Tavel is the world’s only appellation solely devoted to rosé wines, and Château d’Aqueira is a specialist of a very high order. This wine’s beautiful ruby color displays an unwillingness to tilt toward the wildly popular style of Provence, and it is followed up by wonderfully deep flavors recalling pomegranate and ripe red cherry that remain fresh thanks to a streak of acidity that continues through the finish. Please, let this wine never change.
One expects some punch from a producer that is famous for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and this release provides it, but with a punch that’s more like a well-aimed jab than an uppercut. Red berry notes predominate in the aromas and on the palate, with plenty of flavor impact but moderate weight and enough acidity to stay fresh through the finish.
This magnificent crimson rosé from the southern Rhône possess body, its sensual nature coats the tongue with cranberry and bramble. Sparked with tremendous acidity, and spiced with clove and cinnamon, it revels on the tongue for a long-distance run.
Displaying a bit deeper color than most rosé wines from Provence, this also shows its southern Rhône origins with notably bolder flavors. Notes of pomegranate and rhubarb ride along with ripe strawberry notes to provide a substantial, lasting finish. Although definitely not sugary, there’s a ripe sweetness to the fruit notes that is cleverly offset by a touch of pleasant bitterness in the finish.
This is a bit lighter in both color and palate weight than most Tavel rosés, but it is quite generous in flavor, with fruit recalling ripe wild strawberries and pie cherries. The wine’s acidity is so finely interlaced with the fruit flavors that it doesn’t stand out as a distinct element, yet it continues to provide lift and drive to the flavors through a persistent and proportional finish.
This small production grower’s sparkling wine is 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Fort Ross-Seaview appellation at 1400 feet elevation overlooking the Pacific. Made in the Méthode Champenoise, the wine rested on its lees for 3-1/2 years in bottle, disgorged in January 2023. It is perfumed with yeasty and clean brioche and white raspberry. The bubbles are extroverted, bursting into notes of lemon verbena and honeycomb.
Awe-inspiring, with dramatically structured tannins. Blueberry and pomegranate are intense and showy. The wine’s opulence is matched by its textural seduction of soft suede, but also by its grip. Dry and dusty on the finish, exhibiting violets and bittersweet dark chocolate.
Patterned after white Bordeaux, with its own unique composition, this estate-grown blend of 63% Sauvignon Gris and 37% Sauvignon Blanc is barrel fermented in two-thirds French oak and one-third stainless steel barrels. Accented by an unctuousness, the liquid bathes the palate in mango, banana, thyme, and apricot tart. Tangerine cream and jasmine is embellished mid-point, with a decisive richness on the finish.