This time of year in the wine/restaurant business might be called Rosé Fest: Shipping containers full of the most recent vintages of imported rosé wines (2017, in this case) have long since docked and deposited their cargo, which diffused across the landscape as quickly as electricity through the grid. Our job is to sort through this mass of pink and identify the standouts, with an eye not just toward quality but regional/stylistic diversity.
With quality ever on the rise, finding a worthy rosé to offer is hardly a challenge; it’s finding the best-in-class examples that takes a little doing. We are huge fans of the natural farming and winemaking of husband-and-wife team Thierry and Lydie and Chancelle, who craft pitch-perfect wines from Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc in the Saumur and Saumur-Champigny AOCs. This deep, savory rosé from Cabernet Franc is making a repeat appearance on SommSelect, and I can’t remember another wine I’ve tasted recently that made me so hungry. Get multiple bottles of this wine on your Spring/Summer table as soon as you possibly can!
Certain grape varieties seem especially well-suited for a spicier, drier style of rosé. Italy’s Nebbiolo is one, and Cabernet Franc is definitely another. In the same way that the Chancelles’ Saumur-Champigny red captures the grape’s savory side without sacrificing elegance or perfume, this tangy rosé is true to the variety and place. There’s a chalkiness to the texture and a black tea/red tobacco note on the palate that pegs it as Cabernet Franc. In the glass, it’s a classic salmon pink, with an expressive nose of wild strawberry, cranberry, orange rind, dried rose petals, black tea, and a mineral hint of crushed stones. Medium-bodied, with terrific grip on the palate, this really makes a big, aromatic impact. Pull a few corks soon, serve it around 50 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems, and pair it with a fresh, springtime beet salad with soft chèvre. With rosé season upon us in earnest, this is one well-worth stocking up on. Cheers!