Commanderie de Peyrassol Rose 2008

Domaine: Commanderie de Peyrassol
Country: France
Region: Cotes de Provence
Vintage: 2008
Style: Rose
Grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre
Declared Alcohol (on label): 12.5%
Approximate Price: $20/bottle
Date Reviewed: 6/19/2009
Reviewed By: Galen Ricci

Appearance:
Clear with a medium intensity. The wine had a very salmon color with orange highlights. The rim had a slight watery edge, but the color advanced almost completely to the edge of the rim. The wine had average moving, watery colored legs, which could indicate a dry wine with medium alcohol.

Nose:
A very clean nose, no detection of faults or oxidization. The intensity of aromas was medium, and the development was very youthful. The Aromas included: Strawberry, Red Raspberry, Watermelon, Roses, a slight smokiness (possibly from the minerality).

Palate:
The wine was dry on the palate, the acidity was medium, and there were no perceivable tannins. The alcohol was medium, and the body had a medium weight. The flavor intensity was medium, with characteristics of: Rose Water, Watermelon, Fresh Strawberry, Fresh Red Raspberry, Light Red Apple, Wet Stone, and a very little bit of bubble gum. The length was medium to medium + and continually evolved.

Conclusions:
The quality was very good (better than good, but not quite outstanding). As for price category this a midpriced French rose. This wine is ready to drink now and should not sit much longer than 1-2 years on a shelf.

Authors Notes:
This was one of the best roses, I dare say, I have ever had! It is elegant, beautiful and filled with character. It has amazing balance and layers of fruit and minerality all supported by near perfect acidity. Ive tasted roses in the same price point that are no where near as interesting, refined or balanced. This would go perfectly with many foods such as cheeses, fish, light chicken dishes, but I would love to pair this wine with a blackened seafood dish (yes this is the street and co side of me). I would venture to say that 99 out of 100 people would call this a really good wine, and those who have tasted a few roses would say this is a great wine. I highly suggest people seek out this wine and try it! Im thinking about scoring wines, so I might as well start now. I would give this wine 92+ points.

I tasted this wine about an hour later and found that the same characteristics still prevailed, but a slight creaminess started to develop, which really piqued my interest. Im not exactly sure if some percentage of the juice had some malo-lactic fermentation, but as the wine had some exposure with oxygen it really became more rich with almost a medium + body. A real rockstar of a wine and something I would highly suggest, especially for first time rose drinkers.