The Cellar: Time for Rosé

Friday, June 12, 2015

Steffen Rasch, GoLocalWorcester Wine Writer

With temperatures expected to get into the 80’s next week, I figured it was time for this season’s first Rosé themed feature. The following are reviews of two outstanding, value-priced Rosés that are both great for light meals, lounging on the patio or sipping around the pool.

Rosé is one of my favorite a categories of wine. If you haven’t been tasting what is available out there I strongly suggest you head to your nearest wine merchant asap. Because in the past decade or so the quality of Rosé has increased dramatically as producers around the world have started paying the attention and giving the dedication this category of wine deserves – this instead of just seeing Rosés as a convenient byproduct of red winemaking.

While many commercially available Rosés are made from thinner skinned grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Grenache, the fact is that Rosés can be made from pretty much any red grape. Oh, and if you think all Rosés are sweet (as in white zinfandel sweet) think again as most serious Rosés are dry with delicious red fruits and bright acidity.

This week’s first wine is the $12ish 2014 Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon from Mulderbosch Vineyards. Mulderbosch’s wines are among the more widely available wines from South Africa. I absolutely love their Chenin and Sauvignon Blancs, but their Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon, first released in 1999, is delicious also. Mulderbosch were among the first in South Africa to launch a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé utilizing grapes from vineyards specifically planted to produce Rosé fruit. This special aromatic clone is ‘designed’ to retain its acidity and is ideal for early picking.

This wine is treated like a crisp white wine would. It undergoes a delicate maceration followed by a cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then bottled early to preserve the acidity. For a Rosé this wine is medium to full-bodied with ripe red fruits like strawberries and cherries. It is dry but because of its weight I see this wine going really well with lighter dishes.

This week’s other Rosé is a more classic example made from Pinot Noir. It is the $14ish 2014 La Petite Perrière Rosé from Loire Valley’s famed Le Domaine Saget. The La Petite Perrière series of wine is one of a handful made by the Saget family; a family that has been growing grapes in the Loire Valley since 1790. Le Domaine Saget, which the original Estate is called, almost went out of business 40 years ago when Guy Saget, current proprietor Jean-Louis’ father, died suddenly. Alongside his brother, 20 year-old Jean-Louis overcame poor odds and succeeded not only in revitalizing the original Estate located in Loire’s easternmost Pouilly-sur-Loire appellation, but to expand operations west, through Sancerre and into the Touraine and Anjou.

The La Petite Perrière series is the Domaine’s entry-level wines but the quality is as high as you get in this price-range. This is a lean, clean and crisp Rosé. The 2014 vintage resulted in lower yields due to difficult weather, which included heavy rains, a chilly spring, lack of sun and dry weather during the harvest time. The resulting wine is enticingly aromatic, packed with red fruit flavor and excellent acidity making it a great sipping wine on a hot summer day.

Cheers,

Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Feel free to email him at [email protected] with any wine-related questions or learn about wine in person by signing up for one of his tastings through the Providence Wine Academy. The next tasting is Sunday, July 12th, during which participants will be exploring the wines of Central & Eastern Europe.

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