You Can't Hurry Glug: Gonin Mondeuse Rosé
9/3/17 -
Much like white pants, rosé after Labor Day is controversial. Some might say that rosé season has come and gone. And they, like white pants, would be wrong. There are some things that just can't be rushed, like love, and native yeast fermentations.
In March, Nicolas Gonin tantalized one of his U.S. importer's salespeople, Sophie Barrett (MFW), with a tank sample of his 2016 rosé. It was 100% Mondeuse; this was an exciting deviation from his past vintages, which were made from a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay, and the occasional addition of Mondeuse. She said its primary flavors of watermelon meant the wine was still fermenting, but promised future freshness. By May, when most French rosés were already on the shelves, Sophie reported that his rosé was still undergoing malolactic fermentation (a natural conversion of tart acids into softer-tasting acids), and was still far from completion.
While we waited, the wine spent the spring and half of the summer slowly integrating in enameled concrete tanks in the obscure area of Balmes Dauphinoises, a region 45 minutes east of Lyon. Here, Gonin's vines grow in gravelly soils rich in sandstone in the department of Isère, a wine region not especially recognizable to most wine drinkers. Even so, there is a familiar, Rhone-esque sunniness and a crystaline alpine quality to Gonin's wines that make them undeniably compelling.
Finally, in late July, Gonin was satisfied that his rosé was ready. Now that the wine is here, we could not be more comforted to have this contemplatively spicy and invigoratingly juicy rosé to help us transition into the chilly autumn weather.
- Amanda Bowman
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The cépage for Gonin's rosé varies, but the purity and gulp-ability is always consistent. This 100% Mondeuse rosé offers rich, brown spices and exotic citrus aromas typical of the Rhône. But at 11% alcohol, the cool, stoney palate calls to mind wines made before the marked influence of climate change. Flavors of orange peel, tart cranberry and cloves give way to white pepper, watermelon, and stone on a lengthy finish. A rosé made for pan-roasted fish with lemons and herbs, or lentil salad with walnuts and goat cheese.
