2021 Tavel “La Combe des Rieu”
Gaël Petit
This ruby-colored southern Rhône Valley rosé is from Tavel, the only appellation devoted exclusively to rosé production. Deep and complex, it could be treated like a red and described similarly: black cherry, tart cranberry, woodsy spice. But the texture of La Combe des Rieu is distinctly more delicate and thirst-quenching in a way that a red (with more tannin) could never imitate. Crushed strawberry and wet stone on the palate—I love to pair it with extra-dry saucisson and creamy cheeses, or, for the main course, try it with pork tenderloin on a bed of warm polenta.
| Wine Type: | Rosé |
| Vintage: | 2021 |
| Bottle Size: | 750mL |
| Blend: | Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan |
| Appellation: | Tavel |
| Winemaker: | Gaël Petit |
| Vineyard: | Planted in 1950s, 1976, 1.42 ha |
| Soil: | Limestone scree, clay |
| Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
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