During the waning summer days here in Seattle, I celebrate the sunshine by opening a bottle of rosé. But the more I drink rosé, the more I realize that rosé is far more than a pretty pink drink. There are rosés from all over the world, some of which are sweet, some dry and all at a variety of price points. To research this further (ahhh, the things I do for you, dear reader) we recently held a blind tasting 
in order to find the best rosé.
The only friends I could round up for this adventure were all in the Developed Tribe, as am I. But we got enough of a sense of these wines to make recommendations for all tribes. As usual, we tried all of the wines on their own and then again with food pairings to see how food impacted our sensation of the wines. And also because we just like food.
The lineup
Here’s what we tasted:
Justin Monmousseau 2015 Rosé D’ Anjou (France, $12.99).
Hogwash 2015 Rosé (California, $16.99).
Caves D’ Esclans 2015 Whispering Angel Rosé (France, $27.99).
Miraval 2015 Rosé (France, $25.99).
Rosé Results
The 2015 Justin Monmousseau Rosé D’ Anjou was a hit when we drank it on its own. I was a bit concerned as rosés from the Anjou region of France can be quite sweet, but this one has only a hint of sweetness. Its blend of Cabernet Franc and Grolleau grapes gives it both structure and fruitiness and makes it a lovely, highly quaffable wine. Tasters noted scents of strawberry ice cream, raspberry and cotton candy. We all liked the flavors of ripe peaches and strawberries and cream, but when paired with food, we agreed that this one was too sweet; the strawberry notes somewhat overpowered our picnic fare. So, we highly recommended this wine for those of you who will be drinking sans food, especially if you are in the Accessible or Balanced Tribes.
The 2015 Hogwash, from winemaker Tuck Beckstoffer, came highly recommended by one of my favorite wine sellers. It’s from a renowned California winery and made from 100 percent Grenache grapes. Interestingly, it’s pretty much the opposite of the Rosé d’ Anjou. This wine is bone dry—we liked it much better with food than without. With scents of pear, earth and a hint of barnyard, our tasters had little expectation of sweetness, which is good because we didn’t get any. At all. Tasters commented on the acidity, with specific notes of grapefruit peel and lemon. They also mentioned that it tasted like toast, herbs and gasoline which, surprisingly, pairs nicely with food. This one wasn’t a huge hit, but if you are looking for a wine that you can drink with dinner and you like cool labels, this one is for you.
The “Finest Rose in the World” vs. Brangelina
I’d been looking forward to trying the Caves D’ Esclans 2015 Whispering Angel Rosé since its makers say it’s the finest rosé in the world. That’s a mighty big claim, but the wine has garnered lots of frothy reviews, so we were ready to be blown away. Which just didn’t happen. According to our palates, this wine is good, but not great. It has pleasing scents of apricot, lemon zest and pear. We enjoyed the balanced acidity, along with tastes of mineral, green apple and citrus. And it is lovely with food. But as one taster noted, it’s “pleasant, but not that interesting” and that was the overall sentiment. Save your money.
Finally, we tried the Miraval. For those of you who don’t keep up with celebrities in the wine world, this is Brangelina’s wine. Yep, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie married at the 1,000-acre Château Miraval in the heart of Provence, bought the place and and oversee its winery (though who knows whats going to happen given their divorce). This is another wine that is highly hyped, and frankly, I was ready to poo poo it.
To my chagrin, this wine was one of our favorites. It is complex with great acidity, interesting flavors of licorice, cherry, lemon zest and dirt and a slightly sweet finish reminiscent of cotton candy. There is a lot going on here, and the wine works both with and without food. The price—about $26—is more than I typically pay for rosé, but this wine is worth it (and it’s a beautiful bottle and a good story to boot). If you are in the Developed or Complex Tribes, I highly recommend it.
I hope these recommendations help you enjoy your last days of summer (and keep drinking them in autumn too…no need to give up on rosés so quickly). Cheers!
Chateau Miraval photo courtesy of People Magazine.