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.