Last Week’s Tasting
Rose’s by Any Other Name

It was fun, fun, fun. No daddy, No T-Bird. No Beach Boys, Just summer pink for summer foods. Peter and I were pleased to see so many people showed up and that so many liked the wines, even though, as a couple hesitated, they were pink.
What was not to like, starting right from the first wine, the 2008 Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose. Ample and round, it had just the right amount of offsetting spice to make it one of the favorites of the tasting . An $11 price meant that a number of bottles went home that night.
Some really got why to drink a very very very light red lightly chilled as a rose. They liked the fruity 2007 Alphonse Dolly Pinot Noir, whose mineral acid edge made it as pleasant a companion for salmon as it would be for red meats or chicken on a hot day. it was as pleasant a rose in the mouth as the conceit of it as rose was on our page.
Less chatter about 2007 Ch. Grande Cassagne Rose Costieres de Nimes. it was a solid wine, with what some noted as light pepper note from its Mourvedre. Many tasters noted flavors of strawberry. Nobody complained about its value for its under $10 price.
The last three wines were bigger and attracted more attention . The 2008 Muga Rioja Rosado: was really summertime Rioja, popular for its full smoothness with just a tinge of spice. One taster felt it like it was old home week. She had visited Muga while they were bottling this wine. Very nice winery, she noted. very nice wine, too.
The 2008 Lageder Lagrein Rosato had all the spice of that native northern Italian grape. It showed tangy and wanted tangy foods to go with it. Sophisticates gravitated toward it early in the tasting. It attracted a wider group of fans after it had been open for a while, and its fruit had opened up.
The best was last. The 2008 Castello di Ama Rosato had all the sophistication the Ama estate’s Chianti to which it is counterpart. The bad news is that has virtually sold out. We have just a few bottles for those who want Rose Cases.

Rose

2008 Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose; Color: very pale clean light ,; Aroma: very pale very light clean, simple; Mouth: light fleshy dry somewhat fleshy light clean, pl;ump finish; Good Plus - Very Good 10.99; Mixed Case, 9.89; Case, 9.34

2007 Alphonse Dolly Pinot Noir; Color: very light orange-tinged black; Aroma: fleshy round pretty fruit, clean herbal, lightly fruity; Mouth: lean, very dry mineral, nice stoniness, clean long; Very Good 14.99; Mixed Case, 13.49; Case, 12.74

2007 Ch. Grande Cassagne Rose Costieres de Nimes; Color: bright strawberry; Aroma: fresh very intense juicy sweet strawberry ; Mouth: thickish round bright, straightforward, gently rounded fruit and intense; Very Good 9.95; Mixed Case, 8.96; Case, 8.46

2008 Muga Rioja Rosado: Salmon with bright pink highlights. Aromas of apple, quince, and pineapple. Rich fruit flavors with a crisp acidity and touch of spice. Dry finish. Very Good Plus 13.99/bottle 12.59/mixed case 11.89/case

2008 Castello di Ama Rosato: Vibrant dark pink rose. Aromas of cherry and papaya fruit with a touch of white pepper. Rich nuanced flavors asking to be paired with a really nice lunch or elegant picnic. Very Good Plus. 15.99/bottle 14.39/mixed case 13.59/case

2008 Alois Lageder Rosato: Bright pink with ruby hints. Red berry and violet aromas. Fresh and smooth fruit on the palate with a light pleasingly bitter twist in the dry finish. Very Good Plus 15.99/bottle sold out

5-27 Rose Case: Two each of the above wines at a special price of $140