The Jean-Max Roger estate is based in Bué, one of the key villages in the Sancerre appellation, and the family, whose roots in the area date to the 1700s, has grown its holdings in Sancerre to 26 hectares. The centerpiece of the winery, referenced on the label of this rosé, is a centuries-old tithe barn (grange = ‘barn’) that was once used by area farmers to hold produce they contributed to the local church (a tithe was a rent, or tax, taken by the church that typically amounted to 10 percent of the farm’s production). 

The Roger rosé, “Cuvée La Grange Dimière,” is made in the ‘direct press’ method, meaning the grapes are harvested specifically for rosé production and pressed immediately. The family sets aside about 20% of their total Pinot Noir crop for rosé, with most of the grapes for this wine taken from vineyards in silex (flint) soils. There is a distinctive mineral component that deepens the impact of La Grange Dimière and distinguishes it from most rosés. This is not a cocktail wine; it really shines with food.

In the glass, this 2016 is a textbook salmon-pink with coppery reflections at the rim. The aromatics are a perfumed mix of dried cranberry, red currant, blood orange, watermelon rind, rose petals, oyster shells, lees and wet stones. These sensations carry through to the richly textured and concentrated palate, which is framed by mouthwatering freshness and a savory, mineral finish. If you’re enjoying a bottle now, serve it in Burgundy stems and allow its temperature to climb above 50 degrees, as it will broaden both aromatically and texturally in the glass. What should also be obvious after a glass or two is that this wine will indeed improve with age—it’s not a 20-year wine, obviously, but I will re-visit it with pleasure over the next 3-4 years. It’s what I’d call a ‘gastronomic’ wine: pair it with smoked salmon, prosciutto and other cured meats, the aforementioned Thanksgiving turkey…it offers exceptional versatility. In fact, we’ll take this all-season riff to the next level and pair it with a Christmas ham. It’ll work, trust me!