Rosé, Domaine De Cambis, La Vie en Rose 2008; $15

Following a rather slow night at the restaurant I came home to this. Brie cheese, strawberries, sliced pears, and of course a bottle of wine. This, my friends, is the ideal ending to good days, bad days, any day, every day. And yet something is askew in this picture, at least as I traditionally envision it in my dreams concerning fermented grape juice and aged cheese. No, the lightening isn’t off nor is this a doctored photo. The wine you see in the background is in fact a blush wine. Typically scorned by most serious wine aficionados, blush wines such as the American white zinfandel are generally consumed by individuals who want to enjoy a bottle of wine but who don’t want it to taste like wine. Given the market’s demands, vintners will and have produced wines that meet their customer’s expectations of simplicity and sweetness. However French rosé such as those from Provence are produced with passion and precision resulting in a wine that can be considered as serious as an aged Bordeaux. That being said and in the interest of full disclosure, I typically join my colleagues in demeaning any wine bearing the color that resembles a Crystal Light flavor. But this blog isn’t about wine snobbery. Therefore, this wine, like every wine (like every human being) deserves an opportunity to prove itself regardless of color.

The first thing that is most striking about it is not the aroma or apparent viscosity as it gently coats the glass, but rather the cork catches my attention before anything else. It's pink. This is not starting off well. But determined to judge after and not before I plunge my wine key into the “Hello-Kitty” colored, anti-oxidizing synthetic cork and gently remove it. As the wine comes to settle in my glass the color is noticeably different from the regrettable pink I initially assumed it to be, an observation that belies my obvious bias. Instead a pale color of amber or apricot offers momentary encouragement that this wine may have more to offer than I originally believed. Two things become immediately apparent as I vigorously swirl to release the aromas – strawberries, red raspberries and ethanol. Smelling dominant alcohol on a wine is an event typically reserved for the full-bodied products of Australia or California. I reach for the bottle; the innocent and unassuming wine label decries a meager 12.5% giving me further pause and skepticism. “Just drink the damn wine”, I say to myself. I do so and as the last remnants escape my mouth a thought emerges. “Is that tannin”? I look to Erika for confirmation and it quickly becomes obvious that she’s thinking the same thing. Complexity and a finish!? I’m shocked. The initial sour acidity that I was expecting and received on the front of my palate was not only pleasant and balanced but as it subsided gave way to a hint of tannic astringency on the back end. Tastes of sour to ripe strawberry and red raspberry are most prevalent. As the wine opens up the Syrah makes a subtle appearance with flavors of allspice and clove.

This rosé is pleasant, well balanced and perfect for the upcoming warm, humid days of the mid-Atlantic summer. Light and refreshing with mild flavors of red fruit it can be drunk alone or with an earthy, savory cheese such as the triple cream brie we enjoyed (though avoid acidic fruits such as those shown above as the wine will become overly and offensively sour). Rosé, Domaine De Cambis, La Vie en Rose, 2008 (80% Cinsault, 20% Syrah); $15.

The Mission

I'm 30.

Being frequently described as an old soul this age has not, as of yet, born the stereotypical anxieties and fears that are so often attributed to it. If anything I'm feeling more congruent, more comfortable with my "self" after the crossing of this threshold. A great deal of my twenties were spent in turmoil, financially atoning for the sins of my youth (a debt which literally has yet to be repaid in full). But with the end in sight I'm eager for the promise and bounty of this decade as it represents a new beginning, a chance to bifurcate the past from the present in a clear demarcated line. I see opportunity for success regardless of my previous failures and shortcomings.

So it is also with making wine. There are a myriad ways that a wine can fall short of the vintner's expectations. Harvest grapes too early and their acidity levels will never break down in the bottle. Conversely, leaving the grapes on the vine too long concentrates the sugars producing wine that may be too heavy or hot (i.e. alcoholic). Selecting the correct yeasts, predicting the appropriate length of fermentation, choosing to age in oak or stainless steel, balancing the acids and tannins - all of these factors ultimately contribute to the quality of a wine. And while all of these variables are seemingly under the control of the vintner, those that are not such as the weather, the soil, the vines (taken together they are the terrior) arguably have even greater influence on the end product. Wine, like life, is a function of controlled and confounding variables. Some years are better than others. Sometimes it's due to the diligence of our work. Sometimes we just get lucky. Some years are just doomed to fail. But regardless of how the previous year is judged or received, the next vintage represents an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past as well as to accept the influence of the unknowable, unforeseeable and uncontrollable elements.

I begin this new decade, this new vintage, implanted with a love of wine and a rooted desire to learn as much as possible - how it's made, its history and its future as well as the thousands of different grape varietals that are bottled every year. Grown out of this is the impetus for this blog - to share my passion with others and dialogue with those of similar ilk and inspiration. The theme (because all good dialogues need a theme) is that every bottle of wine I review will be priced under $30. Why thirty dollars? Two reasons. First, because lost amongst the bottles of mass produced name brand "wal-mart" wines and the absurdly expensive hundred dollar bottles of obscurity exists wines of exceptional quality and value (some priced as little as 10 dollars). Second, because as I mentioned above I just turned 30 and so it seemed like an appropriate margin. So the "Over/Under 30" wine review blog. Makes sense?