More than one objective reporter (two!) has called Domaine Tempier’s rosé the finest rosé in the world. Here, from the Languedoc, is its kid brother.
      One warm evening our staff went en masse to Berkeley’s Fourth Street Grill where the roof parts and one dines under an open sky. The Fourth Street Grill is hot right now in more ways than one. The cuisine is great, and some of their dishes are really spicy, providing a challenge to wine lovers who like to match up food and wine.
      We started with this Gris de Gris, well chilled, and it was so appropriate we stayed with it until the end, when we polished off a red in order to bring the evening to a logical conclusion. The Gris de Gris was perfect: freshening, cooling, bone dry, and ideal with everything from spicy shellfish to sausages.
     Under everyday conditions it also serves as a sure-fire lead-off batter, preparing one’s palate for a heavy hitter like a Bandol or Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge.
     Its color is like fresh raw salmon. Its aroma has a delicate, fennel-like freshness. Light in alcohol, delicately-flavored, yet the wine is not weak or thin. It stirs up the appetite.
     Hats off to the Domaine de Fontsainte who produced this exquisitely crafted little gem. They continue to provide us with top quality wines at ridiculously low prices.

** This passage comes from our July 1987 newsletter, but it continues to capture the beauty and value of Domaine de Fontsainte’s Gris de Gris today. **