TASTING WITH WILLIE No.5
“Not one of my great tasting successes! Wait for the 2020 Provence Rosés to hit the stores and buy on promotion!”
So with breakout around the corner, it’s time to look at Party Wines! Great idea??? Mmm, this was probably the least impressive tasting I’ve done recently. Why d’you ask? Well Provence Rosé is extremely famous, but the problem is that this means that too many drinkers buy the famous labels without asking any questions.
Rosé should be pale pink,smell of fresh fruit and flowers and taste wonderfully refreshing. Well as you will see below, precious few had any of those characteristics with which I associate the finest Rosés.
TESCO FINEST PROVENCE ROSÉ 2019 £9.00 14 points
This was perfectly nice! Fruity aromas, soft strawberry fruit, but it had too much alcohol and a hint of bitterness. Well priced, but I’d wait for the new vintage!
WAITROSE COTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ 2019 £8.99 15 points
Again, this had a fresh bouquet and flavour, clean fruit and reasonable balance, still with a touch of heat. Perfectly nice.
COTE ROSÉ COTES CATALANES 2019 Approximately £9 from independent merchants 16 points
So this was one of two interlopers, but I make no apologies because apart from one more expensive Provence wine, this scored very well. This pretty pale pink comes from the south east of France in the Roussillon. It was one of two wines from Jean Marc Lafage a genius winemaker. Pale pink, delicate, elegant fresh strawberry flavours, good balance. Wait for the 2020, it will be superb!
SAINSBURYS TASTE THE DIFFERENCE PROVENCE ROSÉ 2019 £9.75 14 points
Lovely aromas are let down by a quite alcoholic mouthful. Either drink this very cold or wait a month for the 2020 vintage to arrive!
MIRAFLORS ROSÉ JEAN MARC LAFAGE COTES DE ROUSSILLON 2019 Approximately £11 from independent merchants 17.5 points
A step up from all the Provence Pinks! This has a good dollop of fragrant Grenache Gris blended in, and the result is a pretty pale pink colour, and a lovely fresh structured flavour with plenty of concentrated fruit. Nevertheless wait for the 2020!
ESPRIT DE BUGANAY COTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ 2019 £13.49 16.5 points
So this is a single Domaine Rosé and certainly had a tad more character than the other Provence wines. Despite a trace of bitterness and a hint of heat, this was pretty tasty. Lots of smooth plump fruit, it would be great with a wide variety of food.
CONCLUSION
Not one of my finest tastings! Steer clear of 2019 or any earlier vintage. Only buy Rosé on promotion, search out Miraflors, or look to the Loire, or indeed any rosé produced with Pinot Noir Grapes!
