2017 Gigondas “Terrasse du Diable”Domaine Les Pallières
France | Southern Rhône
$40
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by Anthony Lynch
2018 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Pic Saint Loup
Curiously, rosé often seems to be subject to different standards of judgment than white and red wines. Whereas wine lovers typically place value in terroir and in a grower’s approach to farming and winemaking, when it comes to rosé, many tend to instead fixate on color (the paler, the better), name, or the shape of the bottle (because ornate, flashy recipients undoubtedly contain better wine).
But why should we judge pink wine differently than wine of any other color? Rosé, too, can be a dignified, skillfully crafted expression of place, and the very best examples will provide the joy and refreshment we seek, all while alluding to a great site through the hands of a talented artisan.
Pic Saint Loup, for instance, is one of the top grape-growing areas in the Languedoc. Its high-elevation limestone slopes and proximity to the Cévennes Mountains make it one of the coolest parts of the region, endowing Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Cinsault with exceptional elegance, minerality, and vividly pure, bright aromatics. These factors, of course, translate perfectly to the realm of rosé.
Rather than manipulating their rosé to fit a predetermined flavor profile, the Ravaille brothers of Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup usher the wine along its path without intervening: no inoculation, full malolactic, and sulfur only at bottling. As a result, the vibrant aromas of their biodynamically farmed grapes shine through unimpeded. Deeply vinous, yet immensely refreshing, it delivers the brambly garrigue and earthy, peppery spice of these brush-covered bluffs, plus a juicy burst of wild strawberry and lingering salinity that inspire sip after sip.
I urge you, then, to think of this rosé not as a pink wine that happens to come from Pic Saint Loup. Instead, consider it a terroir-driven wine that just happens to be pink.
Wine Type: | Rosé |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 40% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 10% Cinsault |
Appellation: | Pic Saint Loup |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup |
Winemaker: | Xavier, Pierre, and Jean-Marc Ravaille |
Vineyard: | 10 – 50 years, 4 ha |
Soil: | Red Clay, Marly Limestone |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
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Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
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Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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