Wine Tasting: Rosé

That was fun, and educational. After all, when else are you going to taste 11 rosés in one evening?

Some clear lessons: the French make reliable rosé at very reasonable prices. You shouldn't ever have to spend more than $14 for a lovely rosé to keep you company on a hot day (the Dom. Tempier is great, but not $35 great). There was nothing I didn't like, and I would have been happy with any of these if poured for me at a restaurant (OK, #10 would have been a shock if I hadn't been warned in advance, but I really liked it).

Favorites in bold, as usual. Numbers 1-2 and 5-8 available from The Wine House in Potrero Hill (excellent source for French wine). The rest available from K&L Wines on 4th near the ball park (great source for everything).

1. 2008 Ventoux Rosé "L'Instant" - Dom. du Fondréche ($12.99): the lightest of the bunch, barely registers as wine at all, but exquisitely clean and light ("water is also clean and light," says Chas)


2. 2008 VdP du Gard Rosé de Fayel" - Dom. Cantarelles ($10.79): predominantly cab franc, which is a weird grape for rosé; but a very nice wine


3. 2008 Bandol Rosé - Dom. Tempier ($34.99): was in the big bottle ($70 for the 1.5l), this is the "fancy" choice in French rosé ("had this at Chez Panisse," said one guest), probably the best made of all the wines, a lot of effort in making this seem so effortless, but not worth the price


4. 2008 Bandol Rosé - Dom. de la Bastide Blanche ($19.99): trying to be an inexpensive version of the Dom. Tempier, but suffers by comparison, much rougher finish, but still quite nice


5. 2008 VdP des Cevennes Rosé - Dom. Gournier ($9.69): very nice, well priced, straight up rosé, with a bit more body than average, and a bit more cherry over strawberry than some


6. 2006 VdP des Cevennes Rosé - Dom. Gournier ($5.69): same wine as #5, but 2 years older (rosé is meant to be drunk young, so that's why the low sale price). Despite being 2 years old, this was very nice, drinkable, with a hint of brine in the nose and palate. Bargain at this blow out price.


7. 2008 Touraine Rosé - Dom. des Corbillieres ($14.79): a Loire valley rosé, more body than most of the others, probably my overall favorite


8. 2008 Costieres de Nîmes Rosé - Ch. Grande Cassagne ($9.99): another solid rosé, likeable, but not the measure of 7 or 11.


9. NV Fleury Brut Rosé Champagne ($49.99): impossible not to like this wine; 100% Pinot Noir; a champagne with substance, lots of toast, dark fruit flavor, had to pour this *after* the rosé because it was so much bigger and heavier (!). I wish it weren't $50/bottle, but it was a solid step up from my $30 champagne standard (Perrier Jouet Grand Brut)


10. 1997 Lopez de Heredia "Vina Tondonia" Crianza Rosado Rioja, Spain ($23.99): 60% garnacha, 20% tempranillo, 20% viura, and nothing like any rosé I've ever tasted. Hell, nothing like anything I've ever tasted. This is the current release for this rosé (12 years old!), and it might still be young. Lots of old oak, almost a sherry tang on the finish. In the words of Stephen Tanzer, who gave it 91 pts: "Utterly singular wine, and rose in name and color only."


11. 2008 Côtes de Provence Rosé, Domaine de la Fouquette "Rosée d'Aurore" ($13.99): lovely, 65% Grenache and 30% Cinsault, 5% Rolle, exactly what I expect when I think of rosé - fresh strawberry. clean finish, nice aromatics, total winner (thanks Marcia for bringing this, recommended at BiRite!)