Bordeaux Rose?
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:56 pm
Included is blog entry from Commanderie Bordeaux. I had no idea that Bordeaux produced rose. What has been your experience?
Carlos
A new blog entry has been posted to the Commanderie site by Anthony Potts
A SPRINGTIME NOTE ON BORDEAUX ROS?S
The Wine Committee of the New York Chapter undertook this past winter to become better informed about Bordeaux rosés. Most of us were told long ago that rosé is plentiful, cheap and undistinguished, but few were aware that Bordeaux produces more rosé wine than white each year. It was time to dispell our ignorance. After doing a bit of research, speaking with wine merchants and tasting a dozen or so bottles, a few observations are offered to our fellow Commandeurs as the spring/summer season of rosé arrives.
In addition to taste and color, the rosés of Bordeaux differ from the other wines of Bordeaux in three respects. First, not all makers of Bordeaux rosé produce one every year, apparently making annual decisions based on yields, the wine markets and considerations of the qualities of their grape varieties. Therefore, the range of Bordeaux rosés available at retail changes significantly from year to year and from month to month. Second, American retailers usually stock no more than two to four Bordeaux rosés at any time. Half a dozen retailers around the country had to be contacted to assemble a representative sampling for our tasting (and in many cases the shipping cost as much as the wine). Third, Bordeaux rosés come in an unusually wide range of styles, from light, crisp and faintly-tinted wines to deep salmon-hued mouthfuls of fruit.
Reinforcing the theme of variety, rosés are produced across many areas of Bordeaux, from Pessac-Léognan, Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers, where whites abound, to St. Estephe, St. Emilion and Margaux, where red wines are better recognized. Rosés are also made from a broad range of Bordeaux grape varieties and blends.
Most rosé from Bordeaux is very reasonably priced, costing between $9 and $15 a bottle. Several were outstanding value, while others were undrinkable. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to taste any Bordeaux rosé before buying a case. These wines are generally intended to be drunk within two to four years after bottling.
In spite of the significantly different styles of the wines tasted, the Wine Committee ratings from five tasters were highly consistent. The results showed a marked preference for the more robust and full-bodied style of Bordeaux rosé wines with deeper coloring. The three wines which scored best were Rosé de Chevalier 2012 from Pessac-Léognan, Rosé de Giscours 2012 from Margaux, and Chateau de Saint-Sulpice “Sarah” 2012 (named after the proprietress of Sainte-Sulpice) from Entre-Deux-Mers. One additional wine which arrived too late for the tasting but which some thought deserved to be added to the list of favorites was Clarandelle du Haut-Brion 2011 from Pessac-Léognan.
On the whole, the top wines far exceeded expectations and were remarkable values at prices generally between $9 and $15 a bottle. They all make interesting apéritifs and excellent accompaniments to fish, salads and lighter pastas. They are equally appropriate at lunch or with the lighter courses of a more formal dinner. And they make excellent conversation piecess
-- J.R. Lovejoy
Carlos
A new blog entry has been posted to the Commanderie site by Anthony Potts
A SPRINGTIME NOTE ON BORDEAUX ROS?S
The Wine Committee of the New York Chapter undertook this past winter to become better informed about Bordeaux rosés. Most of us were told long ago that rosé is plentiful, cheap and undistinguished, but few were aware that Bordeaux produces more rosé wine than white each year. It was time to dispell our ignorance. After doing a bit of research, speaking with wine merchants and tasting a dozen or so bottles, a few observations are offered to our fellow Commandeurs as the spring/summer season of rosé arrives.
In addition to taste and color, the rosés of Bordeaux differ from the other wines of Bordeaux in three respects. First, not all makers of Bordeaux rosé produce one every year, apparently making annual decisions based on yields, the wine markets and considerations of the qualities of their grape varieties. Therefore, the range of Bordeaux rosés available at retail changes significantly from year to year and from month to month. Second, American retailers usually stock no more than two to four Bordeaux rosés at any time. Half a dozen retailers around the country had to be contacted to assemble a representative sampling for our tasting (and in many cases the shipping cost as much as the wine). Third, Bordeaux rosés come in an unusually wide range of styles, from light, crisp and faintly-tinted wines to deep salmon-hued mouthfuls of fruit.
Reinforcing the theme of variety, rosés are produced across many areas of Bordeaux, from Pessac-Léognan, Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers, where whites abound, to St. Estephe, St. Emilion and Margaux, where red wines are better recognized. Rosés are also made from a broad range of Bordeaux grape varieties and blends.
Most rosé from Bordeaux is very reasonably priced, costing between $9 and $15 a bottle. Several were outstanding value, while others were undrinkable. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to taste any Bordeaux rosé before buying a case. These wines are generally intended to be drunk within two to four years after bottling.
In spite of the significantly different styles of the wines tasted, the Wine Committee ratings from five tasters were highly consistent. The results showed a marked preference for the more robust and full-bodied style of Bordeaux rosé wines with deeper coloring. The three wines which scored best were Rosé de Chevalier 2012 from Pessac-Léognan, Rosé de Giscours 2012 from Margaux, and Chateau de Saint-Sulpice “Sarah” 2012 (named after the proprietress of Sainte-Sulpice) from Entre-Deux-Mers. One additional wine which arrived too late for the tasting but which some thought deserved to be added to the list of favorites was Clarandelle du Haut-Brion 2011 from Pessac-Léognan.
On the whole, the top wines far exceeded expectations and were remarkable values at prices generally between $9 and $15 a bottle. They all make interesting apéritifs and excellent accompaniments to fish, salads and lighter pastas. They are equally appropriate at lunch or with the lighter courses of a more formal dinner. And they make excellent conversation piecess
-- J.R. Lovejoy