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Valentine’s Day is dividing.
You either adore it, or you abhor it. I will reserve my vote for the purposes of peace, love and harmony, and this column, but I will forever admit my unabashed love for Rosé.
What’s not to love? Rosé wines reach from bone dry and elegant, to sparkling and celebratory and through to sweet and sultry. Just as pink is the half way hue between white and red on the colour spectrum, drinking pink offers up the best of both in the wine worlds. You get the freshness and acidity of white wines, plus the structure, berry fruit and tannin presence of reds. This matrimony of styles makes rose wines particularly food-friendly, and the darling pick of many sommeliers and winemakers. So whether it’s a romantic multicourse dinner à deux or a solo celebratory brunch, forget flowers, buy rosés.
Here are ten of our top rosés tasted at GOW over the past year. While some rosés are built to age a few years, the best rule is to buy the most current vintage possible, enjoying them while fresh and lively.
93. Champagne Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Brut Rosé de Blancs NV, Champagne, France $69.00
This pristine, finessed rosé is for those people who may not generally gravitate towards rosé champagnes (ahem - like me). Delicate and intense at once, with a chalky textural minerality and precision that befits its 96 percent chardonnay. Four percent still pinot noir from Bouzy is added to the blend, yielding an ever-so-delicate peach hue and whiff of wild strawberries, gentle hint of cherries and red liquorice that floats atop a linear, driving lemon pith and mineral vein and a positively grippy riff. The finish is lengthy and rose tinged. A striking, pristine example of what rosé champagne can be. Drinking beautifully now, but will hold easily for 5+ years. TR
92. Benjamin Bridge Rosé 2011, Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada $45.00
A new release from Canada's most acclaimed sparkling producer, the 2011 Rosé harkens the confidence and finesse of Champagne, but with a crisp, linear cut and saline marine freshness that sings Nova Scotia. Light florals, roses, subtle toast and stone aromas are the entry to a bright, delicate and focussed palate, one light and subtle but with ample fluidity of cherry, stone and a whiff of cinnamon spicing on the lengthy finish. I appreciate the leanness and fine structure of this 11.5 percent bubble, equal parts pinot meunier and pinot noir, with a 15 percent splash of chardonnay that has spent two years on the lees. Disgorged July 2014 and drinking well now (enjoyed with wine dressed moules frites) but will reward with three to five years bottle time. TR
91. Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut NV, Champagne, France $100.00
Splendor in salmon. Fresh strawberry, citrus and raspberry aromas lift up out of the flute to meet you. Elegant and full bodied, with fine mousse and notes of strawberry, cream, brioche, dark cherry and mineral and a lingering cherry-currant finish. One of the bestselling rosé Champagne in the world, LP's Cuvée Rosé Brut is one of the few still made using the saignée method - keeping skin contact with the 100% Grand Cru Vineyard pinot noir grapes - to produce the structured and complex rose. This traditional technique is honoured with the signature embossed bottle - a reproduction of those used in the late 17th century. TR
90. Château La Tour de l'Evêque Pétale de Rose 2014, Côtes de Provence, France $20.00
Pouring a palest peach hue, this fragrant rose opens with mandarin, salted strawberries and stone. A gentle cushion of wild strawberries and Rainier cherries supports the garrigue, white pepper, grapefruit pith and minerality of this juicy, smooth and savoury rosé. Quite complete and finessed, this harmonious rosé is a blend of all the grapes (red and white) grown on the estate: cinsault, grenache, syrah, ugni blanc, mourvèdre, sémillon, cabernet sauvignon and rolle. Buy up, drink up. TR
90. La Bargemone Cuvée Marina Rosé 2013, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, France $30.00
Yeah, I was sceptical too. I mean, look at that bottle. Marketing ploy? But then, the aroma: savoury, stony minerality, spice. And the colour - that gossamer pale peach salmon hue, that instantly transports to the warm, herb-laden winds of Provence. Safe to tuck in and enjoy this bone dry and positively racy rosé. Stony spice throughout, with sun-warmed watermelon, wild strawberries, roses, mandarin and an undertone of a heady wild herb bouquet. The structure is quietly confident, acidity is vibrant and the pink grapefruit pith finish lingering. The sustainably farmed syrah, cabernet sauvignon and grenache in this blend are on a 150-hectare property that dates back to the 13th century, situated just outside of the village of Saint-Cannat in Aix-en-Provence. Only a limited amount of this striking wine found its way into our liquor stores. Pour with charcuterie or mussels. TR
90. Lucien Crochet Pinot Rosé 2013, Sancerre, Upper Loire, Loire, France $34.00
Delicate cherry and stone open this fluid Sancerre pinot noir rosé. Beauty intensity and concentration, carried with lightness and finesse - a treat. Juicy and mineral-rich, with stony, fine lees, fine cherry, light wild strawberry pulled with a grippy dryness riff of tannins. Sancerre's ringing calcium minerality closes out the lingering finish. Memorable. TR
89. Blue Mountain Brut Rosé R.D. 2011, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $33.00
Pale salmon colour with lots of continuous mousse. Light raspberry, green apple, licorice, floral aromas with a touch of toasty nut and chalk. Fresh, creamy but slightly tart and austere palate with some sweetness. Baked green apple, lemon, rhubarb, honey and green pear flavours with a touch of toast. Fine mousse and elegance with some tartness and bitter notes on the finish. Well made. We love to see a touch more ripeness to let this bubble free. AG-ST
89. Haywire Gamay Noir Rosé Secrest Mountain Vineyard 2014, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada $22.90
This fragrant, stony gamay rosé comes from Secrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver wrapped in a Provençal pink hue. Concrete fermentation seems to set the tone for a mouth-watering salty mineral, faint raspberry nose flecked with dried herbs. The attack is creamy, with more stony, spicy wild strawberry, raspberry bush, florals, rhubarb and pear skin notes with crunchy acidity and certain lightness and finesse that makes you want to empty the bottle. AG-TR
89. Unsworth Vineyards Rosé 2014, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada $18.00
I'm loving what I'm seeing from BC's coastal wineries that treat rosé with respect. The maritime climate's naturally bright acidity and elegant berry fruit expresses naturally in rosés like this. Fresh strawberry, wild herbs and a subtle orange peel aroma. The crisp, bright palate lifts wild herbs, herbal rhubarb, fragrant raspberries and wild strawberries across a lean but focused palate. Bright, dry and unpretentious, from its pale salmon hue to its reasonable price, pour with charcuterie, arugula and chèvre. TR
88. Jose Maria da Fonseca Moscatel Roxo Rosé 2013, Setúbal Peninsula, Portugal $21.00
The oldest table wine brand in Portugal launched an exciting, new and completely modern wine into Canada in 2014. The Domingos Soares Franco Colecção Privada (Private Collection) Moscatel Roxo Rosé is 100% moscatel roxo, a rare purple muscat that is small-yielding and typically reserved for the premium fortified wines that Setubal Peninsula is renowned for. Moscatel's trademark bouquet is in full display in this delicate salmon pink hue - a blooming garden of aromatic purple, pink and white flowers on the nose and juicy palate. Expressive and ripe lychee, gooseberry, pear, wild strawberries and tropical melon dance around the mouth, finishing dry and refreshing and ideal with fragrant Mediterranean styled shellfish dishes. TR
