My 5 Favorite Rosés this summer
Here comes the sun!
Since finishing my Seattle home in 2018, the urban yet cozy back yard has become a default retreat for many of my friends and family to enjoy the Seattle summer weather and drink good wine. I can usually count on 2-3 spontaneous get togethers per week, which I love, and occasionally a planned “soirée”. My friends know that I am always a reliable source for rosé when they’re in need of refreshment, and I typically buy about 10 cases each summer (yes, I know that sounds like a lot! But it’s always gone by the time Labor Day comes around).
I am an equal opportunity rosé lover; however, the crisp Provençal style is my summer standby and always a crowd pleaser. Here are my 5 selections for serving (and drinking) on the patio. Santé!
Minuty “M” Côtes de Provence 2020 ($20)
This wine has been my go-to selection for years, and it never disappoints. With a light yet bright color (notes of citrus and currants on the nose), the wine has a nice acidity with a smooth, fresh finish. A bonus is this lovely, iconic bottle (flute à corset) which looks beautiful on your table or sitting at a glamorous tilt in your ice bucket.
*Note: Minuty also makes a prestige bottling at a little higher price point that is also fantastic.
Tinte Cellars 2020 Rosé of Counoise ($24 from www.tintecellars.com)
This rosé of counoise was made via the saignée production method where juice from the red counoise must is “bled off” and fermented into a rosé. The result sometimes gives the wine a deeper color, but Tinte’s version is a light, bright, crisp wine with flavors of ripe stone-fruit and a touch of citrus.
*Note: I’ve heard that this wine is already close to being sold out. If you’re unable to get some of the 2020, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the 2021 release next spring.
Peyrassol Cuvée des Commandeurs Rosé, Côtes de Provence 2020 ($25)
I’m a relative newcomer to Peyrassol, but it has quickly become a favorite of mine when the weather heats up. It has a bright, rosy appearance with berry aromas and a nice touch of minerality on the palate. Peyrassol is wonderful as an aperitif, but also holds up beautifully to main courses influenced by the Mediterranean like fresh grilled fish or a salad niçoise.
*Note: Chateau Peyrassol is a step up from the Commandeurs and worth the splurge to try a bottle.
For the first time ever, I have 2 sparkling rosés in my summer rotation
When it comes to champagne, my palette has really been gravitating toward brut nature (very dry style with no sugar added via the dosage process), so I thought I would struggle a bit to find a rosé champagne that had the crisp, refreshing qualities I like when I’m not necessarily eating food. Surprisingly (to me anyway), I found not 1 but 2 that I absolutely love!
I went to my local experts who run a champagne-only wine club cleverly named, fatcork. They do a terrific job of promoting small grower champagnes that we would otherwise not have the opportunity to try here in the northwest, and it just so happened that the latest wine club release included a brut nature rosé. Bravo!
Rosé de Saignée Nature Premier Cru, Vintage 2016 ($65 from www.fatcork.com)
Jean Baillette-Prudhomme producer
I love it when champagne is bottled in clear glass so that I can admire the color and clarity (this never would have been done back in the 18th century – nor would you have been served champagne in a clear glass, but that’s a story for another time). Aside from the gorgeous copper tint to this rosy color, the wine has some of the hallmarks of champagne that I love but aren’t often obvious to me in a rosé - like crusty french bread to accompany the fruit aromas and a chalky minerality with a long, satisfying finish.
*Note: The nature is available to members only, but it may just be worth signing up to get it! If you’re interested in trying the Rosé de Saignée Premier Cru, also 2016 vintage, it is available for non-members at $72.
L’R du Temps Rosé ($68 from www.fatcork.com)
Adrien Redon producer
A fruit-forward wine that has a gorgeous rosy color with red currant, strawberry and blackberry notes and a refreshing minerality on the palate. I tried it with a berry cheesecake, and it was absolutely delicious. Though not a nature, this wine is an extra brut with very low dosage (sugar) and is so refreshing alone as an aperitif or paired with your summer meal.