Rosé. Fruity, chilled, and served while you’re resting in your favourite chair, in the shadow, on the veranda. On a warm Summers Day….  . Do you like? Or not?

I used to say that Rosé is “a waste of time”. Until I realised there are Rosé wines that (sorry for the somewhat chauvinistic metaphor) not only have muscles, but also a bit of hair on the chest. Translated into wine terminology, with structure, and above all, having been vinified to taste more like a “normal” wine. Not the “lemonade-kind” Rosé that you all too often find in your wine store.

This Wine Review* presents two Rosé wines** that meet those requirements. Both are from Southern France.

 

Les Lauzeraies

Les Lauzeraies is a Tavel Rosé. Tavel is the district in Southern Rhône that only produces Rosé wines. The interesting thing is that it is produced in a Châteauneauf-du-pape style, e.g. as a blend of various grapes.

This wine is a cuvee of no less than eight grapes; 50% Grenache. Mourvedre, Carignan, and Syrah constitute 17%. Cinsaut 15%. Three other grapes – Bourboulenc, Clairette, and Picpoul contribute with the remaining 18%.

It is deeply pink in color and comes with aromas of pomegranate, cherries, raspberries, and strawberries. Fruity to nose and palate. Delicate acidity. Alcohol is 14% abv, quite high for being a Rosé.

It is produced by Les Vignerons de Tavel, and is a blend of free running juice (contributing with fruitiness, freshness, and acidity) and pressed juice (contributing with richness, structure, and strength).

Les Lauzeraies will work well as an aperitif, with white meet (chicken, and turkey), and paellas.

I give this 90 / 100. A bargain at €12.

 

Cuvée Fontenille Rosé

The other wine is Cuvée Fontenille Rosé. It originates from Luberon in Provence, the French region mostly recognised for its rosé wines. That is, outside France. Fontenille is produced by Domaine de Fontenille. I had the privilege of tasting it at a wine fair in May, the same day as it was introduced in Sweden. It was love at first sip.

The color is salmon pink. Don’t let this fool you. It is produced from 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsaut, and 10% Mourvedre. Four grape varieties with capability of producing “muscular” wines.

Reading about how the vinification, you realize why it is such a delicious wine. Certified organic. Cold fermentation (15°C) for three weeks in steel tanks, separately for each variety. Resting on the lees until Christmas.

Tasting it you will find lots of berries such as forest raspberries, raspberries, grapefruit, herbs, and red current. High in acidity.

Cuvée Fontenille Rosé will work well as an aperitif, with fish, and white meet (chicken, and turkey).

I give this 92 / 100. A bargain at €13

 

* Wine Suggestions are based on wines I’ve tried myself. There’s no sponsoring involved in my reviewing, and the reviews express my own opinions of the wines.

** Information på svenska:

Les Lauzeraires (nr 2724) ingår i ordinarie sortiment och kostar 119:-. Jag tycker det är ett fynd till det priset. Det går även att i skrivande stund få tag på årgång 2015 för 79:- (nr 70552). Har testat det också och det är helt ok.

Fontenille Rosé (nr 94017, kostar 129:-) är för tillfället klassat som ”små partier”. Jag tycker det är ett fynd för det priset. Systembolaget har tagit in 4.200 flaskor, men tillverkaren berättade att de kommer att kunna leverera mer om den första leveransen säljer slut.