Is there any standard more revered than that of the Bordeaux red blend? Famously known for their classification system brought about in 1855, the Bordelaise have distinguished their wines from the rest in the full-bodied red categories. In fact, Bordeaux produces some of the most “ageable” wines, due to their high-tannin medleys of local grapes. They leverage their process of “assemblage” to produce blends from key varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot) and will choose just the right amounts of each, dependent on the winemaker’s desired profile for that given vintage.
Some of us can get caught up in the deep purple, full-bodied, luscious red fruit offerings and think exclusively of red blends when selecting from Bordeaux, but enclosing the region into such a confined space would mean leaving another style completely out of the conversation: Rosé.
A somewhat underappreciated style, Rosé doesn’t need to be of thought of exclusively as a summer refreshment. While most regions around the world will produce Rosé’s from white grape varietals, areas that tend to excel in red grape varietals can bring a much fuller bodied option while still drinking bright.
As would seem logical, Bordelaise Rosés are produced from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot varietals, thus giving the wine a much deeper ruby-pink colour. A stigma of sweetness was brought on by manufactured Rosés out of California years back and the style has always struggled to shake it. A good rule of thumb is that most Rosés are going to be fully dry wines (0g-2g of residual sugar). The colour shouldn’t be associated with the sweetness of the wine, with any style for that matter.
Many producers who have the ability to grow red grape varietals will often find that their Rosé production brings a different angle to a market saturated in lighter interpretations. With the use of darker grapes comes the traits that they possess, bringing notes of darker fruits and cassis, but also delivering that craved acidity through more citrus notes of grapefruit and red apple.
From an economic standpoint, with the allocation of their traditional varietals to producing Rosés, Bordeaux wineries enable a quality driven revenue stream to be realized fairly quickly. Where their red blends typically need a few years of aging prior to release, they pride themselves on having fresh, ready-to-drink Rosés that can hit the market shortly after bottling.
With this season’s release, we’ve crafted our Rosé, The Sail, with inspiration from Bordeaux. Drinking fresh yet complex and bringing that darker-than-usual ruby-pink colour, our 2021 The Sail will pair well with your summer favorites like anything off of the barbeque and fresh salads, but will still hold up to richer dishes as well. Where most Rosés are exempt from aging, we have found the flavour profile to change as it sits in the bottle. With only 2 years under its belt, this year’s The Sail might benefit from another 1-2 years before tapering off. Don’t be afraid to drink one and save the other for next year - or better yet, capitalize on member benefits and stockpile another couple of bottles!