Notorious Pink 2013

The Notorious Pink 2013 is a Rose’ made from Grenache grapes grown in the south of France. The bottle is impressive, it is extra tall and made from smoked glass and there is no cork or screw-cap, but a glass stopper, it is a very nice presentation, the label looks a little subdued by comparison. This Rose’ is classified as a “Produit de France,” which is the old table wine classification, as a Produit de France they are not allowed to show exactly where the grapes were grown, south of France will have to do. The Notorious Pink is produced by Domaine la Colombette, a family owned Estate from the Languedoc that has made wine since the late 1800s. This Rose’ is produced from a mix of old vine Grenache and younger vines. The juice from the older vines are “bled,” which means the crushed grapes and juice are kept in a cool temperature controlled vat for several hours (the winemaker controls just how long) and grapes take a darker pink color from the skins. The younger Grenache vine grapes are pressed, that indicates the grapes are crushed, the juice goes into a vat, the grape skins stay in the press, there is less skin contact, so the juice is a light pink. This Rose’ was aged “on lees“, the dead yeast and grape residue is left in the vats to add extra structure and flavor, the wine is strained before bottling, so the lees are removed from the final product. The alcohol content is 11.5%.

The color is a delicate crystal clear pink with an apricot tint. The nose is pretty and fragile, floral, with strawberry and hints of citrus. This Rose’ has an unexpected, rounded, slightly creamy mouthfeel. It tastes of fresh, but subdued strawberry, a splash of grapefruit and tart cherry. The mid-palate shows a brush of minerality and raspberry. The acidity is well-balanced, this Rose’ has good length. The finish is crisp, tart and lengthy.

Every summer people tell me, this is the year that Rose’ is going to hit big. And I say great, because I really like Rose,’ maybe this is the year it is actually going to happen. Rose’ is the perfect wine for a hot summer day or a warm summer evening, crisp, refreshing, usually exceptionally tasty and often semi-low in alcohol. It is the perfect wine to sip while wandering around a street fair or enjoying an outdoor concert. Lager beer seems to be the beverage of choice at these sort of events, but Rose’ does everything a lager beer does, but flat-out tastes delicious, which is something lager almost never do. The Notorious Pink Rose’ is one of those wines that you can’t put down, you keep on taking one sip and then another. The delicate sub-flavors show themselves with each sip. The Notorious Pink will pair well with the types of foods on hand in the south of France, but here in Chicago, foods from the south of France are hard to find. Here, the Notorious Pink is a sipping wine and a good one at that.