Wine Focus for May: Rosé for spring!

Innovac!on Malbec + Syrah Rose’, Mendoza, Argentina. We found this wine buttressing two ends of a huge rose’ display upon entering Whole Foods on May 4. It is a lovely wine with tropical fruit flavor. We matched it with broiled Italian sausages in pasta with a light fresh tomato sauce, and salad. Highly recommended wine.

2013 Laurel Glen Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Light bronze?? salmon color. Nice mouth feel, lean, somewhat savory, almost saline. Very fine little wine.

I have always enjoyed the various offerings from Ch. Mourges du Gres in the Rhone Valley so was keen to try their Rosé when visiting a winebar downtown. From the 2014 vintage, the Galets Rosé is a grenache/syrah blend. Believe around $20 Cdn a bottle, shows meaty pepper tones with wild strawberries.
Excellent depth of flavors, smooth, no wimpey wine here folks! Enjoyed with some Italian coldcuts.

I have always enjoyed the various offerings from Ch. Mourges du Gres in the Rhone Valley so was keen to try their Rosé when visiting a winebar downtown. From the 2014 vintage, the Galets Rosé is a grenache/syrah blend. Believe around $20 Cdn a bottle, shows meaty pepper tones with wild strawberries.
Excellent depth of flavors, smooth, no wimpey wine here folks! Enjoyed with some Italian coldcuts.

That one sounds as if it has more personality than most pinks, Bob. I particularly like the sound of the peppery notes.

I don't think I've ever had a wine from Mourgues du Grès which has the reputation of being perhaps the best in Costières de Nîmes. It seems that I should remedy that oversight!!

Here is an article by Jancis R on pinks http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/09069fd8 ... z3a7tpRvq7 .

No mention of some of my favourites, including rosé from Pinot Noir like Sancerre rosé, Marsannay rosé, rosé des Riceys......., and Château Simone near Aix-en-Provence. A lot about Château d'Esclans which I guess was inevitable given the media exposure given to that estate. What has happened to Tavel, once considered the finest pink?

[Jenise]

We opened the 2014 Chermette 'les Griottes' pink from Beaujolais last night. Unfortunately it did not wow us. The fruit's reticent, the acid is not. Would have been better as a food wine than as an aperitif.

[Jenise]

Last night we had the 2014 La Spinetta sangiovese rose from Tuscany. It was just about my favorite rose of last year, so this year I picked up four. It did not disappoint!

[David M. Bueker]

Last night we had the 2014 La Spinetta sangiovese rose from Tuscany. It was just about my favorite rose of last year, so this year I picked up four. It did not disappoint!

The simpler wines from La Spinetta are often good and good values. The more expensive wines remain oak bombs.

[Jenise]

Maybe that's why I've not been a fan of other La Spinettas I've had. I remember a friend bringing a pair of bottles to something and me not caring for them, but that was so long ago I don't remember why. But I do like this rose a lot.

[Robin Garr]

Last night we had the 2014 La Spinetta sangiovese rose from Tuscany. It was just about my favorite rose of last year, so this year I picked up four. It did not disappoint!

I have a TN on that floating around here somewhere, and I agree. It was amazing, and I did not begrudge the $20 local retail in the slightest. It also may have been technically a rosé, but it sure as hell looked like a white to me!

[Jenise]

Yup, it's very very pale. In general, though, that's my preference in roses--I'm always attracted to the lightest colored ones, they seem the most nuanced.

[David M. Bueker]

Yup, it's very very pale. In general, though, that's my preference in roses--I'm always attracted to the lightest colored ones, they seem the most nuanced.

And I am attracted to the darker ones which seem to have more depth to my taste.

[Jenise]

Yup, it's very very pale. In general, though, that's my preference in roses--I'm always attracted to the lightest colored ones, they seem the most nuanced.

And I am attracted to the darker ones which seem to have more depth to my taste.

It's my experience, which could be quite addled , the more color the more fruit to the point of a residual sugar finish in many cases. And I hate that. Not your experience?

[David M. Bueker]

No. Not at all. Jamie Kutch made a whole cluster Pinot Noir Rosé in 2014 that turned out electric pink, and had great depth and some actual structure. There are others as well.

[Jenise]

Tried a little Portugese number called something like Espinosa last night, though I don't think I have the name right. Starts with an 'E' though! $5 at Trader Joe's right now, a big display. Lightly effervescent and fruit forward, it's a bit like drinking soda pop but pleasantly so.

[Robin Garr]

And I am attracted to the darker ones which seem to have more depth to my taste.

My principle, too. But the La Spinetta blew my mind.

Robin wrote:
It also may have been technically a rosé, but it sure as hell looked like a white to me!

David wrote:
Jamie Kutch made a whole cluster Pinot Noir Rosé in 2014 that turned out electric pink, and had great depth and some actual structure. There are others as well.


At a recent wine tasting my wine group visited Corsican wines and we had one Rosé a 2014 Clos Alivu Patrimonio Rosé (100% Niellucciu from 50 year old vines)- In appearance the wine had a very light salmon, almost pale pink color, clear and brilliant. On the nose the wine had very generous fruity and floral aromas with a hint of citrus. On the palate the wine was crisp and alive with well-balanced acidity and at the back end it showed a little “umph”. The finish was lingering and pleasant. (13.5% ABV, $22 USD my score 16.5 group avg 14.3)

From our handouts all “ripped” from Wikipedia
Niellucciu- There is confusion about the grapes exact origins with some wine experts describing the grape as being indigenous to Corsica while others theories report that the grape is of Italian origins possible even a genetically identical clone of the Tuscan wine grape Sangiovese that came to Corsica from Genoa.

Salute

[Robin Garr]

Here, finally, is my take on that La Spinetta Casanova Rosé ...

Casanova Della Spinetta 2014 “Il Rosé di Casanova” Toscana Rosato ($19.99)

This Sangiovese-based pink wine may be labeled as a rosé, but it looks an awful lot like a white: It’s a clear, pale gold wine with only the faintest hint of bronze. Its fresh, complex aromas are light but appealing fresh fruit including golden raisins and figs, adding an intriguing, unexpected hint of blackberry. Mouth-filling and ripe, full fruit flavors amplify the nose. Crisp, palate-cleansing acidity and berry fruit linger in a very long finish; 12.5% alcohol. This is one excellent wine, whether it’s white or rosé. U.S. importer: Indigenous Selections LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (April 5, 2015)

FOOD MATCH: Treat this as a high-quality, balanced-fruit white wine and go with a broad range of “white meat” options from grilled chicken to pork or veal, or go meatless with egg, cheese or bean dishes. It would surely sing with fettuccine all’Alfredo. And, of course, its refreshing complexity makes it a natural for aperitif sipping.

WHEN TO DRINK: It would be very hard to resist drinking it up now, while it’s so delicious and fresh. That said, however, the winery suggests that it will do fine with “a bit of aging,” and still recommends the 2012 and 2013 vintages.

VALUE: The $20 point might seem a bit spendy for a pink wine, but this top-rank rosé more than justifies comparison with quality whites in the $20 to $30 range. That said, however, my local price is on the high side. Wine-Searcher.com reports a $17 average U.S. retail price, and it can be found for $15 with careful shopping.)

WEB LINKS Here is a link to Giorgio Rivetti’s La Casanova page in English.
http://www.la-spinetta.com/casanova.html
This winery fact sheet offers detailed information on the Rosé.
http://www.la-spinetta.com/pdf%20wine%2 ... nglese.pdf
For more information, check importer Indigenous Selections’ La Rivetta Tuscany page.
http://www.indigenousselections.com/las ... scany.html

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for Casanova Della Spinetta 2014 “Il Rosé di Casanova” Toscana Rosato on Wine-Searcher.com.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/la+sp ... g_site=WLP

The importer also offers a directory of U.S. wholesale distributors. Although they can’t sell direct to the public in most states, they should be able to direct you to a local retailer.
http://www.indigenousselections.com/distribution.html

[David M. Bueker]

Interesting. I rarely think of the scents of raisins as "fresh" fruit, but overall it sounds like a cool wine.

[Robin Garr]

Interesting. I rarely think of the scents of raisins as "fresh" fruit, but overall it sounds like a cool wine.

I take your point, but "golden raisin" is a specific aroma note for me that's really different from popping open a llittle box of purple Sun Maids. Just kind of a hyper-concentrated white fruit? The blackberry note was what really grabbed me, and Mary, too. Not something you expect in a pink (or white?) wine, so kind of hard to suss out without going into deep meditative mode.

[David M. Bueker]

I can just picture you there, holding the glass under your nose, muttering "ooommmm."

[Robin Garr]

I can just picture you there, holding the glass under your nose, muttering "ooommmm."

2013 CHARLES & CHARLES ROSE, COLUMBIA VALLEY, WA. 86% Syrah, 6 % Cinsault,
4% Grenache, 2% Counoise, 2% Mourvedre. A Charles Bieler and Charles Smith collaboration. 12.8% abv. It looks darker in the bottle than in the glass--a salmon color in the glass and a deeper rose color in the bottle. It's tart with citrus and red berries and white pepper and shows some minute bubbles in the glass. I liked this a bit better at near room temperature. It was too frosty right out of the refrigerator. On the second day I tried it with a tomato salad (not a good match) and with pork egg roll and a slice of ham (paired well with the ham and not so well with the egg roll.) This was a "Wine Enthusiast" 100 Best Buys of 2014 and received acclaim from Sean Sullivan, a contributing editor for the magazine and a writer on Washington state wines, but it just didn't do it for me. I'm still on the search for a 2015 rose' of the summer. "Wine Enthusiast" listed it at $12.00. I paid $14.99 at Belk in Charlotte.

[Jenise]

JC, you mention minute bubbles. Do you think there was a bit of secondary fermentation going on? Haven't had the wine myself. As for a wine of the summer? So far, for us it has been the 2014 Stolpman Mourvedre rose. It's SO good that I ordered six more bottles, and doubt that I'll find a better rose this summer.

The 2014 Elk Cove Rose of Pinot Noir we had last night is certainly not a competitor. It was dry and refreshing enough but lacked complexity, it offered nothing beyond the flavor of strawberries.