Wine: Pure Rose
Winemaker: Mirabeau
Vintage: 2015
Variety: 60% Grenache 40% Syrah
Price: £12.99/$16.22
This is the sort of wine that just makes all the right noises and makes you say “yes please, pour me another”. It’s also the perfect accompaniment to pan seared scallops, crispy pancetta and pea and mint puree. My introduction to Mirabeau wines couldn’t have been anymore positive, Stephen and Jeany Cronk and their exceptionally helpful and dynamic team really are onto something down in Provence, flying the flag for Brits abroad in the classiest possible way. Go team Cronk!
The nose is ‘pure’ to say the least! I must admit when I first laid eyes on the literature for this wine, I looked at the name and thought ‘oh no, what a cliche’ but I was wrong, it’s an apt name and makes perfect sense; as soon as I opened this, the bouquet enveloped my senses, with powerful and vibrant notes of strawberry and raspberry taking centre stage, with very subtle melon and vanilla acting as steadfast pillars of support for the red fruit to shine. The aromas give the impression the flavours in the mouth are going to be intensely sweet, but it’s not the case. Cranberry is the main offender, showing off it’s Jekyll and Hyde flavour profile, with left hooks of bitterness and overhand rights of sweetness; a zesty citrus thread adds a healthy dose of oomph to proceedings.
This medium bodied, light rhubarb pink rose really is a fantastic wine, it showcases everything good about Provencal rose and I defy any non-lover of rose to try this wine. Balance is key and this wine is superb, it sits on a knife edge with the utmost confidence; it carries a pushy acidity, without skewing the flavours. A distinctive minerality is felt on the persistent finish, which is granite like, a very a masculine finish to round off an otherwise classy, elegant and alluring feminine wine.
