FINALLY FEELS LIKE ROSÉ SEASON 🍓

Hey, Fionn on this fine Thursday.

What a week of weather eh? Sweltering heat calls for one thing, and one thing only. Rosé.

First up, a tried and tested classic from Tempier. Arguably one of the world’s finest wines, of any colour, no questions asked. Pale enough that your mum won’t turn her nose up at the sight of it yet full of all the flavour you desire. The fruit veers into pomegranate and peach, plenty of floral lift, gorgeous texture, ample acid. Ticks all the boxes. Gastronomic for sure but you’ll have no problems if you wanna pound this on the porch too. One of those wines you MUST try.

Sticking to Southern France I must also mention the new Grillions gear that have been quietly flying under the radar. If you’re not acquainted, these bottles are in the mould of L’Anglore. No surprises as Eric Pifferling is both a good friend and neighbour of Nicholas Renaud, who works old vines that are so low yielding no-one else was mad enough to touch them. The Pifferling influence is abruptly apparent. What’s better is these are half the price and you can actually still get your hands on them. Do I need to say more?

Calcaires Rosé 2023 is powerful yet playful. A food friendly number full of spice, seductive southern fruit and a gorgeous bit of grip. A rosé with attitude, serious and soulful.

If you’re new to Tavel, I’m sorry. Get to know this fast. Here quality still outperforms the price tag. Deeply hued but bone-dry this goes so well alongside food from the Med. Perfumed, punchy herbs, deep fruit but enviable drinkability.

Nicolas also branches out into other shades. This white is utterly unique. Directly pressed fruit for freshness mixed with a barrel that sees a bit of oxygen. Blended together it’s a match made in heaven. Another wine ticking all the boxes.

Finally, an otherworldly Grenache. I used to hate Grenache or think I did anyway. Often it can be a bit booze heavy, beefy and boring. However, recently I’ve seen more and more winemakers showcasing it’s silky, seductive side. Here there is a pitch-perfect balance between plush fruit, pretty florals, driving minerality and density. So poised, this shows the utter genius winemaking coming out of this cellar. In the ever increasingly arid south to produce an ethereal wine like this is quite frankly astonishing. For some time these have been industry darlings, I’m letting you in on our little secret, trust me you won’t regret it.

Back to the pink stuff and its tough to beat our good friends in Sicily where you’ll find serious bang for your buck. Viola and Lamoresca both offer maximum refreshment. We’ve also had some new Susucaru come in recently that is tasting better than ever. There is a lot of vintage variation in Franks wines, always keeping us on our toes. This latest vintage is the best in recent memory. Proving why it is, and always will be, a cult classic.

God, the more I stare at the Rosé shelf the more good stuff I see. Clearly, we take our pink stuff seriously. Pataille makes something very special. This is an iconic bottle worth saving up for. Words won’t come close. Limited beyond belief.

Gut Oggau also pumping out some wondrous pink gear. This is full of wild strawberries, a smidge of VA but like the really good kind and complexity that belies its liter format. Cecilia goes up a gear. Brimming with energy, guarantee it’ll give you goosebumps.

I’m gonna have to stop, if the weather hold maybe part two next week? Anyhow, the moral of the story is to drink more pink. All year round. However, with the sun out you now simply have no excuse.

Ok ok, I’m gonna squeeze in a little more just cos it’s too good to not mention. Upper echelon fizz from Jérôme Blin. New wave champagne done the right way. As in native yeasts, a plethora of vessels for ageing, no messing about. All are exceptional, mineral driven, classy things. Personally, my picks are the deeper Rosé de Saignee and this elite Pinot Meunier but all of these should be on the radar. Check out the lot.

I know it’s another long one. So, if you’ve made it this far, please take one thing away from this email. When drinking expensive bubbles please ditch the flutes, serve them not icy cold, get out the proper glassware, and give them a bit of air if you really want to appreciate them in all their glory.

Thanks for making it this far. Singing out.

Fionn

XOXO