Summer with French Rosé

I've always associated rosé with spring and summer, but I certainly enjoy this style of wine throughout the entire year. When it's hot outside, it's a cool and refreshing beverage. When it's cold, it's a reminder of sunshine and flowers and blue skies.

As I've said many times, pink wines get a bad rap for an association with cheap White Zinfandel or the idea that they are exclusively for women. But they're just a bridge between red and white, able to pair well with just about anything. These three are affordable selections from the South of France, where the style was perfected.

2013 Domaine les Hautes Cances Rosé
Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne
1st saignée: Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan
2nd saignée: Grenache
3rd saignée: Mourvèdre
$15, 13.5% abv.

This is the strongest of the three, showing bright raspberry flavors with a tart, big body and a firm finish. As you can see from the grape listing, this is due to the saignée method in which some juice is bled off (hence the name) early in the winemaking process. This gives you two things: a stronger red wine and a rosé as a byproduct. And on top of that, the rosé will be ready for consumption earlier. This one is interesting in that it involved so many different grapes in three different bleedings.

2012 Marrenon Petula Rosé
Luberon, France
95% Syrah, 5% Grenache
$12, 13% abv.

The most restrained of the three. Mild and gentle with faint notes of bing cherry. Light acidity, a delicate finish, and a wine that I would love to pair with grilled amberjack and fennel.

2013 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Rosé
Côtes du Rhône, France
Grenache & Syrah
$8, 13% abv.

This one is a repeat from April, but it's still a delightful wine. Light aromas of tart raspberry with flavors that follow, including a burst of lemony acidity. Round mouthfeel with a beautiful salmon color and a long, tart finish.

Note: These wines were provided as samples for review.

Lavau Wines of the Southern Rhône

Early in my wine journey, I was a little terrified of French wines. I didn't know a lot about them, they seemed expensive, and unlike Italian and German, I've never been fully comfortable speaking en français. To this day, I am bound to mispronounce something like Monbazillac to sound like "ball sack".

However, at a couple of tastings I was introduced to wines from the south of France, particularly the Rhône and Provence areas, and I fell in love. These were inexpensive, tasty, food-friendly wines that were not super complex but approachable. For years afterwards I'd recommend them to friends and family as a fun alternative to $10 Australian and Californian bottles. I think at that price point you get better quality from the casual regions of France, Spain, and Italy.

The region does not simply produce table wines, and I was excited to share this quartet of bottles from Lavau with my friends Angela and Jinju, with whom I attended high school [REDACTED] years ago.

2013 Lavau Tavel Rosé
Tavel AOC
50% Grenache, 45% Cinsault, 5% Syrah.
$17, 13% abv.

I am a rosé fanatic, and nobody does it quite like France. Light cherry, very gentle nose, dry but fruity, mild acidity and a slow, gentle finish. Excellent with a turkey, pesto, and Gruyère sandwich on a warm Saturday afternoon.

2012 Lavau Rasteau
Rasteau AOC
50% Grenache, 50% Syrah
$19, 13.5% abv.

Of the reds, this was the most restrained. It shows as thin and mild, with light aromas of spice and dried fruit. Actually quite refreshing in hot weather, and one that I'd recommend for serving with appetizers where it is often difficult to serve a heartier red.

2011 Lavau Vacqueyras
Vacqueyras AOC
50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
$24, 13% abv.

The boldest red of the group opened up with a nose of plum and leather, with firm tannins and an aftertaste of tea. A chewy, big mouthfeel, and one that really cries out for grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce.

2012 Lavau Gigondas
Gigondas AOC
50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
$28, 14% abv.

The Gigondas achieved the best balance of all four, with a middle range of tannins and a light red cherry profile tinged with hints of earth. This is one that I see improving with a few years of storage, and would pair well with rare rack of lamb.

Note: These wines were provided as samples for review.

2012 Coppola Votre Santé Chateau Red

One of the newest labels from Francis Ford Coppola bears the name of a popular French version of "cheers". The paperwork mentions that his paternal often said that before drinking wine. Why would an Italian say that? Because she grew up in Tunisia while it was under French control.

Francis, fratello mio, you can't just leave us with that bit of the story! There's got to be more! The 19th and early 20th century saw a lot of displacement of many people, thrown around the globe for various reasons. The Yorkshire veterinarian James Herriot wrote about a few Mongolians who had been drafted by the Soviets, captured in Germany, and placed on farms in northern England. My paternal grandfather spent a few years after WWII on Johnston Atoll, a tiny speck that is pretty far away from Hawai'i, which is already by itself in the middle of a giant ocean. His job was to study the weather for the Navy, which wasn't too rough in an area where it was the same temperature year-round.

I honored the Italian heritage of the wine with a homemade pepperoni pizza, which I thought benefitted greatly from dried mushrooms and salted anchovies in the sauce.

2012 Coppola Votre Santé Chateau Red
California
Proprietary blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
$14, 13.5% abv.

This is a classic Rhône-style GSM blend, though more French in approach than the Australian versions of this mix. Bright cherry nose with mild, nutty undertones. Gentle tannins, low acid, and an overall light approach create a great bargain wine that should pair well with lots of summer dishes. I found it refreshing when chilled but also enjoyable at room temperature.

I don't know if the box that I got is available for retail sale, but it was one of the prettiest presentations I've ever received.

Note: This wine was provided as a sample.

NV Jaillance Cuvée Impériale

Situated in the middle of the Rhône Valley wine regions, Clairette de Die produces a sweet, lightly sparkling wine. Unlike Champagne, this is a naturally sparkling wine, though one with lower pressure that did not require the technological advance of the stronger Champagne bottle and corking methods. (Also a bit odd: the local rules establish a maximum content of 25% Clairette, with a minimum of 75% Muscat. Why not call it Muscat de Die?)

While this is my first time trying wine from this particular AOC, it was instantly familiar and I can see why it's being promoted now. In flavor, alcohol content, and sweetness, it is almost identical to the Italian Moscato d'Asti, which has become hugely popular here in the US. Sparkling Muscat wines are popping up from all sorts of places, and I've reviewed examples from Spain, Australia, Brazil, and Moldova. France can not be accused of just now jumping on the bandwagon, this style of wine has been made in the Die region for some two thousand years and was written about by Pliny the Elder.

NV Jaillance Cuvée Impériale
Clairette de Die AOC
90% Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, 10% Clairette Blanche
$17, 7% abv.

Aromas of honey, peach nectar, and a slight musky undertone are present from the start. The wine is quite sweet, and just barely fizzy--enough to produce a small head of foam but not enough to really tickle your palate. While the alcohol level is very low (some beers are stronger), the sweetness creates a bigger body than you'd expect. I enjoyed it after dinner with soft white cheese and fresh strawberries, and it would make for a great dessert wine at a date if your significant other has a sweet tooth.

Note: This wine was received as a sample.