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Gurrutxaga Txakoli Rosé Bizkaiko Txakolina 2009
Alcohol 10%
Price $17.99
For the purist, this is 100% Hondarribi Beltza. Very nice light salmon color, somewhat musty nose. Good acidity, apple/appricot/light strawberry. Somewhat clipped finish.
Louis de Grenelle Saumur Brut Rosé ‘Corail’ NV
Alcohol 12.5%
Price $16.99
100% Cabernet Franc, fermented in tank, then transferred to bottles for disgorgement. Nice color, clean but not much acid, short finish.
Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé Crémant d’Alsace NV
Alcohol 12%
Price $15.99
100% Pinot Noir, very light pink, great mouthfeel, faint strawberry/apple/peach, crisp finish, excellent.
Domaine des Corbillières Pinot Noir Rosé Touraine 2009
Alcohol 12.5%
Price $11.99
100% Pinot Noir from 23ha of 30-40 year old estate vines from just outside Oisly (about 80km east of Tours). 12 hour maceration, but still a nice salmon pink, peach/leachy nut, very crisp and refreshing.
Parador Tempranillo Rosé Napa Valley 2009
Alcohol 14%
Price $14.99
From Tempranillo vines grown from Ribera del Duero cuttings in the Rancho Chimiles Vineyard, this is a little darker than the prior rosés, also has some woody-ness on the nose. Juicy, with plenty of acid, very good.
Valle Real Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Rosé ‘Vigne Nuove Cerasuolo’ 2009
Alcohol 12.5%
Price $9.99
100% Montepulciano sourced from the estate’s younger vines (aka Vigne Nuove). Vibrant pink, not much on the nose, but good stone fruit/apple, very easy to drink, particularly at this price.
Guado al Tasso(Antinori) Bolgheri Rosato ‘Scalabrone’ 2009
Alcohol 12%
Price $17.99
40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 30% Syrah sourced from the 2500 acre estate that stretches from the Tyrrhenian Sea inland to the heart of the Bolgheri Hills. Vibrant red/pink, citrusy/strawberry, lots of acid, finished well.
Château de Lascaux Coteaux du Languedoc Rosé 2009
Alcohol 13.5%
Price $11.99
40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 10% Mourvédre, from 85ha of estate vines in Pic St Loup in the northern Languedoc roughly 25km north of Montpelier. Though Pic St Loup has not received AOC status, it is arguably produces some of the best wines in the Languedoc, and this rosé does not disappoint. Nice light peachy amber, strawberry/apple/pineapple, balanced acidity, refreshing finish. One of my favorites.
Château de Lancyre Coteaux du Languedoc- Pic Saint-Loup Rosé 2009
Alcohol 13.5%
Price $14.99
50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Cinsault from 128 acres of estate vines, only 15 miles inland from the Mediterranean, this is a saignée (fruit is crushed, then the juice is bled off the vat after a very short period of maceration) followed by 6 months in tank. Subtle pink color, orange blossom/apricot, lots of acid, and a bone dry finish. Very good.
Domaine de la Fouquette Côtes de Provence ‘Cuvée Rosée d’Aurore’ 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $12.99
65% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 5% Rolle from 20ha of vines in the Massif des Maures, inland from the Mediterranean due west of St. Tropez in the heart of the Côtes du Provence. Strawberry, pineapple, guava and citrus, nice balance of fruit and acid, great finish. Very nice rosé.
Château de Pampelonne Côtes de Provence Rosé 2009
Alcohol 9.5%
Price $14.99
40% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 10% Tibouren from 35 year old vines surrounding the 400 acre 17th century estate in the town of Ramatuelle bordering St. Tropez. Note that Tibourin is a red grape of uncertain origins (possibly from Greece or the Middle East) that is unique to Provence. Slightly darker than the prior rose, great fruit and acid, just delicious.
Domaine Saint André de Figuière Côtes de Provence Rosé ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $18.99
50% Mourvédre, 25% Cinsault, 25% Grenache from the estate vines located between the Massif des Maures and the Mediterranean. Light pink/amber tinge, elegant floral/apricot/citrus, bracing acidity, very good finish.
Domaine de la Sauveuse Côtes de Provence Rosé Carolle’ 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $15.99
A blend of 42% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 28% Cinsault from vines in Puge Ville between St Tropez and Toulon. La sauveuse (the savior) is the alpine spring that runs through the estate. Darker, licorice stone fruit on the nose, bone dry, with a rough edge on the finish.
Domaine des Cantarelles Vin de Pays du Gard ‘Rosé de Fayel’ 2009
Alcohol 9%
Price $9.99
Named after owner and wine maker Jean François Fayel, this blend of 70% Cabernet Franc, 25% Syrah, 5% Grenache is sourced from estate vines near Bellegarde between Nîmes and Arles. Cherry/apple and citrus, good acid.
Domaine le Roc Fronton Rosé ‘La Saignée 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $7.99
60% Negrette, 30% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon blend (Negrette, along with Tannat, is one of the most widely planted grapes in southwest France). Darker pink, passion fruit and guava, good acid and a crisp, pleasant finish. Great value at this price.
Château Grande Cassagne Costières de Nîmes Rosé 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $7.99
60% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 5% Mourvédre from 40+ plus year old vines near the village
of St Gilles on the western edge of the Rhône Valley. Deep pink color, nice mineral and stone fruit nose, crisp and clean.
Château Guiot Costières de Nîmes Rosé 2009
Alcohol 13.5%
Price $7.99
80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, also from vineyards around St Gilles. Darker color, and you can smell the tart strawberry/citrus, simple and clean fruit, good acid, nice value rosé.
Château de Campuget Costières de Nîmes Rosé ‘Tradition de Campuget’ 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $8.99
A blend of 70% Syrah, 30% Grenache from their 160 ha vineyard in the heart of the Costières, a few km from the right bank of the Rhône. Again a saignée, with 4-12 hour maceration. Light salmon pink, with excellent balance of fruit and acid, and a clean refreshing finish, this is a great value.
Mas de Bressades Costières de Nîmes Rosé ‘Cuvée Tradition’ 2009
Alcohol 13.5%
Price $8.99
50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, from 99 acres of estate vines, this is also a saignée. Big and juicy, think Hawaiian Punch, but with adequate acidity to pull it off. Another good value.
Charles & Charles Syrah Rosé Columbia Valley ‘Volume II’ 2009
Alcohol 13%
Price $7.99
100% Syrah sourced from the Talcott Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, east of Yakima in the Columbia River basin. This is a collaboration between Charles Smith of K Vintners & Charles Sieber, one of the partners in Three Thieves and the Rebel Wine Co. Big, in your face, almost ruby in color, this is fun to drink and a bargain for a domestic rosé.
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