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60 Days of Rosé #16 | Joseph Mellot | Sincérité | Pinot Noir Rosé | Loire Valley | $14.99

 

60 Days of Rosé #16 | Joseph Mellot | Sincérité | Pinot Noir Rosé | Loire Valley | $14.99

When you think of the Loire Valley in eastern France, you don’t instantly think of Pinot Noir, your mind usually thinks of the predominant Sauvignon Blanc (there are many other varietals, of course).

Vivid and refreshing, this Pinot Noir Rosé has a brightness on the palate, and a crisp, proportionate grapefruit note.

 

 

Thai food, crispy chicken, grilled summer squash, fresh sheep or goats milk cheese are all great pairings for this lively Loire vin.

Beyond the bottle, the Joseph Mellot family has 500 years of history behind them and are keeping up with responsible, modern practices that include being the first domaine in the Centre Loire region to obtain ISO 14001 certification.

 

 

Only a few cases of Sincérité make their way to Vermont and at $14.99, they don’t last long – just like a Vermont summer.

 

From josephmellot.com:

 

 

 

VINE GROWING
Making good wines begins in the vineyard, working in harmony with the terroir to draw out its best.

 

 

The Joseph Mellot vineyards are managed according to principles of:

  • Sustainable pest control: prolonged observation of vine plots and climatic conditions and the implementation of environmentally responsible treatment programmes which take into consideration the real risk of disease development.
  • Yield management: systematic vine-pruning, disbudding, crop thinning if necessary and shoot thinning.
  • Vine plot traceability: all plots are monitored by computer to ensure complete traceability in production.

 

 

HARVESTING
From the beginning of September or even late August, grape samples are taken regularly to monitor levels of maturity. Grapes are harvested at full maturity and sorted carefully to ensure that the juice is of the best quality. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately, with the grape harvest lasting approximately a fortnight (14 days).

 

 

LOIRE VALLEY
The Loire Valley is the third largest wine-growing region in France. Designated a UNESCO world heritage site from Chalonnes-sur-Loire by the Atlantic coast to Sully-sur-Loire in the Centre, the Loire Valley offers exceptional land for viticulture and is a textbook example of a region with diverse terroirs. Seventy four appellations make up the mosaic of Loire Valley wines from Nantes to Sancerre, most of which are situated along the River Loire.

 

 

 

 

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60 Days of Rosé #14 | Domaine de la Prebende | Beaujolais Rosé | $13.99

 

60 Days of Rosé #14 | Domaine de la Prebende | Beaujolais Rosé | $13.99

  Wash your palate in the delights of Beaujolais!  Harmonic, delectable, and not sweet, we are utterly charmed by this rosy tonic crafted by the Dupeuble family.

Fertilized with natural compost from only 7.4 acres of land in Beaujolais and fermented naturally, this fresh n’ snappy rosé is a rare delicacy – santé!

 

From kermitlynch.com –

Domaine de la Prebende Beaujolais Rosé:

  • Varietal:  Gamay
  • Vine Age:  3-70 years
  • Soil Type:  Granite
  • Vineyard Area: 3 Hectares (only 7.4 acres!)
  • Hand harvested
  • Vines are fertilized with natural compost
  • Yields are severely limited by both pruning and green harvest, even for the grapes that go into the Nouveau
  • Grapes are harvested manually and vinified without SO2
  • Wines are fermented naturally
  • Rosé made by direct press
  • Full malolactic fermentation
  • Vinfied and aged in stainless steel tank
  • Aged for 3 months before bottling

 

Domaine de la Prébende –

Domaine de la Prébende Domaine de la Prébende produces a deeply mineral Beaujolais from a predominantly clay and limestone terroir, a rarity in a region dominated by granite soils. “Une prébende” essentially means “a tax,” and the domaine sits on the location where monks used to collect taxes from the villagers. As Ghislaine Dupeuble puts it, “Monks didn’t like to own low end vineyards!”

The grapes are harvested manually and vinified completely without SO2. The wines are not chaptalized, filtered, or degassed and only natural yeasts are used for the fermentation.

The wines of Dupeuble represent some of the best values in the Beaujolais today and are widely regarded for their very high quality and eminently reasonable price.

 

In the hamlet of Le Breuil, deep in the southern Beaujolais and perched above a narrow creek, the Domaine Dupeuble has been running almost continuously since 1512. The name of the domaine has changed just three times in its history, most recently when the last heir, Anna Asmaquer, married Jules Dupeuble in 1919. Anna’s son Paul, and her grand children Ghislaine and Stéphane Dupeuble, manage the domaine. Kermit first met Ghislaine and Stéphane’s father, Damien, for lunch in Paris in the late 1980s, and thus began the annual tradition of blending the KLWM Beaujolais Nouveau.

Tradition runs deep in the family, but each generation has also managed to add something new, including increasing the property. Today it is comprised of one hundred hectares, about forty percent of which is consecrated to vineyards. Strong advocates of the lutte raisonnée approach to vineyard work, they tend their vines without the use of any chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. The vineyards, planted primarily to Gamay, face Southeast, South, and Southwest, and about two thirds of the property is on granite-based soil.

 

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60 Days of Rosé #13 | 90 Plus Cellars | Côtes de Provence Rosé | $12.99

60 Days of Rosé #13 | 90 Plus Cellars | Côtes de Provence Rosé | $12.99

Treat yourself this summer with the refreshing and craveable 90 Plus Cellars Côtes de Provence Rosé!  From the Le Haut Var of Provence in southern France, comes this classic rosé blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah.

 

No corkscrew required to dive into this bottle of deliciousness – lift out the glass stopper and you’re ready to enjoy the refreshing liquid delights of southern France!

90 Plus Cellars Rosé –

  • Country:  France
  • Appellation: Le Haut Var, Provence
  • Varietals:   Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah
  • ABV: 12.5%

From ninetypluscellars.com

For more than 2,500 years humans have been cultivating grapes and making pale, pink (i.e. Rosé) wine in the sundrenched, windswept vineyards of Provence. This is the Rosé center of the world.

 Winemaking & Vineyards
A blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah grown in Le Haut Var of Provence, France. The mountains and forest cool the vineyards in this warm Mediterranean climate, preserving the acidity and freshness while also allowing the grape’s flavors to develop fully.

Taste
A powerful bouquet of red fruits and stawberries are tied together with wild flowers, stone fruit and minerality. A highly aromatic wine, bursting with freshness.

 

 

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60 Days of Rosé | #06 | Famille Lafage Miraflors Rosé | France – Roussillon – Côtes Catalanes | $16.99

60 Days of Rosé | #06 | Famille Lafage Miraflors Rosé | France – Roussillon – Côtes Catalanes | $16.99

The pink ‘n pale Lafage Miraflors rosé in a frosted bottle will grab the attention of your eyes, and the flavor will grab the full attention of your palate.

We adore this French rosé for under $20.  Refreshing & bright, Miraflors can be enjoyed by itself or with some of your favorite spring/summer fare.

 

From europeancellars.com

Named after an old estate located in the heart of Domaine Lafage, Mas Miraflors, the Miraflors Rosé is sourced from old vines of Grenache Gris, nearing 80 years old, planted near the Mediterranean. Added to this is some Mourvedre that Jean-Marc planted here about 15 years ago. This a direct press rosé with the color coming from the skins of the pink Grenache Gris berries, and naturally, from the much darker Mourvedre. It is aged in tank for 4 months before bottling.

 

Famille Lafage Miraflors Rosé

  • Location | Roussillon, France
  • Appellation | Côtes Catalanes
  • Size / Elevation | 160 hectares / 50-400 meters
  • Variety | Mourvedre, Grenache Gris
  • Age of Vines | 15-75
  • Farming | Practicing organic
  • Soil | Alluvial gravel
  • Altitude | 15-25 meters
  • Fermentation | Hand harvested, direct press, fermented in tank
  • Aging | 4 months in tank

 

 

 For well over a decade we have worked with Jean-Marc Lafage at his estate in the Roussillon, and across the border in Spain where he consults on several projects. As good as his wines were, when we first met him, they only get better with each vintage. When we first made his acquaintance in Calatayud, he suggested we visit his estate in the Roussillon and the rest, as they say, is history.

Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage farm 160 hectares of vines located just south of the capital of French Catalonia, Perpignan. Some of their vineyards are situated a few kilometers from the Mediterranean while others can be found in the foothills of the Pyrenees. This range of sites allow them to make both refreshing whites as well as concentrated reds and, this being the Roussillon, some fortified wines as well. Benefiting from a warm, dry climate, the estate is farmed organically.

They grow primarily Grenache (Blanc, Gris & Noir), Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Marsanne, Roussanne and Chardonnay with a significant proportion of the vines well over 50 years old. The soil, as you near the coast is weathered, alluvial gravel while in the higher elevation sites it is predominantly schist. They harvest by hand and the winemaking is surprisingly uncomplicated with stainlesss steel for the fresher whites but mostly concrete tanks for the rest with a small amount of French oak demi-muids.

Named after an old estate located in the heart of Domaine Lafage, Mas Miraflors, the Miraflors Rosé is sourced from old vines of Grenache Gris, nearing 80 years old, planted near the Mediterranean.

Added to this is some Mourvedre that Jean-Marc planted here about 15 years ago. This a direct press rosé with the color coming from the skins of the pink Grenache Gris berries, and naturally, from the much darker Mourvedre. It is aged in tank for 4 months before bottling.

 

 

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30 Days of Rosé | #17 | Mont Gravet | 100% Cinsault Rosé | Languedoc

30 Days of Rosé | #17 | Mont Gravet | 100% Cinsault Rosé | Languedoc

We’ve been on a kick with featuring some of our luscious, moderately priced Rosé lately.  Today, we are featuring Mont Gravet Cinsault Rosé for under $10… an incredible everyday Rosé for the price!

  • Mont Gravet Rosé
  • Pays d’Oc | Languedoc, France
  • Grape Variety:  100% Cinsault
  • 12% ABV
  • $8.99

About the Producer

Close to the producers, and in order to source from the best vineyards, our winemaker has found some amazing “terroirs” in the South of France. The Languedoc climatic conditions allow a perfect maturation for the grapes which are moderated by the humid influence of the Mediterranean.

http://www.benoitfrance.com/postale.php

Vineyard

Mont Gravet Rosé comes from specially selected Cinsault vineyards in the Languedoc region, located near the warm Mediterranean shoreline in Southern France. The Cinsault variety is also one of the main varietals used in the production of Provence rosé and some of the best reds of the Southern Rhone Valley.

Winemaking

Harvested at night the grapes when it is coolest, the grapes undergo a modern winemaking process of 100% direct pressing with temperature carefully controlled and monitored through-out the entire production process. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks.

Tasting Notes

Mont Gravet Rosé is a wonderfully fresh and fruit forward dry Rosé wine. The wine has lovely aromas of raspberry and blackberry and is full body and long on the palate.

Food Match

This Rosé is a wonderful “anytime” wine and a delicious aperitif. It pairs well with a wide variety of foods, as it’s refreshing, savory and well-balanced. It will accompany beautifully any salads, fish, BBQ and white meat dishes.

 

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30 Days of Rosé | #06 | Joseph Mellot Rosé | Reuilly – Loire Valley | Pinot Gris Rosé | 2016

Joseph Mellot Rosé | Reuilly – Loire Valley | Pinot Gris Rosé | Beverage Warehouse

30 Days of Rosé | #06 | Joseph Mellot Rosé | Reuilly – Loire Valley | Pinot Gris Rosé | 2016 | $21.99

 

Ever had a wine from the central French commune of Reuilly?  Explore the eastern Loire Valley deliciously via Pinot Gris Rosé from Joseph Mellot!

From josephmellot.com:

Vine-growing

Making good wines begins in the vineyard, working in harmony with the terroir to draw out its best.

The Joseph Mellot vineyards are managed according to principles of:

  • Sustainable pest control: prolonged observation of vine plots and climatic conditions and the implementation of environmentally responsible treatment programmes which take into consideration the real risk of disease development.
  • Yield management: systematic vine-pruning, disbudding, crop thinning if necessary and shoot thinning.
  • Vine plot traceability: all plots are monitored by computer to ensure complete traceability in production.

Harvesting

From the beginning of September or even late August, grape samples are taken regularly to monitor levels of maturity. Grapes are harvested at full maturity and sorted carefully to ensure that the juice is of the best quality. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately, with the grape harvest lasting approximately a fortnight (14 days).

Terroirs and grape varieties

The Loire Valley is the third largest wine-growing region in France. Designated a UNESCO world heritage site from Chalonnes-sur-Loire by the Atlantic coast to Sully-sur-Loire in the Centre, the Loire Valley offers exceptional land for viticulture and is a textbook example of a region with diverse terroirs. Seventy four appellations make up the mosaic of Loire Valley wines from Nantes to Sancerre, most of which are situated along the River Loire.

 

TERROIR

The vines are 15 to 20 years old and are located on the left bank of the Cher River, south-west of Quincy. They receive a great deal of sun and are planted in prominent hillocks composed of sandy, gravely alluvial deposits that date back to the beginning of the Quaternary Period.

GRAPE VARIETAL

Pinot Gris – This is a historic varietal of the Loire Valley which has become rare today.

The vineyards of Reuilly

At the heart of the Berry region, the vineyards of Reuilly lie between the Arnon and Cher rivers, covering an area of almost 204 hectares. The vines are planted on limestone marl slopes with a medium gradient and on high terraces composed of sand and gravel.

The area of appellation is divided between 7 communes: Reuilly, Diou, Lazenay, Chery, Lury, Cerbois and Preuilly.

Grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris (Reuilly rosé).

VINIFICATION

The grapes are pressed immediately and fermented at low temperatures.

CHARACTERISTICS

A very very pale salmon-pink color with silver, clear and sparkling tints.  Floral (white blossom) and fruity (peach) nose.  Full taste with marked peach fragrance.  A refreshing delight.