A BUNCH OF ROSÉS
THE SHELF life of rosé is short. While nowadays some people do drink rosé outside the spring/ summer season, most retailers stock up early, so grab these wines as quickly as you can. I spoke to Gabriel Geller (GG) and Jay Buchsbaum (JB) of Royal Wine Corp for recommendations and tasting notes.
PSAGOT ROSÉ (Judean Hills, Israel) RRP £18.99
GG: Aromas of ripe tropical fruit and black cherry, with hints of grapefruit. Medium-plus body with a touch of fizziness. The palate features fresh watermelon, pink grapefruit and cherry pie, with nice minerality, bracing acidity and a fairly long finish. A rosé that shows unusual gravitas and can complement a full meal.
JB: This is more fullbodied and meant for chicken dishes, for instance, or a fatty fish like salmon. The colour is in the middle of the spectrum for rosés. The wine-maker is known for his attention to balance and it shows here.
RAMON CARDOVA ROSADO
(Rioja, Spain) RRP £14.99
GG: Pale, clean peach pink. Aromas of freshly picked raspberries and cherries, as well as stone fruits. Light to medium-bodied, featuring zesty red fruit, tart peach and cantaloupe, with saline minerals, high, wellbalanced acidity and spicy notes lingering on the finish. JB: Beautiful pale, pale pink. Great for quaffing with light dishes. Just makes you want to relax in the backyard or poolside. Amazing quality at the price.
ROUBINE LA VIE EN ROSE (Côtes de Provence, France) RRP £19.99
GG: Bright salmon pink. Light in body, with fruity notes of ripe red berries and stone fruit.
Perfectly balanced; refreshing finish with a touch of blood orange. Really delightful.
JB: Serious wine by a serious winery, with complex flavours. Enjoy with food. This is classic Provence. DOMAINE DU CASTEL, ROSÉ DU CASTEL
(Judean Hills, Israel) RRP £29.99
GG: Very light pink. An elegant, floral, supple, Provence-style rosé with great acidity and even complexity, certainly one of the very best of the category. CHÂTEAU ROUBINE, CRU CLASSÉ
(Côtes de Provence, France) RRP £22.99
GG: Very bright, pale salmon pink colour with delicate aromas of spring flowers, fresh red berries and stone fruits. Light in body, it is a vibrant rosé, very refined and delicate on the palate with flavours of sour cherries, raspberries, fresh white peaches and tangerines as well as chalky and racy mineral notes.
JB: Nice, pleasant soft smell of sweet meadow flowers; light body. Light strawberries, tannins are light — but it continues to grow in complexity as it fills every taste bud in your mouth. A perfect quaffing wine, but food would best bring out its complexities.
YATIR ROSÉ (Judean Hills, Israel) RRP £24.99
JB: Colour is light rose/pink. Very well balanced acid and fruit flavours, some complexity. It’s good with food and excellent on its own.
I think this would be a good bar rosé by the glass, albeit at a very upscale bar. It’s full, rich and flavourful, but can stand on its own.
GG: Watermelon bright red-pink. Fragrant nose, slowly revealing notes of honeysuckle, lavender, wild strawberries and cherries, as well as chalky minerals. Given some air in the glass, this wine unfolds tart, vibrant red berry and stone fruits, hints of salinity and stony minerals, with the bracing acidity carrying through the moderately long finish.
More than just a rosé, an intriguing wine to reflect with while reading a good book in the backyard on a warm summer afternoon.
LES LAURIERS DES BARONS EDMOND & BENJAMIN DE ROTHSCHILD, ROSÉ
(Bordeaux, France) RRP £19.99
GG: Light peach pink, with subtle notes of fresh flowers, red berries and stone fruits, as well as nice minerality.
JB: Medium in body with pleasant notes of sweet lemon, a fresh acidity and fruity notes that remain in the mouth long after having swallowed. I’d love this with a lighter, delicate white fish, flounder or St Peter’s fish, with a drizzle of lemon.
FLAM ROSÉ RRP £29.99
JB: Excellent balance of fruit and alcohol. This is a perfect wine that requires food — it complements lighter fish dishes and Moroccan fish with pepper and lemon bases to match the wine’s acidity.
GG: Fresh nose of summer and stone fruits. Light to medium in weight with good acidity. The finish is refreshing. A well-balanced, quality, fruit-forward rosé.
GOOSE BAY PINOT NOIR ROSÉ RRP £19.99
JB: Perfectly balanced, slightly acidic finish that lends itself to food — with its fuller mouth feel, richer foods such as chicken or fish with mushrooms.
GG: A heavier wine than the average rosé. Deep colour, bursting with red berry fruit. The body and the bracing acidity make this wine a good pairing with fish and poultry such as turkey or chicken. Very good quality-to-price ratio. CHATEAU MAIME RRP £29.99
JB: Beautiful colour, very pleasant nose, well balanced; some fruit, tannins and acidity. For lighter fare and a good cocktail wine.
GG: Pale salmon colour with a lightly perfumed nose. Light in body with restrained fruit, a bit watery but good mineral notes.
To be served ice cold.
SAINTE-BÉATRICE INSTANT B RRP £14.99
JB: Very light, fresh berries, nice acidity. A well-made Provence rosé. And mevushal, too.
The entry-level wine from Château Roubine, which demonstrates its ability at making quality rosé at every price point. Very light pink. Light in body with notes of tart raspberries and redcurrants as well as a hint of peach; refreshing mouthfeel, with nice minerals, sour cherries and red berries. Medium acidity, as well as a pleasant juicy finish. It is mevushal this vintage and actually a step up from last year.