The Pere et Fils Cinsault Syrah Rose 2013 (Pere et Fils translates to father and son) is a blend of 70% Cinsault and 30% Syrah grown in the estate vineyards in the hills of the Languedoc of Laurent Miquel, an 8th generation winemaker. Cinsault is a grape that is commonly used in the Languedoc and occasionally used in the Rhone Valley. The vines are picked at night, when the temperature is cool, to keep the grapes nice and juicy. This Rose’ is aged “on lees” in stainless steel vats, “on lees” means the dead yeast and grape residue are left in the tanks with the maturing wine, it is then filtered before bottling. Ok, we know that Red wine is made from Red grapes and White wine is made from green grapes, so what exactly is Rose’? Red wine is a dark, rich color, because when the grapes are crushed the skins are left in with the juice. The skin gives the wine color and tannins. With White wine, the grapes are crushed, but the skins are immediately removed from the juice, you get very pale, almost clear wine and not green like the grapes, with no tannins. Rose’ is made from Red grapes, but when the grapes are crushed the skins are removed when the desired color is reached. There is far less skin contact than with Red wine and not much in the way of tannins. So, to simplify things, Rose’ is a Red wine produced using White wine techniques. Flavors that are over-powered in a Red wine can shine in a Rose’. The Pere et Fils Cinsault Syrah has an alcohol content of 12.5%.
The color is pink with a dash of peach. The nose is soft and clean, faint apple, raspberry, pear, with a floral edge. This is a dry, slightly creamy Rose’ with a mix of sweet and sour flavors. It tastes of raspberry, apple, SweeTart candy (though way more tart than sweet) and cherry. The mid-palate adds some strawberry in cream, watermelon and pink grapefruit. The acidity is well-integrated, it drinks well and would pair well with food. The finish is full and slowly fades away.
The Pere et Fils Cinsault Syrah is an easy to like Rose’, produced from estate vineyards in the south of France by an 8th generation winemaker and selling for a very affordable price. If you read the major Wine magazines, you can get the impression that the typical French wine drinker consumes nothing but first growth Bordeaux and Gran Cru Burgundy wines. But the reality is that the average French wine drinker is just like us, they want excellent, value priced wine. The Languedoc has been supplying quality every day wines to French wine drinkers who drink wine every day, for generations. Good wine at a good price is a Frenchmen’s birthright. If you seek out wines from the Languedoc, you will find excellent wines at an excellent price.
