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wdonovan · 04-07-2006, 05:50 AM,

I guess it's true that outside of Provence, the pinks all go to sleep for the winter. We stash a few cases at the end of summer to befriend occasional Asian, Indian, and shellfish dishes (I even sacrificed a bottle for an outrageously good tropical fruit Sangria). We were blessed with a mild winter (New Jersey shore) and early spring has already given us some 70Â° weather. Time to dust off the BBQ and start ordering more rose's for the summer season.
My winemonger left a message yesterday that Domaine Ott is available again. To me that message is like seeing the first daffodils. Ott is a little rich for our taste in this style of wine, of which we can find a number of nice selections around the $10 to $15 mark. But we will for sure, order a bottle or two to sample the latest (not sure if they're on '03 or '04). Anyway, I'll contact the Royere distributor and see if we can't get a bit of this lovely juice coming in. I will also start bringing my "pink wine detection kit" with me to the stores.
How's everyone else out there preparing for rose' season?

dananne · 04-07-2006, 07:45 AM,

You're right -- I don't even think about rose in the winter, and here in Atlanta "winter" is a subjective use of the term. However, we have a few leftovers from last summer that we'll need to get into sooner rather than later, and I actually bought a rose the last time I went wine shopping that I'm excited to try -- the Las Rocas Garnacha rose. I'm a big Las Rocas fan, both of their regular Garnacha and their fantastic VV bottle.

Leftovers include some wines that we brought back from last summer's trip to Willamette and the offline in WA. We thought Snoqualmie's Cirque de Rose to be a nice find. We also enjoyed a Pinot Noir rose from Rex Hill that we brought home, too.

Kcwhippet · 04-07-2006, 08:23 AM,

We like the Cirque de Rose also. Very nice juice made from Cabernet Sauvignon.

Innkeeper · 04-07-2006, 08:27 AM,

Although we prefer our pinks from Italy, Spain, and Southern France, there are some nice Americans. Our favorite is Terre Rouge Vin Gris d'Amador, Sierra Foothills. It is lovely year in and out.

To get the season started we have a couple of Cerasulo d'Abruzzos from Roberto, ready to go. These are the granddads of all pinks, being dark and full enough to surpass certain Pinot Noirs in color and body.

wondersofwine · 04-07-2006, 08:49 AM,

I have at least a couple left from last summer. I think possibly a Chinon from Cabernet Franc grape and maybe a Bruno Clair Marsannay Rose from Pinot Noir. I also liked the Snoqualmie Cirque du Rose and may see if any of the stores in Raleigh carry it or can order it.

robr · 04-07-2006, 01:02 PM,

Wow! Seven recommendations. I just cut and paste them into a Word doc, save and print and give it to my favorite pushers. Thanks guys!

barnesy · 04-07-2006, 09:51 PM,

"dust off the BBQ"?

Shoot, here we BBQ year round, no matter the weather. Rain or shine, its BBQ time.

Last summer, I took a nice rose to my friends party and it worked very well with wide mix of foods from bbq oysters to the usual fair.

Domaine De Couron Rose
100% grenache. It retails around $8.

I've got a nice Irouleguy rose I'm looking forward to this summer.

Barnesy

[This message has been edited by barnesy (edited 04-07-2006).]

wdonovan · 04-17-2006, 05:56 AM,

Update: A little off-topic but close. I thought this more appropriate here than in the "sparkling" forum.
Drappier NV brut rosÃ©. Served this SAT night against smoked duck eggrolls with dried cherry demiglaze dipping sauce. We love this Champagne. Pale color, light body, all pinot noir (I think), light tropical fruits on the nose, a little cherry on the tongue. This is a baby Billecart-Salmon at 1/2 the price. Tasting this after a few days of beautiful outdoor weather brought me to a revelation..... It should be on our list of summer BBQ rosÃ©s. Voila.... now it is! We will especially look to pair this one with BBQ'd shellfish like shrimp and lobster but... I may get brave enough to serve this with spareribs basted with something sweet and a bit spicey. Might be something memorable.

wondersofwine · 04-17-2006, 06:07 AM,

I like the sound of a brut rose' with shrimp and lobster. If you try it with spareribs let us know your verdict.

dananne · 05-24-2006, 04:17 PM,

Finally got around to trying that Las Rocas rosado (it's the '04) this last weekend, when we grilled a steak (Anne) and a veggie burger (Dan), to be matched with quinoa with mixed veggies and a spinach salad from our garden. 100% Garnacha. Bright pink in color, with a nose of wild strawberries. Tart strawberry flavors on entry, with some raspberry and white pepper on the finish. Dry, but fruity, though. Good, juicy acidity. A touch heavier than some roses, it could be treated as a light-bodied red with food pairing, but versatile enough to match up to anything on the BBQ this summer. Good hot afternoon quaffer. Alc. 13.5%. Paid about $10.

brappy · 05-24-2006, 09:53 PM,

Well that's a trip.... They charge more for the rose than for the red???? That's got to be a first.... Of course their VV is more but stilllllllll...

As for roses Dan, 1 to 10, how would you rate these? I'm still looking for a rose or two for this summer and haven't found the perfect one. Let me know if you don't mind.....

Thanks, mark

dananne · 05-25-2006, 03:50 PM,

It wasn't a mind blowing wine, but it makes for a nice summer quaffer. I'd put it on a par with some of the better pinks put out by Bonny Doon, but not up there with the Snoqualmie Cirque du Rose or a Charles Melton rose I had a while back. Number-wise, maybe a 7? I'd probably buy it again, though, and have since seen it for closer to $8. Next, I'll be trying some Pinot Noir roses from my Oregon trip last summer. Will post on those in coming days in the same thread.

brappy · 05-27-2006, 08:02 AM,

Thanks Dananne, The Melton was an interesting blend. It seemed to have too many red qualities, if that's possible. But I too will be on the look-out........

dananne · 05-28-2006, 10:52 AM,

Those roses with more red qualities are the ones that we tend to go for, not only because that's the style that has appeal for me, but also because Anne generally doesn't like pinks (generally doesn't like whites, either, unless they sparkle), so if we stock some in the house, they are usually the ones that drink more like a red. Speaking of which, we cracked a Snoqualmie yesterday afternoon, and it is still a super yummy drink. Very much it should be treated as a light-bodied red, it had a deeper color and was heavier than lots of Pinot I've had in the last month, and many Beaujolais, too. Great, juicy red currant, strawberry, and pomegranite flavors with a jumpy acidity. Great for our 90* afternoon. Next up is a Rex Hill Pinot Noir rose.

VouvrayHead · 05-28-2006, 02:11 PM,

Had the Toad Hollow Pinot Rose "Eye of the Toad" Thought it was just ok...

For a richer slightly creamy rose, I like Tommasi Chiaretto Bardolino Rose. Around $10.

brappy · 05-29-2006, 02:47 PM,

Had a bottle of the Miner Family Vineyards rose last night. The grape is Sangiovese. This wine is quite stunning. On the nose and palate, strawberries, strawberries, and more strawberries. Quite dark in color. Pleasant lengthy finish. I ordered a case.

mark

dananne · 05-29-2006, 04:27 PM,

I'll look for it. Summer's just starting, and I've already about wiped out my rose cache.

brappy · 06-05-2006, 03:35 PM,

Dananne, this quote from an above post made me think of you(both) today.

"Those roses with more red qualities are the ones that we tend to go for, not only because that's the style that has appeal for me, but also because Anne generally doesn't like pinks (generally doesn't like whites, either, unless they sparkle), so if we stock some in the house, they are usually the ones that drink more like a red."

Went throught the Torbreck line-up. I don't know if this is the first rose they've made but it's the first I've had by them. But from your description, you'ld love this one. It's like a chilled red wine. Very well balanced. Not a big production wine.....like under 1000 cases made or at least imported. You might even want your local pusher to order this special as I believe this will go quick. Anyway, just passing this along.

mark

dananne · 06-05-2006, 03:45 PM,

Will certainly look for it, and thanks for the heads-up!

dananne · 06-22-2006, 12:28 PM,

Finally got around to the '03 Rex Hill Rose of Pinot Noir last weekend. Light, transparent ruby color, with a strawberry nose. This didn't have the vibrancy from what I remember of it from tasting at the winery last summer. Perhaps we shouldn't have put it off for so long. Kinda like a dilute PN, frankly. Not terrible, and refreshing on a 93* day with 90% humidity, but not the best we've had this summer. 14.1% alc. Paid around $15 at the winery.

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