A tale of three Rosés

Just before going on vacation, I received three bottles of Rosés from the Kobrand Corporation. We enjoyed them with friends one warm evening with grilled steaks and a nice, big salad.

The lightest of the three was the 2008 Beaujolais Rosé Louis Jadot. The Beaujolais region has a long tradition of producing rosé, a wine made from Gamay like the red version. For this Rosé, the Gamay grape is vinified by being immediately pressed like a white wine after limited skin contact. The wine is then put into stainless steel vats. Showing a delicate pink color, it is fresh, dry, citrusy with a crisp finish, and perfectly pleasant as a light aperitif.

The spiciest was the 2008 Wild Rock Vin Gris Rosé. A blend of Merlot, with some Malbec, Syrah and Pinot Noir, the wine comes from Hawke's Bay, a major wine-producing region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. Hawke's Bay enjoys a dry and temperate climate with long, hot summers and cool winters. Vin Gris means gray wine and is another term for Rosé. The wine exhibits a medium pink color and aromas of honey and red berry on the nose. It is medium dry on the palate and slighly fizzy with a juicy finish.

The most serious one (and the one that worked best with the steaks) was the 2008 Tavel Château d'Aquéria. The Tavel appellation is located in the southern Rhône Valley, north of Avignon, and makes only Rosé wines. This one, produced by the Château d'Aquéria, is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre, Cinsault, Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Picpoul, grown on sandy hillsides and clay. After being completely destemmed, grapes are put into maceration vats for 24 to 48 hours. Grape varieties are then blended two by two for greater aromatic complexity. Then the juice is drawn from the vats and fermentation takes place. All the grape varieties are then blended together and age for several months before being bottled at the estate. The wine has a light red color with aromas of red berries on the nose. On the palate, it is dry, well structured, with fresh mineral notes and a nice complexity on the finish.

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