Cotes de Tongue, Languedoc, France
Domaine Montrose’s Prestige rosé is again brilliant in the great 2020 vintage. The relatively obscure Côtes de Thongue IGP lies in south-central France’s Hérault départment, directly to the north of Béziers. The Domaine Montrose, impeccably run by Bernard and Olivier Coste, fashions its top-of-the-line Prestige rosé from old-vine Grenache (85%) and old-vine Rolle (a.k.a. Vermentino) planted on pebbly siliceous clay terraces. Reflecting a pale salmon-copper hue, the rosé opens with zesty, limestone-driven aromas of red currants, golden raspberries, tart strawberries, white pepper, and rose petals. Brisk and incisive on the palate, the wine marries a fleshy kernel of Rainier cherries and Mandarin oranges with accents of bay leaf, thyme, lavender, and limestone dust. The 2020 Prestige will thrill as a welcome wine, a leisurely warm weather sipper, or as a complement to grilled anchovies, barbecued chicken, baby back ribs, veggie kebabs, and roast squab.
An April 2022 newsletter selection
