Cinsault

Summertime is always a great time for rosé, but of course, all year long is even better. Rosé should always be low alcohol with light, bright fruit, and a wine that works with a variety of foods, and should be a wine that is not overly complicated. Côte Mas, which I have reviewed for several vintages, is a consistently good, inexpensive rosé that works well pretty much whenever. This iteration is comprised of mainly Grenache with Cinsault and Syrah. It offers bright strawberry, cranberry and pomegranate, light rhubarb and fresh cherry.

This is a Rosé wine from master Rhone producer Michel Chapoutier.  It is a blend of 60% Cinsault and 40% Grenache aged in stainless steel.  Salmon pink in color with some pale orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose is great with strawberries, cherries, slight watermelon and a bit of dry earth.  Medium bodied.  Very lite but present tannins.  On the palate, this is crisp and dry and refreshing.  Flavors of strawberries and watermelons.  Easy to drink.  Moderate finish.  This is a great summer sipper on its own and will work well with lighter foods and would be a nice wine with grilled fish

Chateau Musar is an amazing winery located in Lebanon.  This is their introductory value wine.  It is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard with vines averaging 30 years of age.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, balsamic (volatile acidity?), black olives and black raspberries.  Complex.  Ripe.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, black cherries, black raspberries and a bit of raisin.  Long finish.  For the money, this is a great value.  This is drinking well now

Another great wine from Denner.  It is a blend of 55% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Counoise, 5% Cinsault and 5% Tannat.

What a great showing for this wine.  Yes, it is still a bit young, but really one of the best showings from this house I have seen.  Time to get a few more bottles.  It is 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault.  Purple in color, ruby at the core.  The nose is great with black raspberries, baking spices, garrique and slight lavender.  Full bodied.  Luxurious texture.  Rich and full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Lots of concentrated black raspberry fruit over a bed of char and gravel.  Long finish.  Delicious.  One of those wine when each sip makes one want another.  It drinks g

A very nice showing for this wine that is just starting to come out of its shell.  Pop and let breathe for 30 minutes (not decanted), it took about another hour to open up.

This is a producer who first got recognition for their fantastic Gigondas wines.  They have since expanded their releases all over the southern and northern Rhone.  Their Chateauneuf is also stellar.  It is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and 10% each of Syrah and Cinsault.  Deep ruby in color, purple at the core.  The nose is tight upon opening.  With air, raspberries, black raspberries and mineral/gravel emerge.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Lots of black cherry fruit with some raspberries.  Medium tannins.  Bright acidity.  This will work well with roasts and casseroles.  I

This is a second wine of Chateau Musar.   It is a blend of Cinsault (50%), Grenache (35%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%). Purple in color, ruby at the rim with some browning.  Dusty with black cherries on the nose.  The palate has a nice texture.  Black cherry fruit with a dry earthiness.  Tannic.  This has a nice complexity that indicates there is some upside to this wine.  It should improve a bit and be good for the next seven to ten years.  It should go well with stews or burgers or even pastas.  

Chateau Musar is one of the great wineries of the world.  Add to that the idea of making wine in Lebanon and its even more remarkable.  This wine is outstanding.

A blend of 50% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 26% Cinsault, and 4% Syrah.  This was part of a tasting that taught me that, more than most Bandol's, Tempier's will need plenty of cellar time to peak.  This was tasty now, but just felt like it was holding back.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is tight.  With air, some black cherries come out.  Eventually a bit of spice as well.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Very deep but tightly wound.  Black cherry fruit.  Plenty of tannins.  Long finish.  If drinking now give it a few hours in a decanter.  Otherwise cellar for ten more years.  This