- 2008 Château Routas Côteaux Varois Rouvière - France, Provence, Côteaux Varois (4/17/2009)
My first '08 rosé and I was happy to find it. Steve’s off picking up our case of '07 Cameron Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (Go, Steve!) tonight, so I decided to open this while I wait. Paired with a disk of La Tur that’s so ripe it looks like it could slide off the plate, down the island, and out the kitchen door of its own free will. A simple wine-- blushing peachy-pink in color, with notes of melon, tangerine, strawberry, and spearmint gum. The palate echoes the nose, but with enough minerality and acid to keep things from getting cloying. This is not my favorite rosé, but it’s a much-needed harbinger of the wines that will hopefully follow in a few weeks. $12.75, but I found it in a foo foo grocery store and it’s probably even less elsewhere.