Rosé Round Two and Tasting!
6/30/10 -
It’s hard to love Rose as much as I do. For most of the year, the wines are unavailable; then, as days grow longer and temperatures rise, Roses begin to trickle in and are seized upon by the thirsty public, intoxicated by the promise of summer and in a frenzy to drink pink wine. Within a few short weeks, it seems, importers and distributors are sold out of many of my favorite early summer Roses with no promise of more before the release of the next vintage… and it’s barely July! What on earth will I drink with my salade nicoise when the Peyrassol runs out? What will I take to the park to accompany my Frisbee game when there’s no more pink Txakoli?!?
The good news is that there are many wonderful, “serious” Roses that arrive in June and July once the initial Rose frenzy has subsided, wines that deserve attention as much more than simple quaffers. These are wines for the dog days of summer when we’re no longer idealizing warm weather, and are reconciled to the true sultriness of the season. These wines include Agnes and Rene Mosse’s Moussamoussettes- Petillant Naturel from the Coteaux-du-Layon- a wine that is the definition of joy in a glass, with a touch of residual sugar that sets off the wine’s juicy acidity and pretty stone fruit notes. Also from the Loire, we have the unique, off-dry Pineau d’Aunis Rose from Belliviere in Coteaux-du-Loire, a wine that defies categorization and is one of the most interesting Roses we get. From the south of France, we have the brilliant “Qu-es Aquo” Rose from Mas Cal Demoura in the Coteaux-du-Languedoc, a wine that I’m thrilled to drink every vintage. This domaine was begun by Jean-Pierre Jullien (father of Olivier Jullien of Mas Jullien) in the early ‘90s and is now owned by a young couple, Isabelle and Vincent Goumard, who are committed to organic vineyard work, very low yields, and all around high quality wine making. This wine, along with the excellent Mas Jullien Rose, epitomizes the full-bodied style of Languedoc Rose that does justice to all sorts of grilled foods. These are but a few of the new Roses we have to offer now that the first round of Rose-mania has passed. Please find the complete list below. -msb
