Fougeray de Beauclaire Rosé 2018 comes from Marsannay region of France. The uniqueness of this Burgundian appellation that it’s the only one allowed to produce the wine of all three colors: red, white, and rose.
What kind of grape do you think it made of? It’s an easy guess – Pinot Noir. This is grape that defined Burgundy and made it famous worldwide.
Fougeray de Beauclaire Rosé 2018
In the Bottle
In France and Burgundy, in particular, terroir trumps the winemaker name and winery brand. The grape’s origin determines the quality and, consequently, the wine’s price.
The grapes for this wine came from vines that are between 8 to 45 years old. Why is that important? The older the vine produces fruit that typically has more concentrated flavors and results in a more complex wine. There’s also less wine, and it’s more expensive because older vines have fewer bunches and smaller berries. Less juice – less wine – higher price.
In the Glass
The wine has a beautiful pale copper pink color. It’s a result of two-day cold maceration. What does that mean? After the harvest, grapes are de-stemmed, transferred to stainless steel tanks, and left to rest in a low-temperature environment. It allows some color slippage from the skins to the flesh. When the grapes are pressed to extract juice for Rosé wine, the skins are discarded to retain the fruitiness and lightness of the wine.
The aromas of Marsannay Rosé surprised us by its complexity. It’s a concoction of cranberry, strawberry, and bing cherry with savory spice and green peppercorn.
It tasted like lingonberry, strawberry, red apple and, wildflowers tea. It has a smooth, creamy texture with pleasant red berry tea and dried herbs aftertaste.
Finish
Living in the Pinot Noir country (Willamette Valley, Oregon), we are exposed regularly to Pinot-based Rosés. It made this tasting that much more enjoyable because we had certain expectations set by our frequent Oregon wine consumption.
Frankly, 2018 Fougeray de Beauclaire Marsannay Rosé blew us away. While Pinot Noir is the base grape in both cases. It was a completely different experience showing once again the magic of the terroir.
It became an instant addition to our list of great wines under $20.
What is your experience with Burgundian Rosé wines? Any favorites you might recommend to try?
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