05 January 2006

Hot pink

Tablas Creek 2003 Rosé (Paso Robles) – Neon lavender squeezings, concentrated strawberry preserve, wood spice, and tongue-numbing alcohol.

As much amazing flavor as they’ve packed into this wine, 14.8% is just way too much alcohol for a rosé. I don’t know if they’d consider it (probably not), but a spinning cone might indeed be the answer. Nonetheless, I’m sure this is a hit among the bigger = better herds. 64% mourvèdre, 28% grenache, 8% counoise. Alcohol: 14.8%. Web: http://www.tablascreek.com/.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Nonetheless, I’m sure this is a hit among the bigger = better herds."

If only. I suspect the bigger=better gang won't understand rose' in any form.

thor iverson said...

I dunno. This is pretty big...

It's no Garretson rosé (virtually opaque, something like 84% alcohol... ;-) ), but it's up there.

Anonymous said...

Too much alc for a Rosé. Rosé is the "best bitter" of the wine world. Should be something you can drink all afternoon. I'd be plastered before dinner with that!

Anonymous said...

Garretson rose' - Pascale and I actually really enjoyed the last one we had, down in Paso. We just pretended it was a light red. Good with some hearty mediterraneanish food in warm weather.

thor iverson said...

Brewnoser: I agree that there's too much alcohol for a rosé; on the other hand, overt alcoholic heat is a very, very common flaw among rosés (from just about anywhere), so as a matter of balance (rather than numbers) it's no more out of balance than hundreds of Provençal pinks.

Christian: "light" red? Light? I was kidding about the 84% alcohol, but the wine is opaque. I bet it would make one hell of a woozy sangria, though. ;-)