I've been drinking quite a few Italian wines in February as I've been reading through the first selection of the Wine Book Club, Vino Italiano, so I thought I'd drink something different last night. We were having "Swiss-Cheese chicken" (breaded chicken baked with swiss cheese on top), rice and zucchini so we chose something light: 2006 Domaine Fontanyl Côtes de Provence Rosé.
According to Terroir-France.com, half of the rosé wine made in France comes from Provence and 80% of the wine made in Provence is rosé. This area of France is on the French Riviera coverings an area from the cities of Marseille to Nice (Click on the map to the left for a bigger map of the region. Used by permission from Wikipedia, created by Marmelad.)
This area of France has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot, dry summers, mild winters, little snow, and lots of sun. The soils vary across the region. The main grapes grown in the Côtes de Provence are Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache and Mourvedre; typical Rhone varietals. Rosé wines made out of grapes grown here are dry and full of fruit flavors.
The Domaine Fontanyl was a nice rosé to me. I was a little leary when I first sniffed the wine because it smell just like a white Zinfandel. I don't like sweet wines at all, so I was pleased that this rosé was very dry (it reminded me of a rosé I had last year that was made out of Malbec that had no hint of sweetness.) I couldn't really detect much fruit other than cherry on the nose or when I the tasted the wine (I'm beginning to wonder if cherry is the only fruit I can detect!) The tannins were very light in my mouth, but lingered with a sour cherry flavor after I swallowed. I didn't feel any heat ftom the 13% alcohol level. The wine went well with chicken.
At $11 I'll have to look for this wine to enjoy as a sipper for warm summer evenings. I can't wait to get back to exploring Italy, but this rosé was a pleasant break.
Tasting Notes:
2006 Domaine Fontanyl Côtes de Provence Rosé
Color: Light rose
Aroma: Almost like white Zinfandel, cherry
Taste: Dry! Cherry and light, light tannins
Finish: Light but lingering tannins with sour cherry
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