This week’s ‘What We Drank’ is short, but delicious. This is what some of our editors and contributors have been drinking…
Tracy Weiss: Domaine Ricard Touraine 2011 Le P’tit Rosé
There’s no other choice really when you throw your cousin a Bachelorette Party on Bastille Day. French, obviously. Something feminine and can hold up to an 87 F-degree day in Manhattan?
Think Pink!
Loire Valley’s Le P’tit Rosé made a beautiful toast to pending nuptials in more ways than one. The Gamay and Cab Franc blend is rich with a jewel-like tourmaline color and good legs. This biodynamic vineyard near the river Cher picks and destems their grapes by hand.
On the nose, I got a whiff of strawberry. After a sip, I relished the faint watermelon taste with great minerality and a crisp long finish. Unlike some of the Provincial Rosés this year, Le P’tit has great structure. And an amusing label if you’re into that sort of thing.
Humorous with good aesthetics? Tender care? Long lasting with a sound structure and someone you find fresh on the palate? Sounds like the elements needed for a perfect marriage. Congrats Matt and Heather!
Todd Trzaskos: luna beberide ‘finca la cuesta’ 2008
A few years ago we were introduced to the Mencia grape while dining at the Turtle Island Café in Willsboro, NY. The owners provide excellent dining in that quiet upstate town and have a wine list that is consciously aligned with the menu, making exploration a good idea.
After that first taste, I have consistently been on the lookout for Mencia, and this one is a good example of a variety that always seems to me like pinot noir’s naughty, untamed, and very fun cousin.
Thick aromatics of hot ripe bramble patch growing over a carpet of wild mint, with a seductive twang.
Mouthful of feral blackberry and black raspberry fruit hint of the density that rolls into the second half where a tart cherry and slightly herbaceous angle with medium weight.
Any hint of wood is just a scaffold for the earthy notes, generous red and blue fruit tannins that keep pumping through the long finish. Vibrant acidity frames the entire arc, and it is a no brainer for the grill, game meats, and even roasted vegetables. 60 Year old vines, single vineyard, high altitude, wild yeasts. Appx $20