Summer is here! To gear up for the waves of heat headed our way, I thought we should do a week-long celebration of rosé. It’s everyone’s favorite during terrace season, and for good reason – whether light, crisp and mildly fruity or a little more textured and complex, rosé is simply easy-drinking. It’s got that brightness and acidity of many good whites, but also structure, coming generally from red varietals. Balance is key, here, and I’m going to open some of my favorite examples of the style for you this week. I’m also going to tackle the myth that rosé needs to be current-vintage; I greatly prefer a little bottle age on mine!
We begin with one of my very favorites, Abbatucci’s “Cuvée Faustine” Rosé from the island of Corsica. These magnums are from the 2016 vintage, so they’ve had a little time to mellow out – it’s got beautiful pink fruits, a lush and creamy palate, as well as striking minerality. The wine is from younger vines on all-granite soils, and that stony salinity shows through. This is perfect on its own, or even with our burger – it’s that versatile.
Next up is sparkling rosé from Pepe Raventos in Conca del Riu Anoia. Pepe’s bubbles have long been my favorite non-Champagne example of the style, and his rosé is always perfect to me. Year-in, year-out it titillates the palate with bright florality, popping berry fruit and an elegant finish. The Raventos family has been making wine in the Cava region since 1497 (they even created the DO!) but Pepe recently left Cava, creating his own appellation of Conca del Riu Anoia. Farming practices are key, here, as he is both organic and biodynamic. This care of the land and tenderness toward the vine shows through in the quality of his wine.
Then we jump into bigger bottles – a 3L of current-vintage, light Provençal Rosé from AIX and then, for the weekend, a 6L of some other wonderful Corsican Rosé, Clos Canarelli’s 2017 from the region of Corse Figari. Yves Canarelli practices both organic and biodynamic viticulture, and this shows through in the freshness and purity of his wine. The rosé undergoes whole cluster fermentation, which brings a sumptuous structure making the wine perfect for our Lyonnaise cuisine here at Bar Boulud. We’ll open this on Thursday and pour it through Saturday, or ‘til it’s gone, whichever happens first! Ending the weekend with some depth, texture and intensity, I’ll open our last bottle of Château Simone’s Palette Rosé – earth, rose petals, spice and grip, there is nothing like it.
Come celebrate summer with me! Hope to see you this week.
MONDAY
Comte Abbatucci,
Corsica Rosé ‘Cuvée Faustine’ 2016
TUESDAY
Raventós i Blanc,
Conca del Riu Anoia Rosé ‘De Nit’ 2016
WEDNESDAY
Aix,
Vin de Provence Rosé 2018 3L
THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Clos Canarelli,
Corse Figari Rosé 2017 6L
SUNDAY
Château Simone,
Palette Rosé 2016