rosé: Popular yet Misunderstood
by Nikita Malhotra
June 21, 2024
As the heat and humidity continues to saunter and creep around us we can glimpse flashes of pink in glasses at bars and outdoor patios around the city. And during these months the city feels saturated in choices ranging from classic Provençal style to natty co-ferments to pretty serious winemakers from around the world releasing a rosé. The oddest part of this deluge of rosé is the public perception that one should only drink current releases, as if older vintages are in the same category as expired milk. Some sommeliers are trying to showcase a range of vintages on their wine lists, and many retail stores now have previous vintages due to heavy discounts from the distributor. If I were pressed on my true opinions on rosé, I would deflect by choosing rosé Champagne, but I am using this article as a means of proving to myself that I have had lovely moments with this category.
On our recent Bike to Care trip in Beaune, a glass of current release Jadot Marsannay rosé, was delightful, especially after 42 kilometers. It was exactly what I wanted, fresh, exuberant and a lively beverage. Someone from the Jadot team asked me what I thought. She later admitted she was one of the assistant winemakers at Jadot for six years, and that she has made this rosé cuvée since she arrived at the estate. All the fruit for this rosé came from parcels from the original Domaine Clair-Daü, which was considered one of the great domaines, founded in 1919. Besides a cold beer, this was the perfect way to enjoy a break on a bike ride. Rosé need not be serious, its allure lies in its ease and freshness.
But then there are those in the category that confound this claim, for their gravitas and impact have none of this simplicity. Valentini’s Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo comes to mind, and if you can find one with 15 or 20 years of age it is quite the experience. Valentini is almost a mythical producer in Abruzzo, with a long history of the family tending to the vines a well as a tradition of guarding secrets pertaining to the winemaking. They vinify all their wine in old oak barrels, and so the texture of their Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is rounder and more vinous. Since this wine is rare to seek out, I have found that their neighbors, Amorotti, produce a similarly intoxicating rosé. Aged for one year in old Slavonian oak barrels, this Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo shares a similar texture to that of Valentini’s, and aromatically there are classic strawberry notes and a deeper kirsch component, with the palate featuring more citrus notes like blood orange and a touch of salinity. I have to admit, this wine has proved its worth at the Thanksgiving dinner table for two years now, so not a summer guzzler in my mind.
I find myself drinking a lot of domestic rosé during the hotter months, Angela Osborne’s A Tribute to Grace rosé made 100% from Grenache is always at hand if I need a good rosé option. Clean, crisp and very much alluding to a Provençal style, albeit with a bit more fruit, which to me adds some more dimension. Maybe now I must admit I do drink more rosé then what I originally thought, and really it was the glass of Jadot rosé that inspired this examination, so I would recommend a glass of clean and crisp rosé after a long bike ride.
A glass of Jadot Rosé at a rest stop
