Friday Sips

2015 GALANTIN BANDOL ROSÉ
$17.99 BTL./$215.88 CASE

Domaine Le Galantin is an exciting producer in the Bandol region. Previously we have featured this growers delectable red wines but it is a thrill to offer their top-quality Bandol Rose for such a fair price because many are teetering north of 25 and even 30 dollars these days! Like any classic Rose producing area, Bandol Rose truly are Rose de Gastronomie and ought to be consumed with your legs under the table, however, it is not a requirement.

Composed of 50% Mourvedre, 25% Cinsault and 25% Grenache, this rose pulls you in for a bunch of glasses before dinner yet is serious enough to handle grilled tuna or salmon. Aromas of red fruits, grapefruit, pronounced herbes de provence and wafting mineral lead into seductive, mouth filling, DRY flavors that fill the mouth with much joy! The finish is suave, sophisticated, invigorating and calls one back for glass after glass after glass and on and on and on. Not all Rose needs to be consumed instantaneously although you certainly can drink this beauty now, but do put a few bottles away until next summer and see just how fabulous they can be with a year or two of age.

2015 CASTELL'IN VILLA
TOSCANA ROSÉ
$16.99 BTL./$203.88 CASE

Located in Castelnuovo Berardenga in the Chianti Classico region, Principessa Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa is regarded as one of the village’s greatest and most elusive producers. Renowned for her long lived red wines it was only natural that there would be backflips and cartwheels when we tasted her Dry Rose for the first time.

Made from 100% Sangiovese and gently pressed after 12 hours of skin contact, this Rose could lovingly be referred to as Chianti Rose because it comes from sites within the zone. However, that would be illegal. Then again, it is Italy, so what the hell; we’ll call it Chianti Rose anyway! As one would expect with a wine from Castell’In Villa, this Rose has teeth. Very versatile and extremely delicious with detonating scents of baked cherry, strawberry, and a touch of white pepper. The great freshness, intensity, berry fruits and soft spice that blitz the senses on the nose do the same in the mouth. Delicious by itself or with grilled fish, different spicy Thai influenced dishes, pecorino, or wild strawberries drizzled with great balsamic vinegar. There is very little production of this wine and with the sunny weather forecasted for this weekend, this scintillating rose will sell out quickly.

2015 ASTOBIZA ROSÉ
TXAKOLI DE ALAVA
$17.99 BTL./$215.88 CASE

Astobiza Txakoli is not the name of a Death Metal band from outside of Bilbao! Bryan never plays it safe or sane when it comes to dry rose. Adventurous spirits take over and each year I want to share things that push the boundaries of the senses. When I tasted this Basque Country rosé, a big, sinister smile appeared across my face and the first sentence in my tasting notebook was "This rose CARJACKS the palate!” Ultimately, I won't torture you with this tongue-twister name, but entice you with the wine's sheer pleasure instead. The ultimate in grape obscurity, this stunner is made from the ever-popular 50% Hondarribi Beltza and 50% of the equally trendy Hondarribi Zuri grapes. Huh?

Astobiza’s pink wine is from Alava region of Txakolina, located inland from Bilbao and doesn’t possess any of the natural fizziness that is associated with Ameztoi’s Rubentis that we normally feature and comes from the Getariako region. Very, very dry with aromas and flavors that reflect the alluvial/clay/sandy/limestone soils with subtle tones of red fruit and citrus. In the mouth, it is a genius roller coaster ride with lively, vivid, super-soaring tones that cry out for shellfish. A spirited Rose that pairs well with food but when drinking on its own, I always wonder just how many bottles I can throw back in one sitting!!??!

2015 NEVEU SANCERRE ROSÉ
'LES GRANDS FRICAMBAULTS'
$23.99 BTL./$287.88 CASE

This wine sells through so easily that we normally don’t have to uncork it for our Rose fetes and looking back, the last time we opened one for a Pink Parade was in the summer of 2013. Artisan winemakers are a lot like fine musicians, no potential virtuoso would ever want to be called a Justin Beiber wannabe. Like this, no brilliant, small wine producer would ever want to be compared to the jagoffs at Gallo. Having been making Sancerre wines for over 40 years, Domaine Neveu doesn't need some PR idiot promoting some conjured up, embellished romantic "story" about his legendary Sancerre wines. If you want to cajolery from top-notch terroir and winemaking craft, just open a bottle of any their wines and the aromas and flavors will do all the articulating for you.

Beguiling Rose from one of the true masters of Sancerre, if you were to put a blindfold on and taste the wine, it wouldn't matter that the wine was pink, you would still believe you were drinking fabulous Sancerre Blanc; it's truly all about terroir, rocks and acid!! Neveu's luxurious Sancerre Rose is treated with the same meticulous care as the estate's white Sancerre wines. Alluring, intense aromas of raspberries and strawberries combine with brilliant gunflint, lemon-lime, herbs and crustaceans that march directly into a lively attack with nice body and nervosity that is akin to sticking one's finger into a socket, all reinforcing the wine's prowess. Owning a scintillating long aftertaste, if you have never experienced Sancerre Rose it is high time that you did. Like great Bandol or Tavel Rose, Sancerre Rose wines are extremely high in quality, but are completely different animals all together yet deserve the same attention. Drink it over the next 2-3 years with grilled salmon, Thanksgiving turkey, fresh crab, and much more!