New Rosés from France continue to arrive. Contrary to the belief of some, summer is not the only time of the season to enjoy Rosé. It can be enjoyed any time the weather is warm and I especially like to have Rosé (along with Beaujolais) at Thanksgiving. So with that in mind, and also as a reminder of summer, here are some notes on more 2010 Rosés from France. (To read my notes on more 2010 Rosés click here.)
And, for something to accompany the wines we are repeating a couple of our favorite recipes to accompany Rosé at the end of the article.
Bandol
Bandol, a small but very significant region located on the Riviera seaport west of Toulon, is renowned for producing age-worthy red wines, and attractive, well-made rosés and white wines.
Domaine de la Tour du Bon.
One of the finest estates in Provence, this 30-acre domaine is highly regarded for producing wines both classic and modern at the same time. Agnes Henry is the current owner, having taken over in 1990 from her parents who bought the estate in 1968. The property, which has a vineyard blend of 50% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Carignan, Rolle and Clairette, has a beautiful setting at the foot of the village of Castellet near the Mediterranean Sea with stunning views to the sea and the hills behind.
2010 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Rosé Bandol. Pale salmon pink in color this wine has a gorgeous perfume with floral, herbal, mineral nuances and hints of spice, melon, and citrus. It is elegant and has great balance with subtle, yet complex, flavors that show floral, herbal nuances with underlying tinges of pear, citrus, and mineral. The finish is long and crisp. This is an absolutely stunning Rosé –- Extraordinary. $29 Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA Best Buy
Burgundy
Regis Bouvier.
Established in 1981, Bouvier produces red, white and rose wines from 40 year old vines.
2010 Regis Bouvier Rosé Marsannay. With a pale copper color showing a faint golden hue this Rosé of Pinot Noir has a lovely perfume with hints of spice and cherry and citrus fruits. It is a lovely, elegant, fruity Rosé with a nice citrus tinged crispness on the finish – Highly Recommended. $19.80 Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
Corsica
Antoine Arena.
Antoine and Marie worked tirelessly to put Patrimonio on the map. A top producer on the island of Corsica, they now work with their sons.
2010 Antoine Arena Rosé Patriminio. Light golden orange in color with a golden edge this is an unusual Rosé that may very well just need a little bottle age to round out. It’s nice, but closed. With air it opened a little which is a good sign. The wine has a faintly mineral tinged perfume with floral, citrus, and herbal nuances. It is bright and very crisp with mineral and citrus tinges backed by a delicate fruitiness. The finish is very crisp – Highly Recommended. $36 Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
Domaine de Gioielli.
Dating from the 14th century, Cap Corse is an isolated peninsula at the top of Corsica. Near the sea an estate was created called Gioielli or “Crown Jewel.” Centuries later the old estate was in ruins. After World War II it was taken over by a young man named Michel Angeli. He replanted the vineyards and harvested his first crop in 1952.
2010 Domaine de Gioielli Rosé Vin de Pays de L’Ile de Beauté. Pale salmon pink in color with a faint golden hue and a golden edge this Rosé has a gorgeous perfume showing hints of melon and peach with a floral nuance and a tinge of spice. It is rounded with a nice underlying crispness and the flavors are subtle, but complex with spice, melon, citrus, and herbs backed by floral nuance. The wine is delicious and has a lovely citrus tinge on the finish – Outstanding. $32 Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
Domaine d’Ecroce.
Established in 2005, Yves Leccia has been making consistently elegant and sophisticated wines that have been referred to as the Rolls Royce of Corsican wines.
2010 Domaine d’Ecroce Yves Leccia Rosé Patrimino. Light reddish orange pink in color this Rosé has a great floral perfume with hints of cherries. The same floral cherry flavor carries through on the palate with just a faint accent of citrus. This is a delicious,elegant, rounded wine that is very easy to drink – Outstanding. $27 Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
Cotes de Provence
Chateau de Brigue.
Established in 1970 by Roger Brun, this Domaine today is headed by the third generation, brothers Jean-Michael, Christian, Olivier, and Frederick Brun. The vineyards of Chateau de Brigue extend over nearly 300 acres making it one of the largest family owned estates in the Cotes de Provence.
2010 Chateau de Brigue Rosé Prestige Cotes de Provence. This wine is made with 50% Cinsault, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 10% Grenache. It is a lovely Rosé with a very pale amber color showing a golden hue and a gorgeous floral perfume with hints of spice and orange zest. The wine has gorgeous fruit with peach, melon, and citrus flavors accented by a floral undertone and a tinge of spice and the finish is long with a nice crispness – Outstanding Plus. $18.95 Tru Wines LLC, Mission Hills CA, European Wine Imports, Cleveland, OH, and Martellotto Wine Productions/One Vine Wines, Cambridge, MA Best Buy
Chateau du Rouet.
Situated in the heart of Provence at the foot of the red rock mountains, part of the Esterel mountain range, the Savatier family has been making red, white and rose wines that distill the essence of Provence – sun, fresh fruit and wild herbs. The Esterel mountains protect rural Provence from the ravages of the coastal development afflicting the Cote d’Azur. This Cuvée Reservée Rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. It is just the wine to wash down seafood, salads, grilled fish, spicy dishes and white meat entrees.
2010 Chateau du Rouet Rosé Cuvée de Reservée Tradition Cotes de Provence. With a pale salmon pink color and a gorgeous perfume showing peach and citrus with a faint floral nuance, this is a gorgeous wine. It has lovely subtle, yet complex, fruit flavors of peach, cherry, and citrus accented by a tinge of spice. The wine is balanced and harmonious with a lovely finish and is delicious to drink – Outstanding. $13.50 Europvin US, Van Nuys, CA Best Buy
Chateau Montaud.
2010 Chateau Montaud Rosé Cotes de Provence. This is a lovely, delicate Rosé. It has a pale amber pink color with a golden hue and golden edge and a very nice perfume with floral, citrus, and mineral nuances. The wine is light and elegant with floral and peach nuances and a nice crisp finish – Highly Recommended. $10.50 Monsieur Touton Selections, Ltd., NY, NY
Domaine Gavoty.
Domaine Gavoty dates back to 58 AD. It has been in the same family since 1806. Rose accounts for 70% of the production.
2010 Domaine Gavoty Rosé Cotes de Provence. Pale salmon pink in color with a golden hue and a faint golden edge this wine has a lovely floral perfume with hints of peach and strawberry. It has lovely peach tinged fruit accented by a touch of citrus and spice and is finesseful and elegant with a lovely crisp finish – Outstanding. $14.00 Garber and Company, Topanga, CA Best Buy
2010 Domine Gavoty Rosé Cuvée Clarendon Cotes de Provence. This special cuvée is comprised of Grenache and Cinsault. Pale salmon pink in color, the perfume is gorgeous with floral, citrus, spice nuances. This wine is extremely elegant with great finesse with subtle floral flavors showing hints of citrus and watermelon. The finish is lovely and the wine is really delicious – Outstanding Plus. $16.00 Garber and Company, Topanga, CA Best Buy
Le Grand Cros.
This estate is owned by the Faulkner family and consists of some 60 acres in the heart of Provence.
2010 Le Grand Cros L’Esprit Rosé Cotes de Provence. Pale pink in color this Rosé has a gorgeous perfume with hints of strawberry and watermelon with faint floral, spice nuances. The wine is elegant and balanced with great style and finesse. The flavors have subtle hints of strawberry, watermelon, cherry and citrus with just a kiss of spice. This is really delicious – Outstanding Plus. $20 Barterhouse, New York, NY Best Buy
Languedoc
Clos Marie.
2010 Clos Marie Rosé Pic Saint Loup Languedoc. Pale salmon pink in color, this Rosé has a lovely floral perfume with hints of citrus and peach. It is lovely with nice flavors of peach, citrus, and berries with a faint floral undertone – Highly Recommended. $17.99 Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA
Loire Valley
Bernard Baudry.
Baudry is an outstanding Chinon producer who, along with his son Mathieu, makes stunning Rose as well as Red and White wines from their 65 acre estate. They have been staunch traditionalists noted for their classic Chinon wines but are now following a new approach aiming for purity and extract. Their style exemplifies rich, precise fruit picked at the perfect ripeness levels and vinified cleanly using state of the art equipment.
2010 Bernard Baudry Rosé Chinon. This is a gorgeous Cabernet Franc Rosé. It is light salmon pink in color and has a really lovely cherry, floral tinged perfume with hints of mineral, citrus, and spice. The wine has gorgeous fruit and is elegant, crisp, and bright. The flavors hint of citrus, melon, berry, and pomegranate and the finish is long and very crisp – Outstanding Plus. $19.95 Best Buy Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
Domaine du Salvard.
This has been a working domaine since 1898. Five generations of the Delaille family have been working the 42 ha of vineyards. Emmanuel and Thierry are now producing true, classic Cheverny, which is an area in the middle of the Loire Valley. The Rose is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay.
2010 Domaine du Salvard Rosé Cheverny. This wine is pale golden orange in color and has a lovely orange tinged floral perfume. It is lovely and elegant with a nice crispness and subtle flavors showing floral nuances with a faint tinge of spice – Highly Recommended. $14.40 Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
This article was originally published August 10, 2010. These are still two of our favorite dishes with Rosé. If you haven’t tried them I encourage you to do so. Try the salad in warm weather and the Mediterranean chicken when it is a bit cooler.
Rosé is an extremely versatile wine. It can be matched with many different kinds of food. Here are two of our favorite foods to match with Rosés. The salad is best with lighter and crisper Rosés. Rosés from the Cotes de Provence are particularly good matches. The Mediterranean chicken calls for something with a bit more flavor and fruit and Rosés from Bandol and Tavel are really good with this dish.
2 avocados (Haas)
2 grapefruit (Texas Pink or Ruby Red)
½ cup jicama, sliced thin and diced
4 Tbs. grapefruit juice
2 tsp. grapeseed oil
2 Tbs. coastal lemon avocado oil*
4 Tbs. roasted, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
Cut grapefruits in half and scoop out sections into a bowl
Squeeze any remaining juice into another small bowl
Chop avocado
Put microgreens and jicama in a bowl.
Toss with coastal lemon avocado oil and sprinkle with sea salt
Whisk together grapeseed oil and grapefruit juice
Sprinkle greens on plate
Put grapefruit pieces in the middle
Put avocado around edge and in the middle
Lightly drizzle with grapeseed oil, grapefruit juice dressing over entire dish
Sprinkle avocado with sea salt**
Sprinkle entire dish with pistachios
Serves 4
*www.pacificaculinaria.com
(800) 622-8880
**Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt
Available on line or at specialty food stores.
8 chicken thighs
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Meyer lemons, cut into 8 wedges each and seeded
1 ½ cups orzo or 2 cups Quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
¾ cup pitted Kalamata olives
4 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
Sea salt** to taste
Lightly salt chicken thighs
Place chicken thighs in a large zip lock bag and add olive oil and garlic, and 8 lemon wedges (1 lemon)
Marinate thighs for 3-6 hours
Preheat oven to broil
Remove thighs and put on sheet pan
Broil until skin is golden in color – about 10 minutes (the chicken will not be fully cooked)
While chicken is in the oven, put orzo ( or if using Quinoa soak for 5 minutes in warm water before adding), chicken stock, lemon wedges, lemon juice, olives, and 2 Tbs. oregano in a Dutch oven or large Corning Ware type container. Bring to a boil on stove top.
When chicken is browned, remove it from the oven, and change the oven to bake with a temperature to 350 degrees
Place the chicken pieces on top of the orzo mixture, cover, and bake for 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked.
Remove from oven and discard lemon wedges.
Place orzo or Quinoa and olives in the middle of a serving plate.
Top with a chicken thigh.
Sprinkle with sea salt and remaining oregano.
Garnish with oregano sprig.
Serves 8
**Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt
Available on line or at specialty food stores.
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