“Every year Reynald Delille crafts one of my absolute favorite rosé wines. Born of its Mediterranean climate and the vineyard’s rocky, reddish/brown, clay and limestone “terrebrune” soils, his wines exemplify everything that makes rosé wine from the appellation of Bandol so exquisite. This is no ordinary rose, it’s like liquid summer! Don’t miss it!” Chris Cree MW
This week one of my all time favorite rosé wines arrives from the sunny south of France. It’s always right up there with the best of the vintage, but like so many 2024 rosés we have offered this year there seems to be a little extra jolt of energy in this year’s crop, without losing any of the lovely freshness and focus I look for in a great rosé.
This has it all, leading off on the nose with hints of savory wild herbs - thyme, sage, rosemary - followed by delicate white peach, clover, and citrus notes underneath. It has a lively minerality and a hint of tannin in the structure that keeps it focused and linear.
Overall it’s like drinking liquid summer - with a touch of salinity in the finish from its proximity to the sparkling Mediterranean visible in the distance. The finish just goes on for ages, revealing layers of savory flavors that will allow this to pair with all kinds of food and made us all think seriously of decanting it before serving!
There only a handful of rosé wines that reach this level - Domaine Tempier the most famous perhaps. But it’s hard to find, and even this one is limited, even more so this year!
Drink it now with all kinds of summer fare - grilled meaty fish - tuna, snapper, sea bass, or grilled chicken, all kinds of summer vegetables, appetizers, charcuterie, tapenades, cheeses, or a classic nicoise salad. With age, it will pick up weight and develop deeper and broader aromatics and flavors, allowing it to stand up to richer and more complex dishes. Don’t be afraid to lay some away in the cellar to enjoy next summer and well beyond.
The wines of Reynaud Delille’s Domaine Terrebrune are some of the best produced in this tiny Appellation in the heart of Provence. I have visited and tasted in the cellars on a number of occasions, and hosted Reynaud for wine dinners here in the US - I hope we can get him back one day! Meanwhile the 2023 arrives today - always a late release due to its large component of Mourvedre in the blend, a grape that doesn’t like to be rushed along.
As delicious as it is today, that trait continues once it’s in the bottle, with the wine almost always gaining in complexity with a couple of years in the bottle. I have enjoyed 20+ year old rosé, an amazing testament to a wine that is so much more than ordinary “pink plonk” to be drunk up before Labor Day. This is a serious wine!
With that in mind we also have a few magnums - buy one and stash it away for 4-5 years and you will be amazed! Born in the near perfect Mediterranean climate of the south of France, with reddish clay/limestone soils and a blend of 50% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, and 25% Cinsault that is organically farmed. Just a dozen or so cases on offer - don’t miss it!
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