A Summer Through Rosé Coloured Glasses
No.63 | Regional Reporting
After eight glorious weeks in the Loire this summer - eight of the warmest weeks on record, I might add - you can bet I enjoyed A LOT of Cabernet Franc rosé during this time. Part research, part pleasure, I tried as many as I could. In any given summer, I don’t get a chance to taste as many examples of Cabernet Franc rosé as I’d like, not just from the Loire, but from anywhere else in the world for that matter. In my own backyard of Ontario, most rosés available are haphazard blends that change every year depending on the vintage, and the vast majority of rosés produced in the Loire are consumed locally.
I think Cabernet Franc is a superb grape for rosé, but it is certainly not an easy style to do. Picking too early with a direct press approach in mind can sometimes lead to flavours that are unripe and vegetal, and a wine that is acidic and thin. Pick at full ripeness and proceed with a saignée-style of rosé, and you can sometimes end up with something that is a little one-dimensional…