There’s “Pink Wine,” and there is Rose.
I tend to go more for the really well made Rose wines that have character, charm, and sophistication. Where the winemaker puts love and care into what goes into the bottle, and then eventually, what flows gracefully into your glass.
Not all Rose wines though are created equal, as a lot of what we find on the shelves has moved away from serious winemaking and into simply profit taking.
Make no mistake. Well crafted, artfully made Rose is like a welcome home. It’s charming without being high handed. It’s graceful without being a ballerina. It’s tasty, without being overdone.
In essence, a great Rose is like a charming bistro, not a roadside Tabac, nor a three-star Michelin restaurant. The best Rose wines give you not only what you want. But what you need.
That’s the 2018 Domaine Magellan Le Fruit Defendu.
Made from 100 percent Cinsault, from vines taken from Chateauneuf du Pape, the very pale pink colored Rose could be a dead ringer if all that mattered was color, for one from the hills of the Cotes de Provence. But it’s not.
It’s made in the Languedocian town of Magalas, by an ex-pat of sorts, Bruno Lafon, who left Burgundy, found a great property and has been turning out hand-crafted wines for more than a decade.
The newly bottled, and just released, 2018 Le Fruit Defendu is on point as Rose wines go just as it always has been. Everyone who has ever had a bottle with me from prior vintages has usually gotten to the “wow” stage from first glass. The 2018 will take them there from the first sip.
It’s stunning. Great aromatics. Lovely flavors of raspberry and strawberry, some soft spice. It’s got a hint of garrigue, and a long, lingering refreshing finish.
That’s why the 2018 Domaine Magellan Le Fruit Defendu is today’s WineSiders’ Wine of The Day!!!what
