Not to sound like a broken record, but I’m often a contrarian when it comes to rosé wines—especially more serious versions from Provence. We’re always inundated with a flurry of new rosés around this time of year—new as in fresh-off-the-boat wines from the most recently completed vintage (2016)—because we’ve been trained to think of rosé as “right now” wine.
But not all rosés are completely knit together after just a few months in bottle, and many actually blossom with some extra time in bottle. Such was the case with this perfectly fresh, aromatic 2015 rosé from Château Maupauge, which, due to the exigencies of the market—namely, the imminent arrival of a boatload of 2016s—comes to us at a remarkable price. With the summer solstice right around the corner and pantries in need of stocking with staples such as this, our timing couldn’t be better. This is authentic Provençal rosé with serious mineral backbone at a by-the-case price. Time to load up!
Maupague is one of a trio of Provence properties owned by the Sumeire family, who’ve got roots in Provence going back to thirteenth century. Their Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire is produced from older vines on the property and combines 70% Grenache with 25% Cinsault and 5% Syrah. In the glass it is a bright, lustrous pink with coppery reflections at the rim, with aromas of fresh strawberry, grapefruit, orange zest, lavender, dried herbs, rose petals, and warm spices. Texturally, it is racy and mineral, immensely refreshing, and aromatic on the finish. Serve it well-chilled in all-purpose white wine stems with practically anything you can think of this summer—personally, it’s herbal savor and acidic twang made me think of panzanella, the classic tomato-and-bread salad of summer. It isn’t exactly Provençal, but trust me, you won’t care when you taste the two together. Enjoy!