This is based on samples provided by the wineries or organization acting on their behalf.

 

 

2013 Lavau Tavel

2013 Château Mourgues du Gres Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé Fleur d’Eglantine

2012 Marrenon a la Tour d’Aigues Luberon Petula

2013 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rosé

 

 

 

Overview:

I was given the opportunity to sample a few rosés last month from France’s Rhône Valley.  A vacation to South Carolina seemed like the perfect time to sample (drink) these wine.  Even though rosé wines can be enjoyed throughout the year, they can be even more special on a warm evening.

 

 

Fruity, refreshing and a lush shade of pink, rosé wines are undoubtedly a summertime favorite.  The breaking news is that they can be enjoyed all year.  All rosés are not created equal, and many are too light to match more substantial fare.  These dishes call for a rosé d’assiette, or “plate” in French, named for the wine’s ability to pair well with food.

 

No matter what’s on your plate, balanced and full-bodied rosés from the Rhône Valley provide the complexity and structure to complement flavorful dishes.  These rosés d’assiettes can be enjoyed alongside a green bean salad with corn and black olives, lamb burgers with Moroccan spices or sweet and sour salmon teriyaki.

 

 

 

 

The Region:

Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages: Produced from Grenache for its ripe fruit flavor, Mourvèdre and Syrah for spiciness and body and Cinsault for finesse, these well-structured rosés have good aging potential.

 

Costières de Nîmes: This southernmost region in the Rhône produces rosés that derive their character from exceptional soil, warm weather and the mistral. Made with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, these wines have ripe fruit notes, smooth tannins and a fresh finish.

 

Luberon: These rosés benefit from the warmth of the Mediterranean climate in the southern Rhône Valley. Composed of mainly Syrah and Grenache, rosé from the Luberon ranges in color and has notes of red berries with a fresh finish.

 

Tavel: The only appellation in the Rhône to produce rosé exclusively, Tavel wines can benefit from aging – a testament to their concentration and depth. A rich shade of fuschia, these rosés are made with Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre grapes.

 

Ventoux: Grown on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, where Mediterranean and Alpine worlds combine, Ventoux rosés are a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Carignan. These fresh, lingering wines have notes of cherry, raspberry and fresh flowers.

 

 

Wine Folly (Madeline Puckette) has an outstanding post on the Côtes-du-Rhône with one of the best maps of the region that I have seen.  To read more about the area, click here to visit her site.

 

 

 

I want to thank the wineries and especially Teuwen Communications for providing me with this opportunity to try these wines.  For more information on Teuwen Communications, please click here.

 

 

 

Here is the line-up for this post:

 

 

 

2013 Lavau Tavel

This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 45% Cinsault and 5% Syrah.

 

For the best quality, the grapes were picked in the early morning.  After a direct crushing the wine was cold fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks before being bottled.

 

This has 13.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright, vibrant pink with an orange tint.  The very tempting nose has cherries, strawberries, stony minerals, orange zest, white flowers and a hint of herbs.  This has light to medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of lingering sweetness.  On the palate bright red fruit and minerals hit up front with orange zest and a light herbal note coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with minerals and orange zest carrying the load.  This is perfect on its own or with a light meal on a warm day.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Château Mourgues du Gres Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé Fleur d’Eglantine – SRP $11

This wine is mostly Mourvedre with smaller amounts of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan.  The wine was aged in stainless steel tanks

 

This wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright salmon color.  The refreshing nose has cherries, watermelon, minerals, strawberries and orange blossoms.  This has medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate bright fruit and minerals grab hold, slowly giving way to orange zest.  The finish has nice length with cherries and minerals carrying the load.  This is extremely easy to drink.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Marrenon a la Tour d’Aigues Luberon Petula – SRP $12

This wine is a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache.

 

After being harvested at night, a pneumatic pressing and a short maceration, the wine was fermented.  After fermentation was completed, the wine was aged for 4 months on the fine lees.

 

This has 13.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a pink to orange color.  The inviting nose has cherries, stony minerals, white pepper, white flowers, strawberries and orange zest.  This has medium body with crisp acidity and a hint of sweetness.  On the palate, minerals and cherries jump out first with white pepper and strawberries coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with strawberries and orange zest seeming to linger forever.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2013 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rosé

This wine is a blend of 35% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, 25% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.

 

This wine is produced using the saigneé method where the wine is drawn off the skins after a brief maceration.  The grapes for this wine are grown for making this rosé wine, the wine is not a byproduct of trying to “beef up” a red wine.  The wine was slowly fermented in temperature controlled tanks.  The average age of the vines used to produce this wine is 25 years old.

 

The wine has 14.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep salmon pink color.  The fresh and inviting nose has strawberries, cherries, crushed stone minerals, orange zest, white pepper, wild flowers and just a hint of earthiness.  This has medium body with good acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  On the palate nice red fruit and minerals jump out first with orange zest and white pepper coming in later.  The finish has good length and leaves a touch of lingering sweetness to accompany the minerals and mouthwatering orange zest.  This is a very easy wine to sip on a warm day.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

Conclusion

All four of these wines would be perfect on a warm evening or on your table paired with a flavorful meal.  The prices are very wallet friendly and most enjoy good distribution in this country.

 

 

 

Connect with me

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Cheers!

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!