WTN: 2006 Château Peyrassol Côtes de Provence Rosé Provence France.

2006 Château Peyrassol Côtes de Provence Rosé Provence France. 12% alcohol. Chambers Street Wines. $21.99. Lyle/Asimov bottle. Imported by Rosenthal, New York, New York. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Tibouren.

Pale red color, clear hue, pretty aromas of fruit, spice and flowers, intense tastes of fruit with a good mineral base, light mouth feel, relatively short finish, good acidity and balance. Excellent match with grilled vegetables. 4*.

Notes:

History of estate: Located in the heart of Provence, near routes traveled by Crusaders in the early Middle Ages, the Commanderie de Peyrassol was founded by the Knights of Templar who were dedicated to protecting the Crusaders en route to, and in, the Holy Land. The first recorded harvest took place in 1256 and winemaking has continued uninterrupted throughout the centuries. When the Templars were brought down in 1311 by the King of France, who was nervous of their power and jealous of their wealth, the Knights of Malta became the fortunate owners of the Commanderie. They remained in control, flawlessly maintaining the vineyards until the French Revolution, when it was taken over by the State. The Rigord family purchased the estate in 1870. The current proprietor, Francoise Rigord, has been making the wines at Peyrassol since 1981 and has now been joined by her son, Francois. http://www.madrose.com/peyrassolprint.html

Winery: http://www.peyrassol.com/peyrassol_fr.swf

One translation of the text around the coin on the label: SIGILL/MEMILITVMXPLSTP. Translation? "Hail to thee, Knights Templar, protectors of our Holy roads and original bankers. Keep this coin to pay for your worship of Lord Baphomet!" Smith and Vine.

2006 Château Peyrassol Côtes de Provence Rosé Provence France. 12% alcohol. Chambers Street Wines. $21.99. Lyle/Asimov bottle. Imported by Rosenthal, New York, New York. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Tibouren.

Pale red color, clear hue, pretty aromas of fruit, spice and flowers, intense tastes of fruit with a good mineral base, light mouth feel, relatively short finish, good acidity and balance. Excellent match with grilled vegetables. 4*.

We just opened up a bottle of this tonight, Bob. I agree for the most part with your assessment, though I didn't find the finish at all short, especially not for a rosé. One other thing I noted is that the mouthfeel was quite rounded to me, suggesting vinification in oak (elevé en fut du chêne for you Francophiles. We're not easy rosé customers, as we usually find them either too alcoholic or too simple. This one was neither.

Mark Lipton

Thanks, Mark. I'm going to have to sharpen my judgments on the "shortness" of finishes of white and rosé wines. For many years I drank only red wines for health reasons -- recently I've been broadening out, and the finishes seem much shorter.

Originally I tried to count seconds to judge finishes -- I'll do that again for awhile to get a sense of how long rosé and white wine persist.

Thanks for the critique. Nice wine. Regards, Bob

Thanks, Mark. I'm going to have to sharpen my judgments on the "shortness" of finishes of white and rosé wines. For many years I drank only red wines for health reasons -- recently I've been broadening out, and the finishes seem much shorter.

Originally I tried to count seconds to judge finishes -- I'll do that again for awhile to get a sense of how long rosé and white wine persist.

I understand completely. My transition from red to white (and rosé) began about 5 years ago, so I have a bit of a head start.

Thanks for the critique. Nice wine. Regards, Bob

Thanks, Bob. This wine was indeed nice, so much so that I got a phone call last night in my office from my wife, who called me simply to say "You've got to try this rosé when you get home!" That's the sort of endorsement that I can't easily pass up and it was entirely justified. When I told her this morning that CSW has but a single bottle left, her response was "get it."

On a tangential note, I am amused that we've been drinking so many of the same wines recently. I know that you've been going through a Fass/Asimov case, whereas I've been going through our most recent CSW CARE package, which coincidentally seems to overlap it quite a bit. Next up for us is the Ametzoi Txakolina, so keep that in mind when you choose what to open

Mark Lipton

We can compare notes on two different wines, Mark. In the Soon lineup, I've got a Gorrondona 2005 Bizkaiko Txakolina Aldape which Florida Jim liked.

It is interesting we've been comparing notes so frequently. What does CSW stand for? I'm sure I "know" but just don't remember.

We can compare notes on two different wines, Mark. In the Soon lineup, I've got a Gorrondona 2005 Bizkaiko Txakolina Aldape which Florida Jim liked.

It is interesting we've been comparing notes so frequently. What does CSW stand for? I'm sure I "know" but just don't remember.

Sorry for the shorthand. CSW = Chambers St. Wines.

Mark Lipton

Duh!