For many of my colleagues who love red, white, or sparkling wines first and foremost, new arrivals of revered Burgundy, Barolo, or Champagne elicit profound joy and anticipation. But as someone who loves rosé above all else, this is the bottle I most eagerly await year in and year out. From the world’s greatest site for Mourvèdre—Bandol—Tempier’s rosé is what I open for celebrating milestones, holidays, or a home-cooked family feast. Classy and classic, perfectly balanced, incredibly versatile at your table, and so expressive of the flavors and aromas of the Provençal coast—rosé doesn’t get better than this.

Forgive me, non-Tolkien fans, but I can’t help thinking of Mithril when I take a sip of this gorgeous vin gris. Like the precious Middle Earth metal that resembles silver and is both stronger and lighter than steel, Les Pallières’s rosé looks ethereal—you might easily mistake it for a white wine—yet when you take a sip, your taste buds are flooded by intensely vivid flavors of Provençal herbs, red berries, melon, and succulent citrus. The Brunier family is best known for their reds, but they make a dynamite rosé, too.

Pinot Gris, or “Gray” Pinot feels like a misnomer once you lay eyes on ripened bunches of this variety. “Pink” or “Peachy” Pinot could have been a more apt description for the glowy, violet-hued orbs this “white” variety sprouts. At Domaine de Reuilly, Pinot Gris is planted on soil rich in sand and gravelly deposits resulting from the erosion of the Massif Central, giving a vivid and edgy expression of an otherwise supple and fragrant variety. After harvest, vigneron Joseph de Maistre lets berries linger a bit in the press to extract some pigment from the skins, which lend an autumnal blush of color. While it could pass for a blanc on the palate, this wine lives in its own category between white and rosé, perfectly exemplifying the French expression vin gris that describes this style of brief skin-contact vinification.
     With fresh and floral notes of bergamot, white peach, and lychee, it pairs to perfection with a range of options. Ceviche, goat cheese tarts, pad thai, or green salads topped with roasted squash, tart dried cherries, and toasty pumpkin seeds are just a few flavorful ideas for such an invigorating wine. It can be challenging to find artisanal bottles anywhere (ones that are made organically and biodynamically no less!) for under twenty dollars, but with this sharp discount now is a great time to stow away a few Reuilly gris for the season.