Nearly two months ago, I changed my path in a dramatic way for the first time in a long time. For the past number of years I had come to be known only as one thing— the owner of a neighborhood restaurant who took pride in being as hands on as possible blending being a good restauranteur with being a good boss. Sounds simple enough. But it became all-consuming. To the point where the principle and purpose overtook the person with all of the above overlooked and taken for granted. But on a recent Monday morning, I climbed aboard the 7:25am Amtrak Northeast Corridor train bound for NYC set to tackle an intense itinerary of wine tasting and education. And for the first time, I did it with road ahead of me that was completely open. No work to rush back to—no guilt over what or who I’m leaving behind or ignoring while I do something that both challenges me and brings me pleasure. So it was fitting that on my recent trip to NYC for the Skurnik Portfolio Tasting, I ended up staring at an endless sea of my favorite thing: the welcoming shades of pink from a world of dry rosé. Clearly I seem obsessed with rosé since it seems to be the only thing I have written about. Well…I promise to get to more. I tasted more wine on that Monday and Tuesday in New York than seems reasonable — 80 a day is my max–after that, everything tastes just like the current bottle chilling in the fridge that I slurp down while tackling a new recipe in the kitchen. But what makes rosé such a home base wine for me?
Looking across a remarkable self-serve (!!!!!) table of delicately colored wines that was no less than 24″ long, I loved that the table could be filled edge to edge without duplication. And yet never has a single category of wine been more relegated to a sort of monotheism: Its pink. Its pretty. Its cherry, strawberry and watermelon. And worse still…”Its Summer”. I suppose in some random and overreaching way, I have empathy with these wines. I was written off as being one thing too. Well. Time to explore the new horizons of both.
- Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé 2017. In the world of rosé those from Provence in southern France are considered the benchmark, gold standard of blush wines. In part because the grapes in this region are most often grown specifically to produce rosé wines but also because of that kismet of qualities that together define “terroir”. Within the Provence region, there are several more specific areas and Bandol is the most famous among them. Chateau de Pibarnon is local here. What this means in terms of the wines is that it is classically basically in the red grape called “Mourvèdre” often blended with other allowed grapes (“Cinsault” in this case). This particular bottling of their rosé is the result of a slow and very light pressing of the grapes which gives it the most delicate pale pink color with flecks of pale coral. The aromas of this particular vintage were strikingly Sauvignon Blanc-like filled with pink grapefruit and fresh cut grass. Take a deep whiff and there’s something else there–that minerality…the “place”. When its not fruit but is more like “dust” or “wet stones” or “earth” or other such words that come to mind, that’s the place its from. And you don’t always get that from a wine. But for me, its what keeps a wine from becoming boring after a few sips. This wine was refreshing and made me long for spring and a nice rain in the middle of a field with a soft breeze. Yup. That day. But even though its still winter, I’d happily savor a glass with dinner tonight. The flavors were of juicy watermelon jolly rancher and cherry with hints of licorice. The acidity did that nice tingly thing in my mouth that keeps it exciting and makes look forward to glass 2. Its a little pricier than your average bottle of rosé but then again there’s purity and depth here and the knowledge that you’re supporting a historical property that hasn’t been overrrun by tourists or corporations and isn’t drawing from the world’s precious water reserves (medium more on that to come). Likewise, its hails from one of the most beautiful, natural areas of the world that has overcome hurdles to its existence for the past 1000 years (more to come on that as well). So in my book, its money well spent. $33.
- Bieber Pere et Fils Bandol Rosé 2017. On the other side of the price and complexity spectrum is this perfect daily, thirst quencher. This is one of those recipe tackling wines. Its tasty and refreshing but in a way that doesn’t distract me from the task at hand (which the wine above would definitely do). In keeping with Bandol tradition, this wine ias based in the same “Mourvèdre” grape but here with both “Cinsault” and “Grenache” added. The color is a very pale onion-skin color with a highly floral nose and tasty, thirst-quenching flavors of strawberry. A sea-spray, “mineral” finish creates a seamless expression from start to finish. And remember–dry rosé here. No sweetness. You should see this one on the shelf for $11 (I know Whole Foods carries it for sure). Even those its dry, even your sweet moscato and riesling drinker should find it refreshing. The only caveat being, the mineral/terroir can often be a distraction. But I feel like dry rosé is the perfect way to help those very drinkers become familiar with these often new “Old World” flavor notes.
So that’s that for today. I have more to say but it’ll keep for later. Have a good one.
Wine and Roam 