My goal this week was to offer a tasting of Dry Rosé of varying styles. And I’d say “mission accomplished.” Timing is perfect with temps predicted in the mid 80’s, there’s nothing I’d rather drink on a warm evening than any of these refreshing tasty treats. I’d have to say, to me, the benchmark style of rosé hails from Provence in Southern France. From there, we have two to start the flight. Then we’ll move on to a delish Cabernet Franc from France’s Loire Valley. Moving out of France and on to Italy we have my favorite rosé of the year, the slightly fizzy little sparkler out of thoroughbred country, Oltrepo Pavese. It’s not as sparkly as Champagne………….just enough to give you an extra freshness and brightness that are the hallmarks of dry rosé. Then we take a long flight home to the Dundee Hills with the DePonte Pinot Noir Rosé which has to be the best I’ve tasted from our local region. And there you have the flight of five.
But what about this 2005 premium Pour in the flight of 2011’s? I wanted to give you a totally different look at what else can be done with the variety. The style of this premium pour is a different animal indeed. This wine can historically age and improve for 20+ years in the bottle. The Jura, in the Alps not far from Geneva, is a region lost in time and the type of wines coming out of it are unique. This is one unusual rosé. Not fresh and crisp this is a brooding, soil driven rose that won’t remind you of anything you’ve ever had. So there you have it, a broad spectrum tasting of the kind of wines you should be drinking frequently, especially this time of year!
The Lineup
2011 Chateau Bas, L’Alvernegue/ Cotes De Provence, France $11
50% Mourvedre, 50% Counoise
2011 Chateau Margui, Cinsault, Grenache/ Coteau Varois en Provence, France $18
2011 Domaine de la Noblaie, Chinon Cabernet Franc/ Loire Valley, France $18
2011 Ca’ Montebello, Pinot Noir Frizzante/ Oltrepo Pavese, Italy $17
2011 DePonte Cellars, Pinot Noir Rose/ Dundee Hills, Oregon $18
Premium Pour ($2)
2005 Chateau D’Arlay, Cotes du Jura Corail/ Jura, France $25
Black Pinot, Trousseau, Poulsard, Chardonnay, Savagnin
Sandy Thompson, Proprietor
Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
4316 SE Hawthorne Bl
Portland, Or. 97215
(503)235-4444
