My friend and wine colleague, Deb B. and I were trying to figure out what to do on a Friday evening. Pop downtown to Ian's for the Riedel blowout sale and then figure out something for dinner, or avoid downtown entirely and try someplace new.
Someplace new won out, so Deb, JD and I headed over to the Rosso Wine Shop in Glendale. We were welcomed like old friends - they recognize fellow wine geeks - and bellied up to the bar to taste some French rosés. Rosés are everywhere! They're back in fashion after many years of being disdained due to people thinking erroneously that all rosés taste like Sutter Home White Zinfandel.
Au contraire!! We love dry rosés! And this year - between Old World and New World choices - we are in rosé heaven!
2009 Domaine Corbillieres Touraine Rosé, France
Made from 100% Pinot Noir. Hand-harvested. Naturally fermented. Elegant style. The result is a pale rose wine, slightly spicy, with a vague hint of pepper. It is a thirst-quenching wine to drink with summer meals, and can also be paired with exotic cuisine. - Deb liked this a lot and bought a bottle to take home.
2009 Domaine Sainte Eugenie Corbieres Rosé, France
The estate is located within the foothills of the Pyrénées along the Mediterranean coast. Made from 75% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 10% Grenache. A wonderful, bright Rosé displaying fresh raspberry notes with a slight touch of mineral and dried herbs with a dry finish. - JD and I really liked this and bought 2 bottles.
2009 Domaine du Tariquet Rosé, France
Made with a unique blend of 40% Merlot, 40% Syrah and 20% Tannat. Almost pomegranate-like in color this wine has an intense bouquet. Full-bodied and fresh on the palate with mild spicy notes and plenty of hints of raspberry and just-cut flowers. Finishing with a salty note. We weren't that thrilled with it, but maybe with the right food?
Owner Jeff Zimmitti poured us a few other wines - some of which were not for sale, but it was nice to get to taste them:
2009 Lioco Carignane from Mendocino - Liked it a lot. Full-bodied, fruity.
2008 Old Vine Verdicchio, Pievalta DOC Classico Superiore. YUM. Not available yet.
He also poured an interesting bottle of Italian wine from the Friuli region that said Cabernet Franc on the label, but was actually Carmenere; a lot of Carmenere was was planted after the Phylloxera epidemic and was mislabeled. Not just in Italy. This wine was full of barnyard smells (brett?) with a slightly medicinal finish - in a good way. I tasted anise; Deb tasted medicine that she couldn't quite describe. It was strange, and we agreed that it wasn't something we'd want to drink often, but it could work with grilled lamb.
Well, it was time to find a restaurant, so we drove up the block to Divina Cucina. JD and I had a bottle of El Pape from Hug Cellars, and the Rhone blend was a perfect fit for our Italian food. A juicy and seamless blend consisting of 70% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah from a meticulously farmed vineyard in Santa Barbara County. I had a pork loin stuffed with some ricotta cheese and pine nuts and finished with grape sauce, JD had Tortelloni di Mare - handmade pasta filled with langostino and shrimp in saffron sauce, and Deb had some sort of spinach pasta filled with deliciousness. JD finished off his meal with a Dark Chocolate Amore - A heart-shaped chocolate decadence gelato with a raspberry sorbetto center dipped in dark chocolate. Deb and I each had a glass of Frangelico liqueur. Molto bene!
Sated, we went our separate ways in search of the next adventure. Cheers!
3 comments:
Maybe a Grape of the Night: Rose is in order! You found a lot!
I think that's a great idea! In fact, JD and I spent a lovely afternoon last weekend, chatting with Jeff Prange and sipping Rose. Let's talk about it Monday night.
Divina Cucina is a favorite of many of my clients sounds like a great choice. Thank you for recommendations on the Rose's glad they are back just like big hair from the 80's it always comes back around!
xx
Gina
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