Saturday, September 10, 2011

Chapoutier 2010 Belleruche Rose’, Cotes du Rhone

What has happened to me? I actually like rose’! Like a lot of other wine drinkers, I’ve kept my distance over the years, recalling bad experiences with sweet rose’ and a color that harkens to the anathema of all wine lovers: White Zinfandel.

But then I got cool and realized that dry rose’ is a different animal all together. Tasting team member Sax Man has developed quite a taste for the stuff and so we’ve had an opportunity to taste several bottles. It a delicious treat on a hot sunny day.

I had a bottle chilling in the refrigerator for the aforementioned sunny day, but of course that never arrived. So I called up Sax Man and told him I was looking for someone who appreciated the NFL and a dry rose’. Luckily he fit the bill, so we opened the bottle while watching an epic Packers-Saints clash.

The Belleruche rose’ is a gorgeous light pink color. It comes from a favorite region of France, Cotes du Rhone. Like the reds for which the region is famous, this wine is primarily Grenache (75%). To add some intrigue, Cinsaut and Syrah round out the blend. The Syrah imparts just enough structure to hold the package together.

The delicate color comes from limiting the time of contact between the juice and the skins. (The juice from most red grapes is actually white and the wine color comes from the contact with the skins.)

The approach is very dry with a light to medium body. The flavor is reserved with notes of stone and strawberries. This is an excellent food wine and could match easily with seafood or chicken. The finish is clean.

This is a very accessible and enjoyable wine from a well-known French winemaking legend.

Full disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

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