Open Mike: Rose Wines.

With summer here, it only seems natural that some of us are thinking "pink". I have a few lined up for warm summer evenings so lets see what is out there, we might even find some from the east coast!!

[David M. Bueker]

I just finished a bottle of the 2006 ESJ Bone Jolly Rosé (note posted below), but I will be back at it next weekend for the 4th of July with another American Rosé.

David, good on you. You have read my gripes about ESJ not being available in AB-land!
I was wondering if I should have been a tad more specific but I feel sure we will find some out-of-the-way pinks. Provence is hard to find here (the exceptional ones) but good choice from S of France on my shelves here in Edmonton. Have the Pic St Loup Bob H is raving about.

Have the Pic St Loup Bob H is raving about.

So Bob, have you picked up a bottle of the Lancyre rosé? And if so let me know what you think when you get around to popping the cork?

My mom is in town, so I'm in the midst of Roséfest 2008. The results thus far . . .

2007 Tres Ojos (San Gregorio Sociedad Cooperativa Limitada) Calatayud Rosé [50 percent Garnacha and 50 percent Tempranillo] (Calatayud DO, Aragón, Spain) synthetic closure, 14% - imported to USA by Kysela Pére et Fils, Winchester, Virginia – appears strawberry red color, clear, darker color, smell intense concentrated strawberry and twigs, some depth on the nose, very earthy, mouthfeel has slight thickness to it, taste raw, somewhat intense, ripe dark fruit and cherries, intense earth, very very intense, feels like a wine made by a farmer with hands still dirty from working in the fields, if you don’t mind a little dirt in your rosé/rosado this is not a bad place to start at all at $8, my mom found it lacked sweetness for her taste, though she really enjoyed it paired with a simple salad, food helps round out this wine enormously

2007 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Rosado [80 percent Tempranillo, 20 percent Garnacha] (Rioja DO, La Rioja Alta, northern central Spain) screwcap closure, 13.5% - imported to USA by Vineyard Brands – appears medium bright red, smell funky fruit nose that I really like, pineapple/raspberry/strawberry and the tang of orange juice, some depth of tar, this is a pretty nice nose, taste rocky salty, fruit much more recessed on the tongue than on the nose, still the fruit essence here is a bit harsh, it kind of felt like a wine where they pressed every last bit of life out of the poor grapes, I can’t imagine anything was left out, overpressed cherry skin, feels like a bizarre mix, that being said, my mom preferred this one to the Tres Ojos, with perhaps a bit more sweetness and more pleasant mouthfeel, not to my taste on a particular day, but I’d try it again at the $10 I paid

From producer: fermented in stainless steel, uncommon weather conditions in 2007, winter was sunny and dry, while spring saw rainfall equivalent to the average for an entire year, with lower springtime temperatures and hours of sunlight, yielded grapes smaller and less compact bunches, summer was dry with little rain, but winds pushed down evening temperatures, yielded grapes that matured very gradually and good overall harvest

2007 Patton Valley Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Estate Rosé (Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA) screwcap closure, 12.5% - distributed in Virginia by Kysela Pere et fils – I had this one before and loved it, the notes here are pretty consistent with my first experience, it appears beautiful salmon color, smell wonderfully rich fragrant nose, hard to identify any elements of it, but I loved it, taste sweet entry, lively zip of acid, zippy finish too, great peachy flavor, bit of sweetness that is wonderfully balanced, great match for a phenomenal antipasto salad from La Piazza, my mom’s favorite thus far, she loved the color, the sweeter smell of pears on the nose, and the sweetness and freshness in the mouth, this is certain to be one of my favorite rosés of the summer, $15 was worth a repeat purchase to share again

Sounds like mum really likes her pinkies eh. The Tres Ojos sounds quite interesting, from a fan of Artazuri!

Domaine Saint André de Figuière - AOC Côtes de Provence - Vieilles Vignes (rosé) 2007 - Alc. 13% (Aprox € 10) - made mainly from Mourvèdre with some Grenache and Cinsault.

I have the memory of having posted a WTN of this wine's 2006 vintage but I cannot find it in the archive so I must be mistaken. Anyway, it is much better than the last bottle of 06 which I found somewhat bland.

C: Very pale with a salmon streak.
N: Lively with notes of white and light red fruit and touches of garrigue.
P: Again lively with mineral notes and good acidity as well as the fruit and a certain sternness of structure which give more backbone than in most pinks. A very nice rosé; 15.5/20 but it was overshadowed by the Cairanne red of which more on another page.

Tim is excited.........and a certain sternness of structure which give more backbone than in most pinks.

Agree Tim, makes all the difference if one has that structure missing in my usual blush zin!!!

There are a few Bernard Baudry fans here, especially Tim York, so have a nice surprise for you all.

WTN: `06 Chinon Rose,Domaine Bernard Baudry, Loire Valley.

100% Cab Franc, only $17 Cdn, 13% alc, good natural cork, opened 30 mins. Purchased locally here at DeVine Wines, Edmonton.

Color. Deepish salmon with rusty tinges. Appeals good!!

Nose. This took some time to open up..floral, strawberry, redcurrant. No capsicums with this one! Fellow taster thought "walk in the treed river valley". Good note I thought.

Palate. Very enjoyable with an initial entry of red berries and a herb finish. Modest length here (but gets better 2nd day). Medium-bodied, good acidity, slight hint of RS. More cherry after an hour, "think more tangerine on finish than citrus".
Very versatile food wine-cold meats, goat cheese and ginger chicken strips.
Not too many notes here for you all, I just enjoyed with good company. Buy again for sure.

[David M. Bueker]

Last night at a Neal Rosenthal book signing/wine tasting:

2007 Commanderie de Peyrassol Cotes de Provence Rosé
Crisp cranberry and background strawberry aromas. Slightly chalky/flinty on the palate with tart fruit & fine balancing acids. Quite tasty.

2007 Castillo De Jumilla Jumilla Monastrell Rosado (Jumilla DO, Murcia, southeastern Spain) 13.5% - imported to USA by South River Imports - appears deep cherry red, smell heavy generic fruit nose with touch of alcohol, nice nonetheless, taste thick and jammy on entry with decent amount of acid, but then finish changes dramatically with drying mess of skins and such, nonethess, I liked it, it had a series of elements that I thought would perform poorly in isolation, but made for an interesting series of things together (though I wouldn't say they melded together), my mom loved the nose and the entry but did not care for the finish, I find that I am more open to pink wines that finish like red ones than my mom (no surpise as I drink red and she doesn't), but it is interesting that I now divide in my my mind between pink wines that share characteristics with red wines versus those that share more characteristics with whites

My mother who lives in London loves pink too, especially the bubbly stuff! The only one she did not like was the Brut Rose from Gloria Ferrer.

Hi Bob,

Great topic. The Noland brothers just had a rose tasting. I will post the tasting notes in a separate post.

2007 Coteaux D'Ancenis Gamay; Domaine Pierre Guindon - St. Géréon; 12% ABV; cork closure.
I found this at Louisville's newest wine store (Westport Whiskey & Wine) prominantly displayed upfront for $10. I was skeptical as I always am when I see a $10 French wine, but gave it a shot on the owner's recommendation. Gamay yes, French yes, but not, as far as I could tell, Beaujolais. Unusual. In fact I could find almost nothing about it in a brief Google search, but I think it is a Loire Valley wine. It's not quite ESJ Bone Jolly Rosé, but it's awfully darn good, and for 10 bucks it's a great value wine. The nose is subtle but inviting, like sniffing a rocky mountain stream with a cranberry bog in the background. It's a very pale pink salmony color, quite lovely. The fruit in the mouth is subtle, showing a kind of cranberry tartness with hints of wild stawberry. It boasts very nicely balanced acidity and minerality which makes taste & mouth feel quite satisfying. I'm definitely going back for more, and plan to buy enough to give away to some of my oenophile friends.

Nice one Bob, we are rolling along quite nicely eh.

[David M. Bueker]

2006 Sine Qua Non California Rosé of Grenache 'Autrement Dit'
A most unusual wine in that ice cold it shows immense amounts of alcohol. In fact it tasted like flavored vodka. Let it warm up some and the profile changes completely, with strawberry, raspberry and chalky cherry flavors all coming out and making this a very balanced wine. Another sip from the cold bottle and wham the vodka is back. Have it again a little warmer and it's balanced and delicious despite its 15.6% alcohol. I guess the cold temp just totally muted the fruit, and warming it up broght the fruit back to life.

Odd.

[Robin Garr]

it's balanced and delicious despite its 15.6% alcohol.

Odd and interesting, but I've got to say, there's something that just ain't natural about a 15.6% rosé.

[David M. Bueker]

Odd and interesting, but I've got to say, there's something that just ain't natural about a 15.6% rosé.

True, but it's not hard to get Grenache that ripe, so I would just say odd.

2007 Tegernseerhof Rosé of Zweigelt: Beautiful coral pink color, nose of red currant and strawberry, more red berries and bright citrus on the palate. Delicate--it disappears when overly chilled. From vineyards in Styria (southern Austria). About $12.

13.5% alcohol Imported by Cape Classics, NYC, NY I bought two bottles for members' price of $12.58 each after sampling at a meeting of Fayetteville Wine Society.

Appealing rose-petal blush color, with some transparency. Strawberry nose. Slightly tart red berries/pomegranate flavors on palate. Refreshing, crisp quality reminding me of a Sancerre rouge or rose' from Pinot Noir grapes. Surprisingly long finish. I intend to take a bottle to a church dinner/committee meeting this Thursday (along with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc) and will be interested in the committee members' reactions to the wine.

I paired with chicken salad and wild mushroom bisque. Other pairings suggested on the label: crab cakes (really?),
chicken satay, spring rolls with ginger dipping sauce, herb rub roast turkey, ratatouille, fruit-glazed pork chops or strawberries and cream. And yes, it probably is that versatile.

Sounds like mum really likes her pinkies eh. The Tres Ojos sounds quite interesting, from a fan of Artazuri!

Bob, I just bought 8 bottles of Vielle Julliene 2003 CdP from William at Vines in Edmonton. On sale from $65 down to $40. Just discovered this store actually. I used to think DeVine was the only good store up there. So William said his favourite Rose is the Artazuri so I tried it and really love it. Sprite and tart strawberries and wonderful mouthfeel. MMmmmmmm. But it's not as good as the Tavel from Mondaree but that's twice the price. But here's a great Rose from S. France for $13. The Chateau Guiot Rose. Logistic's used to have the store locator working a few weeks ago when I was looking for it in Calgary but when I searched for stores in Edmonton just now it said to contact Freehouse Wines, the agent. Anyway, for the money, its worth seeking out in Edmonton.

Bryan

Is that Vines in Riverbend?

****edit.

I should post this TN here from the Lancyre thread....>

WTN: `06 Chateau de Lancyre Rose, Pic Ste-Loup.

40% Syrah, 60% Grenache. Synthetic cork, 13.5% alc, close to $20 Cdn.
Opened for an hour, left half bottle for evolvement overnight.

Color. Medium rose, watery rim.

Nose. Strawberry sauce on waffles, hint of mineral/gravel. Quite appealing I`d say.

Palate. Initial entry thoughts are not too dry, not too sweet! Good acidity, cherry and strawberry dominate. I like the grenache spice here, mineral influence on finish. Here is some raspberry as it warms and has an almost creamy feel about it. I like this very much, will buy more. Thanks to Bob H for the heads-up!! Now if I can find that white eh?

24 hrs later..still lots going on here, memorable finish only gets better.

[James Roscoe]

Hart Winery Rose:

I had Howie's Rose (which I snagged at the Niagara Cool picnic) with a Ceasar Salad for dinner last night. It was a light pink and was drinking wonderfully. Dry with strawberries and red raspberries dancing all over the place and a great streak of acidity. I think it is made with the Stueben hybrid. I am not sure if has blended it with something else. I will hope Howie will pipe in and give details. All I will say is that it was great and if you get the chance to try Howie's wines don't pass it up! Unfortunately, this was my only bottle.

Chateau de Parenchère Bordeaux Clairet 2007. 12.5% ABV. 50% Merlot, 30% Cab Franc, 20% Cab Sauvignon. $16 minus a 4th of July special mixed case discount of 15% from Louisville's newest wine store.
A gorgeous deep rose pink color, darker than most Rosés - just lovely. Good aromatics suggesting red fruits and mountain streams. Distinctly effervescent and nicley tingley on the tounge. Slightly but definitely sweet, though not cloyingly so, with strawberry and raspberry flavors, with a nice acidic balance to offset it. Surprisingly the sweetness didn't bother me at all. Served with a grilled whole, really free range chicken from a local Mennonite farmer who also sells me raw milk (for pet use only of course) and locally raised squash also grilled. Not a thing to complain about. Would I buy this again? Yes, I think I would.