Quick note on my California trip: I saw some of the most beautiful country I've seen in my 32 years on God's green earth, and tried 72 wines at 10 different wineries. The details, tasting notes, and explorations of organic/biodynamic/sustainable winemaking will follow in small bits for the next couple of months. Needless to say, at one point I almost called The Roommate and asked her to ship all of my belongings to Sonoma County. So after a week of California's best, how about a French wine?
Last year I tried the In Fine Blanc, but I never got around to writing about it. (Hey, sometimes it happens. I forgot to take a photo, or lost my notes, or maybe I just felt like taking the night off.) Both the white and the pink shown here hail from southeastern France in a part of the Rhone near Provence. Affordable, delicious grape combinations, and a unique label design that looks like a printing error. Here's the 2007 In Fine Rosé from Côtes du Ventoux in France. $12, 13.5% abv. 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault.
Bright cherry flavors, touch of red apple, round mouthfeel. Lots of forward fruit here, and a body that leans more toward red than white. Served with grocery store sushi, part of an effort to prove that rosés are pretty food friendly with a wide range of ingredients. Ideally you want to serve this on a weekend afternoon, nicely chilled, with some sort of snack after you've completed the yardwork and errands of the day.
4 comments:
I look forward to reading the small bits about the wines you tasted while in Sonoma,and I've been interested in their progress with organic, Bio-dyanmic, and sustainable farming methods. It's been a while since I've been in Sonoma, and things do seem to change quickly. It will be nice to get up to date.
Ramblin,
I spent more time in Healdsburg/Dry Creek than I did in Sonoma, but loved the whole area. Maybe it was the season, but I didn't have to battle tour buses on my visit.
I still can't get over the beauty of the region, and I've been to 32 of the states in the Union. Wyoming has bluer skies and New Mexico has better views, but that area just north of San Francisco had the unique combination of mountains, valleys, ocean, and great food and wine that was closer to Italy than anything in the U.S.
Yes,I agree. I have always loved that area, especially in the Spring and Fall. Napa Valley is beautiful-but kind of Disneylandish.It's too crowded with tourists, and traffic jams. But Sonoma/Dry Creek still has an authentic, real people feel.
Benito,
I too am looking forward to hearing more about your trip, so glad you had a good time out here in California.
The 2008 Roses are just starting to arrive and I have been enjoying more than my fair share...will have to keep an eye out for the Fine Rose, gotta say, I dig the packaging!
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