal Cazes 2014, $13.00.
One of the highlights was finding the boxed Rose I had recently blogged about, representing New York. This wine is not only good, but it can hold up to the best of the best! Shout out to Bridge Lane Winery! You can take a visit to the North Fork for this, and also my local wine store (Amanti Vino, NJ) is now selling it! http://bridgelanewine.com/?set_agegate=over21
Two wines from Gerard Bertrand winery (Languedoc) that I loved were Chateau la Sauvageonne (‘wild woman’) 2014, $29.00, and Chateau la Sauvageonne Rose GMVV 2014, $69.00.
Before I move on to the two sparkling wines I loved, I must pause. I am on a yacht, touring around the Hudson river and drinking rose with no children. I was jealous of myself. Mommy duty had come to a halt for a brief moment.
To round out the day, I found two very special wines that I absolutely must buy and a cocktail that I will be making at the next party.
First the cocktail: it was called “Lejay Spritz,” made with 1 oz Lejay Cassis, 2.5 oz sparkling water and 2.5oz champagne. It was delicious. Cassis is basically a liquor that is sweet, dark and made from blackcurrants. This cocktail was a winner. http://lejay-cassis.com, $17.99 Astor wines in NYC sells and will ship.
Finally, as the tasting was coming to an end, I indulged in some champagne.
The winners:
Michel Gonet Rose Brut 2007, $35.00, 100% pinot noir grapes and absolutely lovely. http://www.gonet.fr
It was a tie for first place with Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose NV, $59.00. http://www.nicolas-feuillatte.com/en/the-collection/the-must-have/brut-rose I was in heaven. It was a great way to end a tour through the world of Rose.
If you live in the city, Minibar will deliver wines, get $10.00 off when you use code: rose10 https://minibardelivery.com also Wine Enthusiast was a sponsor, thanks for the free magazine!
