The Wine Guy
I’ve been checking outside, listening for birds singing and checking out the progress of flowers, the grass and that warm feeling of the sun on my face.
Time for the Rose wines!
2016 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé, California, USA ($18)
Salmon pink. Bursting with bright, ripe and creamy flavors redolent of watermelon rind, ripe strawberry and grapefruit, hinting at fennel. A superbly pleasing rosé from the inimitable Randall Grahm. Randall has been doing it right with all the Bonny Doon wines for many years and the Rose is one of the vineyard’s newer efforts.
2016 Château Minuty Côtes de Provence ‘M de Minuty’ Rosé, Provence, France ($18)
Pale pink with watermelon rind, candied flowers, white peach, strawberry, sour cherry, and excellent, salty mineral character with just a hint of baking spice on the finish. The LeCalon family has been making this wine for the last two hundred years and the experience shows in every delicious sip.
2016 Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône Reserve Rose, Rhone, France ($14)
Clean and bright with delicious ripe grapefruit and blood-orange notes tinged with lofty dried herbs-de-provence notes. This is a versatile wine for the warmer weather; you can pair it with salads as a first course or match it up with any kind of shellfish for a great meal out on the patio.
Bodegas Ramon Bilbao, LaLomba Rosado, Rioja Alta 2016, ($18) One of the new wave of Riojas to make a Provence-style rosé, from Garnacha grown at altitude in Rioja Baja plus 10% Viura. It’s spicy and aromatic, with notes of redcurrant and white pepper: refreshing, polished, and very likeable. This is a real wine, not an insipid pink drink, with generous, Rioja character.
You’ll be seeing more like this one from Spain this summer; when you do see them, buy them. A real taste treat.
Quinta do Perdigão, Rosé, Dão 2017, ($14) Don’t let the twee label of this wine put you off – the content is far better than the packaging! Just 6,000 bottles were made of this classy organic blend, from a small area of vineyards planted in 1997. It’s a weighty, full-bodied style of rosé with firm, dark fruit, a ripe tropical edge, and great acidity to refresh the palate. A top food wine with lovely texture. You can do some spicy asian cuisine with this one and it won’t take anything away from this wine’s big taste.
TALK TO THE WINE GUY at jdris8888@gmail.com
