Crios Rosé of Malbec

Name: Crios
Color: Rosé
Varietal: Malbec
Vintage: 2009
Country/State: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Price: $11
Stars: 4 (out of 5)

Well, this was definitely my favorite Rosé I've ever had. It was much fuller bodied than most Rosés, and was made from the Malbec grape that thrives in Argentina. This one was another wine made by Susana Balbo under her Crios label. We've had the Crios Torrontes and really enjoyed it, too.

The Crios Rosé is a brilliant, dark pink color and has a great nose of strawberries, flowers, and a bit of pepper. It was rich and spicy, dry and delicious.

This wine really restored my faith in Rosé wines. I was close to cutting them out of my life completely, but thanks to the Crios Rosé, they'll stick around for a little while longer.

La Vieille Ferme Rose

Name: La Vieille Ferme
Color: Rose
Varietal: Blend (Cinsault/Grenache/Syrah)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: France
Region: Rhone
Price: $7.50
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)

I don't know what it is about Rose wines, but they just don't seem to do it for me. They aren't quite as crisp and refreshing as a white, and they aren't as bold and mouth filling as a red. We've enjoyed the white (Cotes du Luberon) and the red (Cotes du Ventoux) by La Vieille Ferme, so I was excited to try their Rose...It was quite tasty, mostly strawberry and raspberry, but it just felt like something was missing. I've a read a lot of articles recently proclaiming Rose as the wine for the summer. This one is very drinkable, but I prefer a Sauvignon Blanc or white blend as a cool, summertime wine. Krista was even more direct, refusing to even drink a glass after trying a couple of sips of mine. "What's the point?" was how she described it.

I guess we'll pull the plug on Rose wines for awhile. At some point, I want to try one from the Tavel region of France, a region that really specializes in Rose. But for now, we'll stick with the whites and the reds.

Gloria Ferrer Pinot Noir Rose

Name: Gloria Ferrer
Color: Rose
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2006
Country/State: California
Region: Sonoma
Price: $10
Stars: 3.5 (out of 5)


This was a nice, dry Rosé made from Pinot Noir grapes that I found to be very refreshing, but lacking any punch that would make it exciting or especially memorable....We drank a couple of glasses last night after dinner. It was definitely more enjoyable than my last Rosé experience (a Rosé under the Menage a Trois label that I found to be too floral for my taste). This one by Gloria Ferrer was on sale at Ed's Fine Wines for $10, so I picked it up as I've been meaning to experiment with some Rosés for awhile now. The aroma was primarily strawberry, raspberry, and something else I couldn't really describe, kind of a flowery watermelon scent. Krista thought it smelled like cran-grape juice, so who knows...There's really no wrong answer. The taste was similar to the nose, mostly strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon, with a little peach juice. It was very easy drinking and not at all sweet or cloying. I liked it more and more as it warmed up in the glass.

We also have a Rosé from La Vieille Ferme at home. We'll probably try that one next week. It will be nice to see how it compares to the Gloria Ferrer.