2008 Les Ligeriens Rose d'Anjou

Last night was grilled cheese night, a family favorite for many reasons.

One, the kids love it and pretty much will eat any combination of bread and cheese we put together.

Second, it is easy to fix. Some lightly buttered bread, some good cheese, a medium heated pan and a 170 degree oven to keep the early batches nice and gooey. Easy peasy.

Third, it is comfort food, especially on nasty days like yesterday. The light crunch of the bread followed by lava-lamp textured cheese (I’m not sure that really sounds appetizing, but it describes the texture), along with some tomato soup bring back fond memories of childhood and the power of simple but flavorful food to warm the soul.

Last night was blatantly simple, with Seaside English cheddar on one of two different breads. The boys (me and my son) had the Sweetwater 420 bread (available at Whole Foods), while my wife and daughters enjoyed a nice organic hearth rosemary sourdough. My wife and I also had corned beef on our sandwiches, with mine having a thin spread of stoneground mustard.

For the wine, I selected our last rosé in the fridge and probably for the year. I’d not had a rosé from Anjou, a growing region in the Loire Valley of France. While the Loire is perhaps most famous for its two regions that specialize in Sauvignon blanc (Sancerre and Pouilly Fume), oenophiles in the know are aware of the many great reds made from Cabernet franc. In Anjou, they specialize in rosés made from the same grape and I have to say, this particular example was really quite good. I’m a bit disappointed to have it so late in the year, as it was my favorite of the year.

Price: Paid $8.99 for this at Green’s on Buford Highway.

Honestly, I didn’t give much attention to the nose of this wine because I was really hungry and thirsty when we sat down to dinner. Once I started sipping on this, I actually started drinking it full throttle. This stuff was tasty. My wife called it “strawberry watermelon water”, with an emphasis on the strawberries for her. I have to agree, this stuff was really good. It was silky smooth on the palate, with a nice bit of acidity to cleanse the palate, but less than many other rosés I’ve had from France this year. It had this touch of grip to it, but it was parried by the richness of the cheese and corned beef.

This is the sort of wine that will convert the non-drinkers of rosé. I’d also say that if you are looking for an inexpensive winner to go with Thanksgiving, this would work. Beyond the budget friendly price and beautiful salmon color it adds to your service, it just tastes good. I have no idea if Green’s has any left or not, but you can call them at (404) 321-6232 to find out. That or check in with your local shop and see what their favorite rosé on hand is. If they tell you white zinfandel, find a new favorite shop.

Haiku
Salmon pink color
Strawberry watermelon
Tasty French delight

Have a Thundering Thursday and thank you for visiting. If you like what I’m doing, please pass it along to your friends. I love comments and emails as well. I even had someone email me the other day who not only taught me something about Cobb County and corkage, but inspired a piece on that subject that I’ll try to get to real soon.

One of the very first rosé wines I ever tried was from Big House, then owned and operated by the iconic Randall Grahm. The brand has since been sold to The Wine Group, from which I received sample bottles free of charge (thank you!). These wines all run somewhere in the $10 range, come under screw cap and are eclectic blends of varietals you have and have not heard of. For those interested in quickly joining The Wine Century Club, these are the sort of wines you are looking for. Between the 3 bottles, you could knock out 19. See each note for individual compositions, though I’m sorry to say I couldn’t find details on exact compositions.

2007 Big House Red The day I tried this wine was not the best of days, so I have little re-collection and no formal notes. I remember it had some cherry and red fruit flavors, but it wasn’t super memorable. I can’t honestly say if it was just the day, as a really good wine would have made me take notes or have fonder recollections than I’m experiencing. It is a blend of 11 grapes, including: Syrah, Tannat, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Touriga, Malbec, Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, Grenache, Petite Verdot and Montepuliciano. I’m not sure what Randall was thinking when he first created this wine, but he obviously had some master plan in mind.

Big House Pink: If there were a prize for deepest color in a rosé, this would win. Our son noticed the pink flamingos surrounding the neck. Goes to show that packaging does indeed work, if not in this case on the intended target audience. This kitchen sink of varietals includes Syrah, Charbono, Grenache, Tannat, Zinfandel, Barbera, Tempranillo and Sangiovese, four of which you didn’t get to try in the red blend. This smelled like a field of over ripe strawberries with a soil of red cherries. Dust with red raspberries and there you have it, a cornucopia of red fruit flavors. It was very juicy and ripe, but lacked complexity. Granted, I don’t expect a lot of complexity from rosé, but with so many varietals, I guess I was hoping for a bit more. I’m not sure if they left any sugar in this one, but it did seem a tad sweet on the finish. Not White Zin type sweet, just not as dry as most of the French rosés we drink. For $10, I’d buy / recommend this one, especially for those folks who would like to experience a dry rosé, but need some training wheels so they don’t fall off the train before arriving to station. This is what I refer to as a bridge wine, as it connects those who like blush (aka sweet) pinks to the eventual glory of dry rosé.

10-07-09 UPDATE: This wine received 86 points from Wine Spectator in a Tasting Highlights feature regarding 14 Great Value California Wines on 10-06-09. Take that for what its worth.

Big House White: Wow! This explodes out of the glass in that sort of way that makes you really pay attention. This blend of Malvasia Bianca, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Rousanne not only smells fantastic, it adds four more notches to your grape varietal belt. It smelled like pineapple, star fruit, meyer lemons and is that, guava? It has been so long since I smelled it that I’m not sure. No matter, it smelled great. It tasted darn good too. I got new flavors of apricots and honeysuckle, giving me the impression that the Viognier was mounting a coup d’état as the flavors wrestled for control. Smooth, easy to drink and packed with flavor. The white is better balanced than the pink by the acidity that made this mouth watering gem such a delight to drink. I’m not a big white wine person, save my beloved German Rieslings, but I highly recommend this and would buy it again. I’d pair it with just about any chicken or white fish dish, especially those that feature citrus or tropical flavors. I’d even venture out and say that a pan seared salmon filet topped with grilled pineapple tossed in teriyaki reduction would go really well with this wine. Too bad I discovered this so late in the year.

10-07-09 UPDATE: This wine received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast and was named their #1 Wine in their annual Top 100 Wines under $15 issue. Take that for what its worth, but take it from me, this is very tasty and now you’ve got a professional opinion to go with that.

Have an awesome Wednesday and don’t forget to smile!

Place of origin: Provence is home to some of the best rosé wines for the money. Approximately half the rosé made in France comes from this region and about 75-80% of their wine production is rosé. For the summer heat, wines like this are amazingly good for the money and go great with lighter fare. Vegetarians should definitely stock up on rosés because they are so friendly to salads and grilled veggies.

Varietal blend: 35% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Cinsault, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Mourvedre, 5% other red varietals

Price: $9.99

Bought at: Ansley Wine Merchant

Aromas: Red berries with a hint of cherries.

Flavors: More cherry, with some melon and minerality underneath. It was smooth, refreshing and very easy to drink.

Pairing suggestion: Poached salmon or as suggested above, salads and grilled veggies.

Final word: An above average offering, this is my second favorite rosé of the year. It is definitely worth checking out, as we’ve still got plenty of heat coming our way. I love the lighter weight style of this wine, which doesn’t try to be too red, something I’ve noticed in some other regions’ rosés.

Shocking I know…another rosé and it isn’t even really warm out, just steamy. This blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah comes from Costières-de-Nimes, France. Once part of the Languedoc region, the local vintners petitioned and received permission to be attached to the Rhône region in 1989. They felt their wines were more closely related and for the French, these sorts of things are important. Remember, in Europe wines are identified by their region, not what varieties go into the blend. They associate certain taste profiles, just as we have certain assumptions and opinions when we look for Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. They use the saignée method and all the vines are fairly old, ranging from 50 to 60 years.

Price: $9.99

Bought at: Green’s on Buford Highway.

Color: Great depth of color, far deeper than most French rosés.

Aromas: Classic red fruits, primarily cherry with some red raspberry and a hint of minerality.

Flavors: Cherry juice, succulent and creamy, with a heavier body than most rosés. I’d call it medium bodied. The finish was smooth and had a modest amount of acidity, making it well suited for drinking solo. It also showed a touch of spice, perhaps white pepper? It wasn’t baking spice, but it was interesting and made it go well with our food.

Pairing: We had it with pork chops that had been spent 24 hours in a rub of rosemary, lemon peel, garlic, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Sides included grilled asparagus and baked potato wedges. It went well and we were craving more after the meal was over. This was easy to drink.

Final word: Another winner from France, this was an above average wine. It paired up well with our dinner, but was still very satisfying when the meal was over. It showed a slight edge of alcohol when it was warm, but I only did that to see what it was like. It was much better cool, as rosés are meant to be served.

Vin Gris means gray wine and is wine geek speak for rosé. There is your wine trivia fact for the week. This particular wine was of interest because their Pinot Noir has proven to be quite good and it is still the season for rosé, even with the sub 90 temperatures we’ve been blessed with lately. The bonus was finding out that the varietal composition was Merlot, Malbec, Syrah and Pinot Noir respectively. It is also one of the deepest colored rosés I’ve ever seen, which I’m sure is due to the varietal blend.

Bought at: Green’s on Buford Highway
Price: $13.99

Nose: Strawberry and cherry, with a slight herbal tone.

Flavors: Lots of red berry and hints of vanilla, with a zingy finish.

Final word: My wife summed up her opinion up in one word, “Yummy!”. I found it to be of good quality, with a lot of punch in the palate and worth checking out.

Pairing suggestions: Chicken salad sandwiches, fried chicken salad.