Cline Mourvedre Rose 2013

Cline 2013 Mourvèdre Rosé, Contra Costa County | 13.5% | A lovely rosé made from Mourvèdre planted over a century ago to Contra Costa County (named for being the coast opposite the bay from San Francisco), this maybe the closest California gets to the great rosés of Bandol –France’s great spiritual home of the Mourvèdre variety and in the 2013 vintage in particular the closest in terms of fragrance and character. Tangy red cherries and those tiny, aromatic alpen strawberries are the voices that propel past the chorus of its floral fragrance while a low note of anise blooming in a hot pan throws these further into relief. Drier and more dynamic than previous years, this rosé is all the better for food pairings with enough acidity to make a nice match for charcuterie or rillettes but with a plush and polished texture this is such an easy rosé to sip here and now without any food at all. It is a beautiful pink rose-petal rosé with just enough pomegranate sort of tannin to lend grip without rocking this perfect little boat; a sumptuous bit of character for such a demure, blushing complexion whose batting eyelashes are neither coquettish nor an strategic affect but simply a darling feature of how this darling rosé relays her tale.
Wine review by Nicholas Livingston, April 3, 2014 (Root)

Food Pairings

In the wonderful tradition of rosés found in
Portugal, Spain, Italy and France, this wine served well-chilled is perfect on its own, is refreshing at a beach picnic and marries extremely well with food such as chicken Provencal, salmon or a Teri