Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2015 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Rosado

2016 Barrymore Rose Pinot Noir By Carmel Road

2016 Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel

2016 Domaine Guy Mousset Rosé Côtes du Rhône

2016 Olema Côtes de Provence Rosé

2016 Château de Nages Costières-de-Nîmes ButiNages

2015 Chemin Des Sables Vin de Pays de La Côte Révée

2016 Famille Bougrier Rosé d’Anjou

2016 Villa Creek Rosé

 

 

This is my second post devoted to Rosé wines to enjoy this Summer.  Some of the wines are samples that were provided to me.  I note the samples and show the suggested retail price for these wines.  The rest of the wines were purchased locally or directly from the winery in the case of the Villa Creek wine.

 

 

 

2015 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Rosado – SRP $9.99

Sample provided by Magrino PR for the winery.  Visit their website for more information.

 

Marqués de Riscal is one of the oldest wineries in Rioja, founded in 1858 by Guillermo Hurtado de Amézaga.  The winery began making rosé wine in the 1960s, not long after celebrating their 100th anniversary.  The rosé is made from their younger Tempranillo vines, normally under 15 years old.  In 2013 the winery was awarded “Best European Winery” by Wine Enthusiast magazine.

 

This is a blend of 60% Tempranillo and 40% Garnacha.

 

The wine is a bright salmon color.  The reflective nose has cherries, strawberries, orange blossoms, dusty minerals and a touch of leafy herbs.  This has medium body with nice acidity and seems to almost totally dry.  On the palate bright red fruit and a light leafy herb jump out on the front end with some minerals coming in later.  The finish has good length with a nice orange blossom note providing some depth.  This isn’t the most complex wine out there but it is very tasty and easy to sip with the up front fruit.  With a suggested price of $10, this would be an easy purchase and one to stock up on for the Summer if you can find it at a discounted price.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Barrymore Rose Pinot Noir By Carmel Road – SRP $17.99

Sample provided by Magrino PR for the winery.  Visit their website for more information.

 

For this wine, Drew Barrymore worked with Carmel Road winemaker Kris Kato to create a line of wines, this is their Rosé.  This is 100% Monterey County Pinot Noir that was fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel tanks.

 

The wine is a pale pink color.  The inviting nose has cherries, strawberries, white peach, orange blossoms, lime zest, some dry underbrush and a touch of sea breeze.  This has medium body with crisp acidity.  On the palate tart red fruit, orange blossoms and white peach come through on the front end with orange blossoms and some subtle dry earth coming in later.  The finish has nice length with lime zest and a saline note providing good depth.  This is a fruity Rose that would be welcome on a warm sunny day.  This has 13% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel – SRP $22

Sample provided by Magrino PR for the winery.  Visit their website for more information.

 

This is a blend of mainly Grenache, Rolle (Vermentino), and Cinsault from their vineyards as well as grapes purchased form the surrounding area.  Whispering Angel is considered to be one of the world’s greatest rosé wines.

 

The wine is a light pink salmon color.  The refreshing nose has strawberries, cherries, crushed stone minerals, white peach, green leafy herbs, orange blossoms and lime zest.  This has medium body with crisp acidity.  On the palate bright red fruit, minerals and leafy herbs jump out on the front end with orange blossoms and white peach coming in later.  The finish has good length with mouth watering lime zest providing some depth.  This is very easy to drink and enjoy.  This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Domaine Guy Mousset Rosé Côtes du Rhône – $11.21

Domaine Guy Mousset is part of Mousset Estates.  Clos Saint Michel and Domaine de Clairfort are the other “tiers” owned by the estate.  Oliver and Franck Mousset represent the fourth generation grape growers.  The wine is predominantly Grenache but the specific blend is not publicized.

 

The wine is a bright pink salmon color.  The comforting nose has cherries, crushed stones, roasted herbs, white pepper, orange zest and subtle dried earth.  This has light to medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate cherries, minerals and roasted herbs grab control on the front end with white pepper coming in later.  The finish has nice length with orange zest and dried earth providing depth.  The savory notes grab control on the back end and finish to provide nice balance to the front end fruit.  This is an easy wine to like.  This has 13% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Olema Côtes de Provence Rosé – $13.42

There isn’t much (if any) information on the internet about this wine.  It is a wine that is directly imported into the US by Total Wine & More, so it may not be available from any other source.

 

The wine is a pale pink salmon color.  The exuberant nose has cherries, chalky minerals, strawberries, orange blossoms, lime zest, apricots and a hint of leafy herbs.  This has light to medium body with nice acidity and just a touch of lingering sweetness.  On the palate bright red fruit and minerals jump out first with orange blossoms and apricots coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with lime zest and just a hint of leafy herbs providing depth.  This would be very easy to sip on a hot Summer day.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a agglomerated cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Château de Nages Costières-de-Nîmes ButiNages – $10.47

Château de Nages is the winery founded by Michel Gassier, and it is generally the home to his “reserve” level of wines.  To improve the quality of wines from the region, Michel planted new varietals including Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.  Michel also cut yields by half in some varietals and utilized newer techniques to force the vines to send their roots deeper into the soil.

 

This is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah.

 

The wine is a bright pink color.  The very inviting nose has cherries, crushed stone minerals, strawberries, dry earth, pear, melon, orange blossoms, lime zest and sea breeze.  This has medium body with crisp acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, minerals and strawberries quickly grab your attention with dry earth, pear and melon coming in later.  The finish has great length with orange blossoms and lime zest providing very nice depth.  This is a serious Rosé that is available at a fantastic price.  This could be your go-to Summer sipper.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Chemin Des Sables Vin de Pays de La Côte Révée – $8.62

This is another winery direct import wine from Total Wine & More so again, there is limited information available.

 

This wine is a blend of 70% Carignan and 30% Grenache.

 

The wine is a pale salmon color.  The slightly subdued nose has strawberries, cherries, dry earth, orange zest, white peach and dusty minerals.  This has medium body and decent acidity with some residual sweetness.  On the palate ripe red fruit and peaches come through on the front end with a touch or dry earth and minerals coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with just a touch of orange zest entering the picture.  This could use a bit more acidity and less residual sweetness.  This has 12% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a manmade spongy closure.  (85 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Famille Bougrier Rosé d’Anjou – $9.49

This family business was created in 1855 by Jean-Claude Bougrier in France’s Loire Valley.  In their early years the family simply sold bulk wine in wooden casks and drove around France in tankers.  From the contacts he made in these ways, Jean-Claude was able to work with growers in the best wine producing regions in the Loire Valley.  By the 1950s the firm was exporting wines from across the Loire Valley.  The family renovated the entire wine production facilities in the 1970s with an extensive modernization.  The family now produces several single vineyards wines as well as the blends.

 

This is a blend of 50% Gamay and 50% Grolleau from the Loire region of France.

 

The wine is a bright pink salmon color.  The open and inviting nose has strawberries, cherries, bananas, minerals, green leafy herbs and citrus zest.  This is barely medium body with crisp acidity.  Bright strawberries and tart cherries jump out on the front end with minerals and a touch of leafy herbs coming in later.  The finish has good length with lime zest leaving your mouth watering for another sip.  This has just a touch of residual sweetness but it is buffered nicely by the nice acidity.  This is very easy to sip.  This has 11% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2016 Villa Creek Rosé – $19.20

Villa Creek (as well as Bedrock) are the two wineries that always receive an order from me for their Rosé wine.  Villa Creek is a personal favorite winery of mine.  They are located in Paso Robles and utilize some of the “big name” vineyards in the region as well as their own vineyards.  To me, they make some of the best, reasonably priced red wines coming out of Paso Robles.

 

This vintage is a blend of 75% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache and 5% Carignan from Luna Matta and Denner Vineyards in Paso Robles.

 

The wine is a salmon pink color.  The intoxicating nose has cherries, strawberries, crushed stone minerals, wildflowers, peaches, subtle dry earth and orange zest.  On the palate red fruit and minerals quickly grab your attention with peaches and wildflowers coming in later.  The juicy finish has very good length with nice depth being provided by orange zest and a hint of dry earthiness.  The is crisp, clean and dry, perfect for a warm afternoon lunch or lighter dinner on the deck or patio.  This has 13.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  Even though none of the wines in this post came from them, they do on occasion offer Rosé wines.  All of these wines they offer come at a big discount.  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!