Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2016 d’Autrefois Pinot Noir Rosé

2016 Bodegas Casado Morales Rioja Rosado

2015 Domaine La Rabiotte Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence

2015 Domaine de la Vivonne Côtes de Provence Rosé

2016 Château de Fabrègues Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé

2015 Terre di Talamo Maremma Toscana Piano Piano

2016 V. Sattui Winery Rosato di Sangiovese

2016 Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Tempranillo-Garnacha Rosado

2016 Domaine de Bendel Côtes de Provence

 

 

 

Rosé wine is the fastest growing segment of the wine market in the United States.  A lot of wineries are having a hard time keeping up to the demand.  Even though Summer has just begun, a lot of wineries are already sold out of their pink wines.  I would only buy a pink wine that was produced within the previous two years, in this case 2015 and 2016.  Even though these wines can be enjoyed for a year or two longer, they are fragile wines that can be harmed by conditions outside the norm.  There is really no way to accurately know how the wine was handled during the entire process used in its’ distribution from the winery to your store’s shelf.

 

Summer started a week ago, so to most people, it is now Rosé season.  To a lot of us, there isn’t a Rosé season since we drink them all year.  This is the first of two blogs I will be posting dedicated to Rosé wines.  The second will be posted in the next week or two.  Most of these wines were purchased at my local Total Wine and I show the price I paid with any sales/coupons/volume discounts.  They are probably available at other retailers.  A couple were samples provided to me for review purposes, there are marked as such and I show the suggested price that was supplied to me or the average price I found on the internet.

 

 

 

2016 d’Autrefois Pinot Noir Rosé – $10.35

This Pinot Noir Rosé is from the Vin de Pays d’Oc appellation from France’s Languedoc Roussillon region.

 

The wine is a very light pink color.  The energetic nose has strawberries, cherries, orange blossoms and subtle minerals.  This has light body with nice acidity.  On the palate bright red fruit and minerals pop out on the front end with orange blossoms and lime zest coming through later.  The mouthwatering finish has good length with red fruit and lime zest.  This is a light, crisp rosé with nice up front red fruit.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Bodegas Casado Morales Rioja Rosado – $8.62

This appears to be a blend of Tempranillo 60% and Viura 40%.

 

The wine is a bright salmon pink color.  The fresh and lively nose has cherries, crushed stone minerals, orange zest, underbrush and white pepper.  The has medium body with nice acidity.  On the palate cherries, minerals and a hint of underbrush pop out on the front end with orange zest coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a touch of white pepper providing some depth.  This is a fresh and lively summer sipper.  This has 13% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a pink plastic stopper.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Domaine La Rabiotte Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence – $11.21

This appears to be a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 10% Syrah.

 

The wine is a pale pink salmon color.  The easy going nose has strawberries, cherries, stony minerals, white pepper, orange zest and a hint of leafy herbs.  This has medium body with nice acidity and seems totally dry.  On the palate red fruit and minerals pop out first with white pepper and a touch of herbs coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a touch of orange zest entering the picture.  This is a nice, easy drinking Rose for a sunny day.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Domaine de la Vivonne Côtes de Provence Rosé – $11.98

This is a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault.

 

This is a pale pink salmon color.  The slightly subdued nose has strawberries, minerals, cherries, white peach, white pepper and a touch of underbrush.  This has medium body with nice acidity.  On the palate cherries, minerals and white peach come through on the front end with strawberries and white pepper coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a touch of underbrush providing some depth.  A nice rosé for a warm, sunny meal on the deck or patio.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a manmade cork substitute.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Château de Fabrègues Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé – $10.35

This is a blend of 73% Grenache and 27% Syrah.

 

The wine is a deep salmon pink color.  The riveting nose has cherries, strawberries, minerals, white pepper, orange blossoms and a hint of dry earth.  This has medium body with nice acidity.  On the palate red fruit, minerals and white pepper immediately grab your attention with orange blossoms coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a touch of dry earth providing depth.  This is a little fuller body than most Rosés from the region but it has the bolder flavors and nice acidity to support the extra weight.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a glass stopper.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Terre di Talamo Maremma Toscana Piano Piano – $14.99

This is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Sangiovese.

 

The wine is a bright pink color.  The fresh and lively nose has cherries, strawberries, dusty minerals, dry earth and orange blossoms.  This has light to medium body with good acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, strawberries and minerals take control on the front end with dry earth coming in later.  The finish has nice length with orange blossoms providing some depth.  This is an easy drinking Rosé to enjoy on the deck or patio on a sunny day.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a glass stopper.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2016 V. Sattui Winery Rosato di Sangiovese – SRP $26

This is based on a sample provided by the winery or a company representing the winery.

 

This wine is 100% Sangiovese primarily from the winery’s Hibbard Ranch in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley.  This wine is only available direct from the winery, visit their website for more info or to purchase.

 

The wine is a bright peach color.  The inviting nose has cherries, strawberries, melon, subtle dry earth, orange blossoms and lime zest.  This has medium body with nice acidity and just a hint of lingering sweetness.  On the palate the fruit controls the front end with cherries and strawberries immediately grabbing your attention, later melon and a touch of dry earth enter the picture.  The finish has nice length with orange blossom and lime zest providing good depth.  This is very easy to sip on a sunny warm day by itself or with a light meal.  This has 13.4% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Dinastía Vivanco Rioja Tempranillo-Garnacha Rosado – SRP $15

This is based on a sample provided by the winery or a company representing the winery.

 

This is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Grenache.  In the past I sampled their white and red Rioja wines and liked them more than the Rosado.  More info on them is available on this site.

 

The wine is a bright pink color.  The alluring nose has cherries, strawberries, orange zest, leafy herbs, crushed stone minerals, white peach and melon.  This has medium body with decent acidity.  On the palate red fruit and minerals open the show with orange zest, leafy herbs and white peach coming in later.  The finish has decent length with some melon providing depth.  The finish gets a touch soft, a little more acidity would be welcome.  Over all, a nice Rosé to sip alone on a warm, sunny day but the lower acidity would present a challenge to pair with food.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a plastic “cork”.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Domaine de Bendel Côtes de Provence – $16.99

This is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 10% Syrah.

 

The wine is a light, pale pink color.  The inviting nose has strawberries, cherries, white peach, orange blossoms, lime zest and minerals.  This has light to medium body with good acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate strawberries and cherries pop out quickly with orange blossoms and minerals coming in later.  The finish has nice length with lime zest providing depth and a crisp acidic closing note.  The slight sweetness makes this very easy to sip on a warm, sunny day.  This has 13% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  I highly recommend getting on their e-mail list.  Like most of the flash sale sites, they offer one wine per day until it sells out.  They also have a couple two-day marathons during the year.  Last Bottle is a great site to buy special wines at prices low enough to open any day of the week.

 

If you sign up using this link you will get a $10 credit that can be used on your first purchase.  I will also get a credit if you make a purchase.

 

Other than getting a credit as explained above, I have no financial interest in the site.  After you are on the list, you can also get the same credit by introducing friends to Last Bottle.

 

 

 

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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 always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  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!