I have been spotting chilled glasses of Rosé all over the place- even here in Boston where there's snow on the ground. Last year Bob Hurley reported (from his ski trip in the French Alps) that half the folks on the mountain could be seen drinking Rosé at lunch.
Yes, it's clear that Rosé is no longer just a warm weather enticer. Personally, I've decided that a Rosé full of flavor and acidity is a surprisingly apt match to winter foods. (Of course, if you're in Florida, get right on this and skip my pitch for drinking rosé on snow days.)
It's clear that when the thermometer takes a dive, nobody is willing to give up their glass and why should we! Full-flavored, chilled Rosé is fantastic anytime - particularly this one from Domaine les Hautes Cances. It's like a vacation sunset in your glass. When the air gets cold we all need something crisp and refreshing and this Rosé is it. In fact, I'll have a second glass if anyone's getting up...
Watch out though, because there are a lot of lame Rosés out there - some with those ultra-modern abstract labels that just don't seem very authentic and they certainly can taste very boring and poorly made (usually from leftover grapes deemed not good enough for the red wine, or grown on inferior plots by very young vines).
This Rosé is a completely different story. This Rosé is born in Provence to Anne-Marie and Jean-Marie at Domaine les Hautes Cances who reserve a special parcel of old-vine land just for this Rosé. And by old, I mean really old; the sun-splashed vines making this Rosé average 50 years old. You read that correctly - 50 years old.
This Rosé, from Domaine les Hautes Cances, was named one of the best Rosés in all of France and it's no surprise.
This is a Rosé that's made just like an expensive red wine. It's a classic Rhone blend of Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache and Carignan. The soil is that perfect combination of clay and limestone. The yields are an amazingly low 35 hectoliters per hectare and every grape is sorted through meticulously to eliminate all the inferior berries. Does this sound like Rosé? Yes, it's just a very extraordinary Rosé.
Oh, and if I haven't convinced you by now that this isn't some hosed-out factory stuff, There are
only about 250 cases made. I bought nearly the whole production. I wanted more, but the cellar ran dry. This Rosé is made without chemicals and pesticides. Anne-Marie and Jean Marie are environmentalists.
By the way, do you know how they make Rosé? Vinifying the best Rosé begins with pressing the grapes the way you normally would for any red wine. The juice is then allowed to sit with the grape skins briefly (usually just a few hours) picking up color, but also tannins, pectins and proteins which give the wine structure. Then the juice is drained off, put into another vat without the skins and the fermentation proceeds. This is what gives this Rosé its beautiful, seductive, pale color and the structure to stand up to full-flavored foods and demanding palates.
Rosé should never taste like pink white wine; it should always have a slight red wine character - it does come from red grapes, after all. But, the most important thing is that little zing of acidity on your tongue. That's what makes great Rosé. That, and the crisp freshness which makes it so refreshing at the end of the day.
Start that Rosé chilling. -Margot Hurley, Cynthia Hurley French Wines
