The 2017 Rose Thread

So, there is been some discussion here this year about rose, with much centered on the virtues of California vs France, or else designed for a particular purpose, i.e. a wedding wine. However, there appears to be no thread devoted to tasting notes for rose this year, so I’d like to start one. I’ve been enjoying several so far this spring and would like to see what others are drinking, and what is drinking well this year. I should add that rose is a bit of a tough sell at my house, similar in that regard to riesling. Luckily both categories hold up well if kept cold, so I can open a bottle and return to it as I want even if my wife isn’t as interested.

2015 Hecht & and Bannier Bandol. Wow, excellent Bandol rose. A bit unexpected coming from a negociant at a close out price of about $12, but easily on the level of bigger names in Bandol (pretty much anyone but Tempier?). This is fleshy and complex with deep nectarine flavors and great acid. Loved it.

2014 Hecht & Bannier Bandol. The back of the bottle advises waiting up to five years to drink this. Having had the 2015, and the 2014, I have to say that these are still probably best consumed within a three year of vintage. However, the 2015 was sold out. The 2014 was still available at a similar price. I’m certainly not unhappy with the purchase. This is drinking very well, and I will drink these before the 2015 bottles that I have. Very similar flavors just slightly less fresh.

2015 Fontsainte Gris de Gris. This is a screaming value. Widely available at about $12 a bottle. This is excellent, extremely well integrated acid. Has a good mineral note, it isn’t so much about fruit as about light mineral, acidic, refreshing rose.

2016 Clos Cibonne Tentations. Made from young vine estate fruit, as well as purchased fruit, this is also ridiculous value. Made in a somewhat fleshier, riper style, yet with plenty of acid and a decent minerality as well. It is so young, that I wonder how much of the flesh is just baby fat. In any case, it’s extremely pleasing at this point. It is fresh, and very peachy. There’s a ton of this locally, and when I look for prices on the national market there appear appears to be very little information. I think that’s because it is imported by a small local importer from a suburb here in St. Louis. In any case, I plan to take advantage and buy a bunch. Edit: I see this is mostly grenache, with only about 15% of the Tibouren that dominates in the better-known cuvee speciale. Whatever the blend, it works.

So, I’d love to hear what everybody else is drinking for rose the spring, and what is particularly good this year. I know the 2015 vintage is great in Provence and Bandol, and should be good in California as well. There should be a very good year for rose overall.

The 2015 Clos Cibonne Cuvee Speciale is stunningly good rosé - worth the tariff. I’ve also enjoyed the Domaine de Montaud 2016 from bottle and bag-in-box both. Apparently I love the Tibouren grape.

The 2016 Gobelsburger Rosé is another early favorite.

Thanks for starting a thread you feel passionate about, Michael! Also, I appreciate your notes.

Quick question: I keep hearing that Rosé wines (particularly those from Bandol) can age very easily. It appears that you disagree?

I always loved the Terrebrune Bandol Rosé

The 2013 Clos Roche Blanche Pineau d’Aunis Rosé is even more spectacular now than it was 2 years ago. It has become more herbal and still shows a lot of the Pineau d’Aunis characteristic celery seed, so it isn’t a typical rosé, but was brilliant with both a robatayaki grilled duck with sweet miso and raw hamachi with serrano, cilantro, and ponzu so it suits a wide range of dishes.

I guess the question is whether by age we mean simply hold up or actually improve. Tempier seems to hold up quite well, and I’ve enjoyed other Bandol rose at maybe three years from vintage. But I don’t know that these wines are improving at all. I drank through a good deal of 2013 Gros Nore rose over the 2015 and 2016 summers, and by the end they were still good but the freshness was fading without a tradeoff in complexity. Maybe I didn’t wait long enough and more complexity will come with time. I’ve seen notes here of tasting 15-20 year old bandog rose, but it’s always Tempier. As for theHecht & Bannier above, the 2014 is lovely, but the 2015 is better. But they are a negociant and 2015 is a better vintage, so it could just be a much better wine in that vintage. In any case, they seem to hold up, I just don’t know if they improve a lot. For this particular wine I’ll kill the '14 first and likely the '15s later this summer, rather than trying any aging experiments.

Jim, I’ll look for the Montaud, as I’d like to find a good box rose for summer entertaining.

I have some of the '15 Cibonne Speciale but haven’t tried it yet, so thanks for the note. The tentation rose is something a bit more standard than the Speciale, as it is mostly grenache (though has some Tibouren as well). It is very good value at about $15 though.

I’ve always heard good things about the Gobelsburger and haven’t ever tried it so that will be on my radar as well. Also appears to be a very good value.

just picked up my annual case of triennes and a 6er of gobelsburger.

Tamary, Provence, from JL Zuger (owns malescot) is a stunner and the 15 is outdrinking 16 right now… as they can age a few years. Had an 09 about 9 months ago that wasn’t awful… I’d like to get my hands on some 14s.

Great questions about rose aging and whether it ‘improves’ or not . . .

I don’t think that there is an easy answer here. If you want ‘freshness’ in any wine, younger will always be better - whether red, white or rose.

I’ve enjoyed some bandol and Mourvedre based rones at 3-4 years post release as I treat these more like red wines than white - drinking them at cellar temp or warmer.

YMMV though . . .

Cheers.

Finca Jakue Txakolina rosado 2016 – Very pale salmon/pink, with a very light body and a slight spritz. Leans more mineral than fruity, but hints of strawberry and zesty citrus are there. Very refreshing and satisfying as an aperitif. Eat your heart out Ameztoi !

Graci rosato 2016 – 100% nerello mascalese from Mt Etna in Sicily. Very pale salmon hue, light-bodied and crisp. The volcanic soil lends to the mineral qualities evident in the nose and taste. Light red berry and citrus fruits with a little hint of saline on the end. Best after it warmed a little in the glass.

Sounds good Martin. Price?

This past weekend we had several with wine for Easter dinner. I posted my notes on the Easter thread but here are quick takes on a couple I didn’t review above:

2015 Vajra Rossabella - I really like Vajra and expected to really like this wine. I was a bit disappointed. This bottle was all sharp acidity without a lot else going on around it. Maybe just not a great bottle, or at a bad place, because the notes on CT are glowing.

2015 Ametzoi Rubentis - nice, but I think I prefer the white to this version.

$21.99 here in NYC for the Graci rosato, prob cheaper outside of the city

2015 Domaine Les Pins ‘Cuvee les Rochettes’ [Bourgueil]

13% abv, very pale orange/pink. light bodied. its functional, but not flavorful or interesting. label specifies 100% cabernet franc, which isn’t obvious from the taste or anything - no oregano, herbal notes.
a K&L direct import.

I guess the question is whether by age we mean simply hold up or actually improve. Tempier seems to hold up quite well, and I’ve enjoyed other Bandol rose at maybe three years from vintage. But I don’t know that these wines are improving at all.

It’s the whole point of aging. If it just holds on, then buy the recent vintage. The only reason in the world to intentionally age a wine is to improve it, not to keep it what it was.

Most rosé from anywhere doesn’t really improve all that much, and in fact, that would be a thread of its own. Those very few that I’ve had that do improve tended to have really high acidity in addition to depth of flavor. I don’t know whether those are necessary or just coincidental, but I had one two days ago from Provence that was forgettable in the extreme - it wasn’t sweet and had OK acidity, but the flavor had some bubble gum and a slightly bitter finish. In a couple years I can’t imagine that being drinkable. I used to keep a few of the ones I didn’t sell by autumn just to see what they’d be like in a few years. None turned into anything much.

But transforming into a mature and still good aged wine? That would be a good thread.

I have found that mourvedre-based roses tend to have a bit of a longer drinkability curve than those made with many other varieties. To me, ma y seem to peak at 1-2 years post bottling.

Cheers

Living the 2015 Lageder Lagrein rose. Got it at a fantastic price.

Right, but sometimes I have leftover rose after the weather cools that never gets consumed until the next year, and sometimes there’s just a really good deal on last year’s rose. So in that sense if the wine can hold a year or two that is a plus, and I would argue that’s a sign of the better ilk of rose. How many can achieve actual improvement, and therefore may merit a conscious effort to hold, is more debatable.

2016 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé
This wine was not long off the boat when I picked it up last weekend and I’m not sure how long ago it was bottled. I have a nice amount and was eager to try a bottle. I drove roughly four hours with no car AC in temperatures ranging from 83F to 93F on the day I picked it up, which was the only additional motivation I needed. Salmon pink with an orange tint, maybe a little deeper color than usual, very savory nose with lots of melon, pink grapefruit, and savory herbs on the palate. There is a little astringency and a some tannin on the finish. Very nice wine but I think it needs a month, or so, to fully come together.

-Al

Michael,

Finally got to try the basic Clos Cibonne - agreed, great value. I’m going to try the fancier Sous Voille-aged version in a few days (ironically because someone turned it down for being a 2015).

Domaine Salvard Cheverny is solid again this year. Very bright and lively. As is Chateau St. Cyrgues in Costieres de Nimes.

One other fun find - 3.0L box Nero d’Avola Rose called Vasca Cinque from Sicily. Organic and “Estate bottled.” I took a blind stab at this on a rosé pre-sale, and was pleasantly impressed. Bright and fresh, but with a little Mediterranean meatiness. Red fruit and mineral finish. I would love more rosé in this format. Young people (and wine people) get it.