The 2016 Rosé Roundup: Parts 1, 2 & 3 

Rosé wines have always been emblematic of summer and, as even a casual glance at retailers’ shelves and restaurant wine lists reveal, their popularity has never been stronger. Many of these wines are as compellingly delicious as ever, but careful buying is more essential than ever before as too many rosés that have emerged in the last few years are, frankly, pretty boring.


One can’t fault a winery for capitalizing on a trend if it means a tidy and relatively quick profit, which pink wines provide as they can be made quickly, from high-yielding vines and without the use of expensive oak. Indeed, freshness and straightforward appeal are what the vast majority of wine drinkers are looking for in a rosé, not the depth and complexity that comes from extended aging, much less time in oak casks. On the other hand, there’s simple joyous drinkability and there’s innocuousness, the latter kind of pink wines becoming increasingly common lately. I hasten to point out that the producers responsible for the best rosés that I’ve experienced over the last couple of decades still take the category seriously. There are also plenty of serious wineries that have only recently begun to create rosés, especially in the United States, but, to repeat, many of the newly minted pink wines out there are pretty insipid.

The producers covered here and in the upcoming second installment of my rosé coverage made the best pink wines I tasted this spring. I have provided drinking windows for those who are curious about the likely ageworthiness of the wines, because while almost every pink wine made is delicious on release, a number of them benefit from cellaring, much like serious white wines.

One side note, and an important one, is that the 2015 growing season in France, whose wines are heavily covered here, was a very warm one, especially in the south, and the pink wines show it. Fans of full-throttle, fleshy rosés are going to find a lot to like but those looking for raciness may be unimpressed by many of these wines, even those from their favorite producers. While I’m not advising “drink now or never” for the ‘15s as a group, erring on the young side is a solid strategy to adopt for all but a handful of wines from this vintage.

Part 1 Part 1 continued
Ampelos Cellars Domaine La Blaque
Anne de Joyeuse Domaine La Colombe
Antonij Rupert Wines Domaine Laguerre
Barton & Guestier Domaine Le Galantin
Berne Selection Domaine Les Pallières
Bieler Père & Fils Domaine Martin
Bodegas Arrocal Domaine Philippe Gilbert
Bodegas de Familia Burgo Viejo Domaine Pré Baron
Bodegas Urbina Domaine Reine Juliette
Bodegas Valdemar Domaine Saint Andre de Figuière
Bodegas y Vinedos Union Viticultores Riojanos Domaine Saint-Damien
Boekenhoutskloof Domaine Sainte-Eugénie
Brun Estate Domaine Saint Ferréol
Caves d'Esclans Domaine Saint-Rémy/Ehrhart
Charles Gonnet Domaine Saint Roch
Château Beaubois Domaine Valfont
Château de Berne Dragonette Cellars
Château de Lancyre Emile Balland
Château de l'Aumérade Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup
Chateau de Mulonnière Fairview
Château de Pampelonne Familia Raventos
Château de Pibarnon Famille Perrin
Château de Roquefort Famille Sumeire
Château de Rouët Fournier Père et Fils
Château d'Esclans François Chidaine
Château des Muraires Halter Ranch
Château de Sours Hermanos de Peciña
Château de Vaux Idlewild Wines
Château d'Or et de Gueules Jean-Maurice Raffault
Château Ferry Lacombe Kale Wines
Château Gassier La Croix du Prieur
Château Grande Cassagne Laporte
Château La Canorgue Lavendette
Château L'Arnaude Le Cirque
Château Laulerie Les Chais Saint-Laurent
Chateau l’Orangerie Les Quatres Tours
Château Maupague Los Dos
Château Miraval Los Vascos
Château Pas du Cerf Maipe
Château Pigoudet Maison Saint Aix
Château Riotor Maitres Vignerons de la Presqu'ile de Saint Tropez
Château Routas Marqués de Cáceres
Château Saint-Hippolyte Mas des Bressades
Château Saint-Honoré Mathilde Chapoutier Sélection
Château Thuerry M. Chapoutier
CVNE (Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana, Cune) Moulin de Gassac
Devois de Perret Olivier & Lafont
Domaine Bel Éouve Palacio de Canedo
Domaine Champelle Porter Creek Vineyards
Domaine de Châtenoy Rose Infinie
Domaine de la Chapelle Saint Victor Sables d'Azur
Domaine de la Fouquette Saget La Perriere
Domaine de la Petite Cassagne Sanford Winery
Domaine de la Sanglière Ser
Domaine de Montbenoit Tatomer
Domaine de Paris Terres Dorées/Jean-Paul Brun
Domaine de Reuilly Tres Ojos
Domaine de Saint-Ser Vignoble Dauny
Domaine des Bellugues
Domaine des Terres Vivantes
Domaine de Vervine
Domaine du Grand Cros
Domaine Ferme Saint-Martin
Domaine Fontval
Domaine Gérard Boulay
Domaine Guion
Domaine Houchart
Domaine Isle Saint Pierre
Domaine Jean-Paul Picard
Domaine Jean Touzot
Part 2 Part 3
Ameztoi
Bodega Marichal e Hijo Amalie Robert
Bodegas Cepa 21 Aubichon Cellars
Bodegas Ostatu Big Table Farm
Brooks Wines Bodega Dominio Buenavista/Veleta Wines
Cámara Alta (Vinicola Corellana) Bodegas Frontón de Oro
Casas del Bosque Calder Wine Company
Charles Joguet Château de Léoube
Château Coup Roses Château des Arnauds
Château Coussin Château de St. Martin
Château de Lascaux Château d'Oupia
Château des Deux Rocs Château du Donjon
Château de Trinquevedel Château Ferry Lacombe
Château Minuty Château Haut Dambert
Château Mourgues du Grès Château l'Arnaude
Château Pradeaux Château Les Crostes
Château Roche Soleil Château Mourgues du Grès
Château Simone Château Saint-Maur
Château Vignelaure Claude & Florence Thomas-Labaille
Château Viranel Clément et Florian Berthier
Clos Cibonne Clos Cibonne
Daniel Crochet Commanderie de la Bargemone
Domaine Brazilier Day Wines
Domaine de Fontsainte Domaine Ameztia
Domaine de Mourchon Domaine Bailly-Reverdy
Domaine de Nizas Domaine Comte Abbatucci
Domaine des Martyrs Domaine de Chevalier
Domaine des Roy Domaine de la Bégude
Domaine de Terrebrune Domaine de la Mordorée
Domaine de Torraccia Domaine de la Tour du Bon
Domaine du Dragon Domaine de L'Olivette
Domaine du Grand Arc Domaine d'Eole
Domaine du Gros' Noré Domaine de Rimauresq
Domaine Laurens Domaine des Corbillières
Domaine Sainte-Lucie Domaine du Bagnol
Domaine Sylvain Bailly Domaine du Grand Cros
Domaine Tempier Domaine du Grandpré
Domaine Thomas & Fils Domaine La Monardière
Domaine Torraccia Domaine Pierre Guindon
Domaine Yves Martin Domaines Ott
Florian Mollet Domaine Vacheron
Gerard & Pierre Morin Domaine Vallon des Cigales
Hecht & Bannier Epoch
Hippolyte Reverdy Eric Cottat
Jean-Marie Berthier Finca Jakue
Jean-Max Roger François Cotat
La Closerie des Lys GM par Gabriel Meffre
Lange Winery Karine Lauverjat
Lelièvre La Bastide Blanche
Les Clos de Paulilles La Villa Barton
Les Jolies Fills Les Rocailles/Pierre Boniface
Les Vignobles Gueissard Longplay
Manon Louis Bernard
Mas Carlot Matthiasson
Mas Champart MiMi en Provence
Mas de Cadenet Pascal Cotat
Mas de Gourgonnier Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy
Matthias et Emile Roblin Primitivo Quiles
Medlock Ames Raimbault et Fils
Mirabeau Roucas Toumba
Mulderbosch VieVité
Pascal Jolivet Villa des Anges
Portugal Ramos Vinhos Viña Zorzal
Raventos i Blanc Vins Bréban
Ravoire et Fils Weingut Buchegger
Stanton Vineyard Yves Leccia/Domaine d'E Croce
Stoller Family Estate
Torii Mor Winery
Triennes
Weingut Josef Ehmoser

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Italy’s 2015 Rosatos: Full-Bodied and Luscious, Ian D'Agata, April 2016

The Rosé Roundup of 2015, Josh Raynolds, May 2015

-- Josh Raynolds