Posts Tagged ‘Rosé wine’
Two sparkling rosés
Crémant du Jura 2011, Rosé, Domaine Labet ($26.75, private import, 12 bottles/case, NLA)
A 60-40 blend of organically farmed Pinot Noir and Poulsard from 30- to 40-year-old vines. Macerated on the skins for several days. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured on its fine lees in fûts (42%), vats (32%) and barrels (26%). Allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. A small amount of yeast and sugar was added to the finished wine, which was then bottled and matured. After three years, the bottles were disgorged, given a small dosage and corked. 12.2% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Lovely if understated mix of minerals, red berries (“old cherries” per one taster) and rhubarb with faint honey, old wood and floral overtones. In the mouth, it’s dry, minerally, haunted by fruit and wood, animated by fine bubbles and brilliant acidity. The long, clean finish has hints of toast and – could it be? – tannins. This was shown on trade day at the Salon des vins d’importation privée and restaurateurs were understandably all over it. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
3B Rosé, Método Tradicional, Filipa Pato (c. $25.00, private import, 6 bottles/case, NLA)
A 70-30 blend of Baga and Bical from the Bairrada region (whence the three Bs); the vines average 30 years old and are rooted in sandy and clayey limestone soils. Manually harvested and gently pressed. Allowed to clarify by settling, then cool-fermented (16°C) with indigenous yeasts in 650-litre barrels and stainless steel vats. Sparkled using the traditional method. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Dense though not particularly fruity nose: “cream soda meets barley candy,” terracotta, melon, a hint of strawberry and a whiff of musk. More viscous than the buoyant Labet. Fruitier, too, though not bonbon-ish, thanks in part to the mineral substrate. Mild effervescence and soft acidity may explain the slight lethargy. A touch of peppery bitterness and astringency enlivens the long finish, which is more felt than tasted. Dry at first, the wine seemed to gain sweetness as it warmed and breathed. The member who donated the bottle said the white 3B is even more interesting. (Buy again? Maybe.)
MWG November 12th tasting: flight 1 of 6
Rosé de Romanin
Les Baux-de-Provence 2013, Château Romanin ($28.50, 11542041)
Biodynamically and organically farmed Grenache (47%), Syrah (29%), Counoise (18%) and Mourvèdre (6%) from vines between 18 and 57 years old. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are slowly pressed. The must is chilled to 10°C and allowed to clarify by settling before being racked into temperature-controlled (18-20°C) stainless steel tanks for alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation is blocked. Matured six months on the lees with regular stirring. Reducing sugar: 1.4 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Divin Paradis.
Farty at first but after 10 minutes or so an appealing, nuanced mix of red berries and peach, stones and herbes de Provence. The first sip reveals an elegant and balanced wine. The fruit is light but clear and sustained, backed by minerals, shifting from sweet-seeming to savoury as it moves through the mouth, textured by fine acidity and just a hint of tannins and, as the wine approaches room temperature, a touch of alcoholic heat. A thread of bitterness winds through the finish, while the unmistakable fragrance of strawberry lingers long after. A beautiful bottle and an excellent pairing for cedar-planked salmon topped before grilling with a paste made from orange and lemon zest, fresh Provençal herbs, olive oil and a smidgen of garlic. (Buy again? Imperatively.)
One of the best of this year’s crop of rosés at the SAQ, a wine that perfectly demonstrates that rosés have a raison d’être, that they are indeed a category unto themselves, one deserving of equal status with whites and reds. Carafe a half hour before serving. The long cork may indicate that its makers think it’s ageable; I wouldn’t hesitate to cellar it a year or two.
There’s quite a bit of this around (at least on Montreal island), so rumours of the good rosé season’s demise are slightly exaggerated. Other recommended rosés still widely available – possibly because many shoppers can’t bring themselves to spend upwards of $25 on a bottle of pink wine – include: Bandol 2013, Domaine de Souviou ($25.10, 12200798), Sierra Foothills 2013, Vin gris d’Amador, Terre Rouge ($25.40, 11629710), Patrimonio 2013, Domaine d’E Croce, Yves Leccia ($26.20, 11900821) and Corse Figari 2014, Clos Canarelli ($34.00, 11917666).
Pink bliss
Two rosés that the Mo’ Wine Group used to buy as private imports are hitting the SAQ’s shelves for the first time this spring. This is the first; the second, the Alzipratu rosé, should be released soon.
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2014, Les Béatines, Domaine Les Béates ($20.45, 11232261)
The estate’s name translates as “the blissfully happy.” This is made from organically farmed Grenache Noir (75%) and Syrah (25%). The grapes are manually harvested and immediately destemmed and pressed. The must is fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled (17°C) tanks. Matured on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks for four months. Sulphur use is kept to a minimum. Reducing sugar: 1.4 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV.
Pale gauzy pink. Soft, wafting nose: minerals and red berries with a whiff of garrigue. In the mouth, dry as a bone, a quartzy mineral complex infused with delicate fruit. Ethereal on the attack, it gains some glyceriney weight as it moves across the palate. Sleek acidity keeps things fresh and an appetizing saline thread runs through the clean finish. (Buy again? Yes.)
At one end of the rosé spectrum are exuberantly fruity, dark pink wines that feel and taste like reds without the structure. At the other end are rosés that seem more like minerally whites with a dash of red fruit. This falls squarely in the latter camp: light enough to serve as a nuanced aperitif; substantial enough to accompany Provençal dishes like salade nicoise and pissaladière.
In the pink
Two from the first wave of spring rosés to hit the SAQ’s shelves.
Alsace 2014, Pinot Noir Rosé, Alsace Willm ($17.90, 12521401)
Another wine not listed on the producer’s website and with no technical information that I’ve been able to find. 100% Pinot Noir. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Sylvestre Vins & Spiritueux.
Pretty nose of red berries. Delicate in the mouth, fruity but not sweet (or bone-dry for that matter). Lightly brightly acidic. Not much substance or length but enjoyable for its freshness, faint juiciness and ethereal ephemerality. A patio wine par excellence. (Buy again? On a hot summer’s day, sure.)
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2014, Château Vignelaure ($24.70, 12374149)
Grenache (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Syrah (30%) from vines averaging 25 years old. Manually harvested. Saignée method after two hours’ maceration for the Grenache; direct pressing for the Cab and Syrah. The must is chilled to 10°C and allowed to settle for 48 hours. Fermented at low temperature (17°C) and matured in stainless steel tanks except for 7% of the Cab, which is aged in a 400-litre new oak barrel. Maturation on the lees with regular stirrings lasts three months. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: LBV International.
Savoury nose: minerals and garrigue up front, fruit in the background. More substantial than the Willm but also more akin to a white wine. Dry and balanced, the extract buoyed by fine acidity. Shimmering peach and pink grapefruit are on equal footing with white minerals, while a light salinity threads through the long finish. Delicious is on its own but the real vocation of this vin gastronomique is to accompany grilled seafood or bouillabaisse. Will probably rank among the top half-dozen rosés to be found at the SAQ this spring and summer. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bordel de Noël workshop (3/6)
Corse Figari 2013, Rosé, Clos Canarelli ($35.75, 11917666)
Based in Figari, the southernmost wine-growing region in Corsica and the sunniest in France, Yves Canarelli today has 28 hectares of vineyards in production and makes his wines in a new gravity-fed facility. This rosé is a blend of Sciaccarellu (50%), Niellucciu (30%) and Grenache (20%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines planted in 1997. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are directly pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wine is then transferred to stainless steel tanks for partial (50%) malolactic fermentation. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Musky dried raspberry, peach, sun-baked granite, spice and distant maquis carried on a sea breeze. In the mouth, it’s more minerally than fruity, tensely balanced between acidity and extract: an ethereal presence that’s haunted by flavours and aromas, including a faint floral note somewhere between orange and jasmine. An appetizing bitterness tinges the long finish. A gastronomic wine par excellence and yet another confirmation that Corsica has become the source of some of the world’s best rosés. One of my two favourites with the turkey, this also worked with most of the trimmings, though it was less successful than the whites with the Brussels sprouts and, like most of the other wines, wilted before the cranberry relish. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Brett happens 