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What We're Drinking: Jon & Sancerre Rosé 2010, Le Rabault





Having looked through our previous 'What We're Drinking' wines, I realised not one member of the team had covered a Rosé! Subsequently, and while I've been telling my male colleagues it has been a sacrifice I've had to endure (for masculinity reasons), the wine I bought last week to cover my 'What We're Drinking' selection was a Rosé and I must admit it has been anything but a chore.

The wine I selected was Joseph Mellot's Sancerre Rosé Le Rabault 2010 - the main reason being that I couldn’t actually remember ever tasting a Sancerre Rosé...

Now I'm sure you would have come across Sancerre wines; heavily featured on restaurant wine lists across world, they've recently become increasingly expensive and certainly the Rosé wines from this area of France have price points. This tends to mean they feature towards the bottom, less accessible end of a wine list which is a real shame given there are plenty of Sancerre wines to be found for bargain prices, and this is certainly the case with the aforementioned.

Sancerre is an AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) which is found on the left bank of the Loire, opposite Pouilly-Fumé - another well-known AOC. Anyway back to Sancerre; it's mainly associated with Sauvignon Blanc however around 20% of its harvest is Pinot Noir - another reason why I chose this wine. It's rare to come across a Rose made from Pinot Noir; effectively the skins are in contact with the juice for just a few hours in order to produce the colour and delicate taste of the wine. Plus I'm a big Pinot fan so...

The wine itself is coral pink and the nose is very floral to start with which then later develops towards strawberry sweets. The flavour of the wine on the palate is deliciously fresh and delicate. Its red berry flavours are richly ripe yet Joseph Mellot has managed to combine the power of the red berries with undertones of tropical fruits. This wine is ideal for the two to three hours of sun we might manage over the next week or equally as an accompaniment to charcuterie, white meats, and shellfish or as I found out, the Pan-Fried Sea Bass which recently featured on the CellarVie Wines blog. 

Overall an outstanding wine at a snip of the price you'd be made to pay for something similar at a restaurant, enjoy!
 
To see what the other members of CellarVie Wines chose for the ‘What we’re drinking’ section and why, click on the links below.
 
 
 

Charlotte - Kleine Zalze Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 

Ben - Flagstone Longitude 

Simon - Rare Vineyards Marsanne-Viognier 

Eliott - Veramonte Pinot Noir 

Jon - ‘Piluna’ Primitivo 

Sophie - Bourgogne Blanc 'Clos de Loyse' 2009 

Eliott - Touraine Sauvignon Domaine Trotignon  

Charlotte - 1847 Oloroso Dulce Sherry 

Simon - Errázuriz Single Vineyard Carmenère 2009 

Jon - Chardonnay Grand Cru 2008, Tenuta Rapitalà 

 
Why not let us know what you are drinking but posting your comments in the section below...  
 
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16.05.13
FEATURED

Beautiful Douro tapestry by David Eley to be auctioned at Christie’s


A new map of the Douro Valley by English artist and author David Eley, will be auctioned alongside a 12 bottle vertical of Quinta do Noval from 1937 to 2003 by Christie’s this June.

Click here to view more stories
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