Slideshow

Rosé Masters 2019: results and analysis

02 September 2019 By Patrick Schmitt

We bring you the results in full from this year’s Rosé Masters, which saw pink wines from Provence get top results, although samples from Corbières and Tuscany also impressed our exacting judges.

The wines were tasted at Beach Blanket Babylon Restaurant and Bar in London’s Notting Hill

Of all the categories in the vast universe of fermented grape-based drinks, rosé is the most dynamic. With the rising call from consumers for pale pink wines, above all from Provence, it seems almost every corner of the wine world is now making a rosé, and in the lightest possible shade of pink.

With such an influx of new products, it has become more important than ever before to blind taste the latest entries to this fast-expanding sector, whether it’s range extensions from long-standing pink wine producers, or the latest vintage from famous rosé regions, as well as complete newcomers to the category. Over recent years, the Global Rosé Masters, which is the largest rosé-only blind tasting in the world, using the trade’s top palates, has unearthed some wonderful and unexpected sources of great rosé, and 2019’s competition was no different in this regard. It has also highlighted the general strengths and weaknesses in this important and increasingly commercial category of drinks.

In terms of the good points, it seems that more winemakers are mastering the challenge of creating something that is both fresh and delicate, as well as ripe and soft. This can be made harder if the wine must also – as the market demands – be extremely pale.

In my view, rosé should have juicy flavours of red berries and peach, and a finish that is bright, if not biting. It should have appealing summertime aromatics of fresh red fruit, and a texture that ensures it slips down the throat with no harshness, but a soft acidity that makes one salivate.

Where the samples fail to get top scores, it is usually because the wines lack some of the riper fruit characters in the drive for delicacy and refreshment, with, sadly, some of the entries tipping into the herbaceous flavour spectrum, giving them a firm greenness that takes away from the pleasure of sipping rosé.

At the finer end of the rosé scale, where retail prices exceed £20, I am not in support of the school of thought that says oak has no place in pink wine. It’s a view I don’t understand: why should the colour of the drink dictate the winemaking approach? After all, one wouldn’t say that about white or red wine, so why would one about rosé?

Outstanding examples

While there are great examples of pink wine at high prices that see no oak influence, there are more outstanding ones that do (three of our four Master-winning wines were in the ‘oaked’ category). Where barrels have not been employed to add texture and complexity, producers have turned to other techniques to add palate weight, such as lees influence in tank, as well as the careful selection of ripe fruit, rich in flavonoids, and no doubt picked from older or lower-yielding vineyards.

Here, the pleasure comes from the fruit intensity, the balance between softness and freshness, and the layers of flavour that can come from a blend of sites and grape varieties, and ageing on fine lees. Aromatics are vital to the appeal of a rosé, and to capture them, producers must handle the grapes sensitively, with the chilling of the berries a necessity as soon as they are picked, as well as during the winemaking process.

Pioneering perfection

What about those top-end pinks that have some form of barrel influence, including a proportion of new oak? This is something that Château d’Esclans has pioneered and perfected in the rosé category, using its best wines from its oldest Provençal vineyards. Key to the appeal of these wines is the match between the soft ripe fruit flavours and the nutty, creamy characters imparted by the barriques – each of which is temperature controlled to retain the fresh berry characters of the Grenache that dominates in their wines. In essence, these wines are a hybrid, combining the complexity of a barrel-fermented Chardonnay with the aromatic appeal of a Mediterranean rosé.

However, Château d’Esclans no longer has a monopoly on such a style. As we’ve highlighted before, Gerard Bertrand has burst onto the upmarket rosé scene with great success, particularly his smoky, gently toasty Château La Sauvageonne La Villa from the Languedoc.

This year, there was another entrant to this tiny category of top-end oak-influenced fine rosés, and it didn’t come from France. For me, this year’s most interesting find was from Frescobaldi, and it was a barrel-fermented and aged rosé from Tuscany, called Aurea Gran Rosé. It employs a complicated winemaking process, but, like the great rosés of Château d’Esclans, the fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled barrels – which in the case of the Frescobaldi pink – are 600-litre French oak, with 20% of them using new staves. An added layer of complexity in this wine also relates to the addition of a small proportion of reserve wine from a previous harvest; a white produce from Syrah that has been aged in barrique for 20 months.

Increased quality

The addition of this particular wine to the ranks of our Gold medal-winning rosés also draws attention to a trend that’s gathering momentum in the pink wine category – the increased quality of rosés from Tuscany. These are often sourced from coastal locations, and employ a touch of Vermentino – which is, after all, the Italian synonym for Rolle, the white grape used widely in the rosés from Provence. Three first-rate examples of Tuscan rosés were sampled blind this year, one from Fattoria Sardi, one from Banfi, and another, called Alie – like the aforementioned Aurea – from Frescobaldi. These weren’t the only standouts from Italy, however, with the Scalunera Etna Rosato from Torre Mora another delicious pink, and using Sicily’s fashionable Nerello Mascalese, a grape that’s adapted to the rocky hillsides of this Italian island’s active volcano, Etna.

Elsewhere, we were highly impressed by the quality-to-price ratio seen in La Dame en Rose from the Languedoc, a Carignan, Cinsault, and Grenache stocked by UK supermarket Marks & Spencer, retailing for just £6. We were also pleased to see a lovely pink blend from Bordeaux called Lion & The Lily, along with a delicious Pinot rosé from Marlborough, made by Marisco Vineyards, and a benchmark Provençal example from Château Léoube. Corbières in the Languedoc was a source of a stand-out rosé from quality-orientated co-operative, Les Vignobles Foncalieu, called Château Haut Gléon, while the highest-scoring unoaked rosés in 2019 were made by Château Minuty, with its Minuty 281 the better-value option, while its £50+ Rosé et Or gained the ultimate accolade of Master.

A mention should go to Canada’s Mission Hill, which gained two Golds for its delicious blended rosé from its vineyards in Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley, as well as to Gusbourne in the UK, for its delicious sparkling rosé from Kent, although Coates & Seely’s pink English fizz from Hampshire came close in quality. We were also impressed by the style of sparking rosé from Champagne’s Nicolas Feuillatte, which is crafting a chalky style of fizz with a touch of crunchy red berry fruit.

Finally, although we’ve already written about Château d’Esclans, this year’s blind tasting once more proved that this producer is at the top of the pink wine pyramid, picking up three of the four Masters given out this year. Indeed, this Provence estate’s Les Clans, and its ultimate expression, Garrus, should be served, preferably ‘blind’, and in black glasses, to those who believe that wine can’t be both pink and serious, layered and ageworthy.

Such is the quality of these products that rosé should now be included in a list of truly fine wines.

The judges (left to right): Giovanni Ferlito, Patrick Schmitt MW, Patricia Stefanowicz MW, Jonathan Pedley MW, Andrea Briccarello, Tobias Gorn

Read on for the full list of medallists, judges comments, and more information about the competition.

Dry Sparkling Rosé (12 g/l or lower)

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Under £10
Louis Bouillot	Perle d’Aurore	Bourgogne	France	NV	Bronze
Charles de Fère	Cuvée Jean-Louis Rosé Brut	Bourgogne	France	NV	Bronze
£10-£15
Fürst von Metternich	Prestige Cuvée Spatburgunder Sekt	Rheingau	Germany	2016	Silver
Fürst von Metternich	Fürst von Metternich Rosé-Sekt	Rheingau	Germany	NV	Bronze
£15-£20
Foss Marai Spumanti Valdobbiadene	Foss Marai Roos Brut	Veneto	Italy	2018	Silver
De Bortoli Wines	Rococo Premium Rosé	Yarra Valley	Australia	NV	Silver
£20-£30
Bolney Estate	Eighteen Acre Rosé	West Sussex	UK	NV	Silver
Frescobaldi	Leonia	Tuscany	Italy	2014	Silver
Bolney Estate	Cuvée Rosé Brut	West Sussex	UK	2016	Bronze
Banfi	Cuvée Aurora Rosé Extra Brut	Piedmont	Italy	2015	Bronze
£30-£50
Centre Vinicole-Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte	Cuvée Speciale Rosé	Champagne	France	NV	Gold
Gusbourne Estate	Rosé	Kent	UK	2015	Gold
Centre Vinicole-Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte	Reserve Exclusive Rosé	Champagne	France	NV	Gold
Champagne Gremillet	Rosé Vrai	Champagne	France	NV	Silver
Coates & Seely	Coates & Seely	Hampshire	UK	NV	Silver
£50+
Centre Vinicole-Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte	Palmes d’Or Rosé Vintage 2006	Champagne	France	2006	Gold

Sweet sparkling rosé (+12 g/l)

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Under £10
Casa Vinicola Bosco Malera	Venezia DOC Rosé Spumante Dry – Canal Grando	Veneto	Italy	NV	Silver
Henkell & Co	Adam Henkell Rosé	Rhine	Germany	NV	Silver
£10-£15
Zonin UK	Rosé Brut Sparkling Wine	Veneto	Italy	NV	Silver
Henkell & Co	Henkell Rosé	Rhine	Germany	NV	Silver
Kir-Yianni	Akakies Sparkling	Amyndeon	Greece	2018	Silver
Vi.V.O. Agricola	Spumante Rosé Brut	Veneto	Italy	2018	Bronze

Still unoaked dry rosé (4 g/l or lower)

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Under £10
Marks & Spencer	La Dame en Rose – Paul Sapin	Languedoc	France	2018	Gold
Fattoria Sardi	Fattoria Sardi Rosé	Tuscany	Italy	2018	Gold
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Le Versant	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Les Amours d’Haut Gléon	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Gérard Bertrand	Côte des Roses	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Marqués de Cáceres	Marqués de Cáceres Rosado	Rioja	Spain	2018	Silver
Marqués de Cáceres	Don Sebastian Rosé	Rioja	Spain	2018	Silver
Bodegas Ontañón	Ontañón Clarete	Rioja	Spain	2018	Silver
Marqués de Cáceres	Excellens de Marqués de Cáceres Rosé	Rioja	Spain	2018	Silver
Barton & Guestier	Réserve	Loire	France	2018	Silver
Bodegas Borsao	Borsao Rosé	Campo de Borja	Spain	2018	Silver
Domaine de l’Amaurigue	Rosé Fleur de l’Amaurigue	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Domaine de l’Amaurigue	Rosé Domaine de l’Amaurigue	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Haute Cabrière	Haute Cabrière Tranquille	Western Cape	South Africa	2018	Bronze
Oenops Wines	Aplá Rosé Dry Wine	Drama	Greece	2018	Bronze

Still unoaked dry rosé (4 g/l or lower) continued

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Avignonesi	Ventisei Rosato	Tuscany	Italy	2018	Bronze
Listel	Billette – Coteaux Aix	Provence	France	2018	Bronze
Moulin de Gassac	Guilhem Rosé	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Bronze
Mas la Chevalière	Rosé la Chevalière	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Bronze
Avignonesi	Cantaloro Rosato	Tuscany	Italy	2018	Bronze
La Couronne Wine Estate	Merlot Rosé	Franschhoek	South Africa	2018	Bronze
£10-£15
Vignerons de Tutiac	Lion & The Lily	Bordeaux	France	2018	Gold
Marisco Vineyards	Leefield Station Pinot Rosé	Marlborough	New Zealand	2018	Gold
Banfi	Centine	Tuscany	Italy	2018	Gold
Barton & Guestier	Côtes de Provence	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Piquepoul	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Chateau St. Jacques d’Albas	La Chapelle en Rose	Languedoc	France	2018	Silver
Mirabeau en Provence	Mirabeau Classic	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Château Léoube	Love by Léoube	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Andeluna Cellars	Andeluna Rosé	Uco Valley	Argentina	2018	Silver
Sidewood Estate	Sidewood Rosé	Adelaide Hills	Australia	2018	Silver
Kir-Yianni	L’Esprit du Lac	Amyndeon	Greece	2018	Silver
Delaire Graff Estate	Delaire Graff Cabernet Franc Rosé	Stellenbosch	South Africa	2018	Silver
Australian Vintage	Nepenthe Winemakers Select Tempranillo	Adelaide Hills	Australia	2018	Silver
Bodegas Principe de Viana	Principe de Viana Edición Rosa	Navarra	Spain	2018	Silver
Maison Angelvin	Selection	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Mirabeau en Provence	Mirabeau Pure	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Bodegas Izadi	Izadi Larrosa	Álava	Spain	2018	Silver
Res Fortes	Res Fortes Rosé	Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Australian Vintage	Nepenthe Altitude Pinot Noir Rosé	Adelaide Hills	Australia	2018	Silver
Rioja Vega	Colleción Tempranillo Rosado	Rioja	Spain	2018	Silver
Australian Vintage	McGuigan Cellar Select Rosé	Hunter Valley	Australia	2018	Bronze
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Griset	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Bronze
£15-£20
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Paradis Secret	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Gold
Gérard Bertrand	JOA	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Gold
Château Léoube	Rosé de Léoube	Provence	France	2018	Gold
Frescobaldi	Alìe	Tuscany	Italy	2018	Gold
Caves d’Esclans	Whispering Angel Caves d’Esclans Sacha Lichine	Provence	France	2018	Gold
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Domaine Haut Gléon	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Mirabeau en Provence	Mirabeau Etoile	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Chamlija	Rosé de Strandja	Strandja Mountains	Turkey	2018	Silver
Maison Gutowski	M-G Grand Cuvée	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Minuty	M de Minuty	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Roseline Diffusion	Roseline Prestige	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Wölffer Estate Vineyard	Wölffer Estate Rosé	Long Island	USA	2018	Bronze
Alpha Estate	Rosé Single Vineyard Hedgehog	Amyndeon	Greece	2018	Bronze
Château des Demoiselles	Château des Demoiselles	Provence	France	2018	Bronze
Viña San Pedro Tarapacá	Leyda Rosé	Leyda Valley	Chile	2018	Bronze
£20-£30
Les Vignobles Foncalieu	Château Haut Gléon	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Gold
Torre Mora	Scalunera Etna Rosato	Sicily	Italy	2018	Gold
Château Léoube	Secret de Léoube	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Wölffer Estate Vineyard	Summer In A Bottle	Long Island	USA	2018	Silver
Château Sainte Roseline	La Lampe de Méduse Cru Classé	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Banfi	Cost’è	Tuscany	Italy	2018	Silver
Susana Balbo Wines	Susana Balbo Signature Rosé del Valle de Uco	Uco Valley	Argentina	2018	Bronze
Rodney Strong Vineyards	Rodney Strong Vineyards Rosé of Pinot Noir	Russian River Valley	USA	2018	Bronze
£30-£50
Château Minuty	Château Minuty Rosé et Or	Provence	France	2018	Master
£50+
Château Minuty	Château Minuty 281	Provence	France	2018	Gold

Unoaked medium-dry rosé (4 g/l to 12 g/l)

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Under £10
Cramele Recas	Regno Rose	Banat	Romania	2018	Silver
Cramele Recas	Spar Pinot Grigio Rosé	Banat	Romania	2018	Silver
Weinkellerei Lenz Moser	Lenz Moser Selection Zweigelt Rosé	Niederösterreich	Austria	2018	Bronze
Weinkellerei Lenz Moser	Lenz Moser Fete Rosé	Niederösterreich	Austria	2018	Bronze
Mud House	Sauvignon Blanc Rosé	Marlborough	New Zealand	2018	Bronze
£10-£15
Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine	Cecilia Beretta Bardolino Chiaretto	Mizzole Valley	Italy	2018	Silver
Madeira Wine Company	Atlantis Rosé	Madeira	Portugal	NV	Silver
Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine	Cecilia Beretta Freeda	Mizzole Valley	Italy	2018	Bronze
Marisco Vineyards	The Ned Pinot Rosé	Marlborough	New Zealand	2018	Bronze
£15-£20
Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine	Pasqua 11 Minutes	Mizzole Valley	Italy	2018	Silver
Langmeil Winery	Bella Rouge Rosé	Barossa Valley	Australia	2018	Silver

Oaked dry rosé (4 g/l or lower)

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Under £10
Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine	Villa Borghetti Bardolino Chiaretto	Mizzole Valley	Italy	2018	Silver
£10-£15
De Bortoli Wines	Down the Lane Rosé	Riverina	Australia	2017	Silver
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery	Mission Hill Estate Series Rosé	Okanagan Valley VQA	Canada	2018	Silver
De Bortoli Wines	Villages Grenache Rosé	Heathcote	Australia	2017	Silver
Bodegas Principe de Viana	Albret Rocio	Navarra	Spain	2018	Silver
Castillo Perelada	Las Fincas Rosado	Navarra	Spain	2018	Bronze
Yealands Wine Group	Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Pinot Noir	Marlborough	New Zealand	2018	Bronze
Artisan Tasmania	Artisan Tasmania Pinot Noir Rosé	Tasmania	Australia	2018	Bronze
Costaripa	RosaMara	Lombardy	Italy	2018	Bronze
£15-£20
Gérard Bertrand	Hampton Water	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Silver
Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro	Arzuaga Rosae	Ribera Del Duero	Spain	2018	Silver
Holden Manz	Rosé	Western Cape	South Africa	2018	Silver
Marisco Vineyards	The Kings ‘Desire’ Pinot Noir Rosé	Marlborough	New Zealand	2018	Bronze
De Bortoli Wines	Rosé Rosé	King Valley	Australia	2018	Bronze
£20-£30
Frescobaldi	Aurea Gran Rosé	Tuscany	Italy	2017	Gold
Gérard Bertrand	Château La Sauvageonne La Villa	Languedoc-Roussillon	France	2018	Gold
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery	Reserve Rosé	Okanagan Valley	Canada	2018	Gold
£30-£50
Cave d’Esclans	Rock Angel Caves d’Esclans Sacha Lichine Côtes de	Provence	France	2018	Master
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery	Terroir Collection Brigadier’s Bluff No. 19	Okanagan Valley	Canada	2018	Gold
Château Sainte Roseline	La Chapelle de Sainte Roseline Cru Classé	Provence	France	2018	Silver
Costaripa	Molmenti	Lombardy	Italy	2015	Silver
£50+
Cave d’Esclans	Les Clans Château d’Esclans Domaines	Provence	France	2017	Master
Cave d’Esclans	Garrus Château d’Esclans Domaines	Provence	France	2017	Master

Oaked sweet rosé (+4 g/l)

Company	Product Name	Region	Country	Vintage	Medal
Under £10
Barton & Guestier	Rosé d’Anjou	Loire	France	2018	Silver

The judge’s view: Patricia Stefanowicz MW

“Under £10 there were some genuine, easily quaffable crowd-pleasers with abundant fruit and nicely judged vibrant acidity to balance the wines out.

“The £10-15 bracket was a bit variable, and provenance did not matter much. The Provençal wines appeared fairly consistent. At this price point there were also some nice surprises from Greece, Argentina and South Africa. Above £15 there is an expectation that the wines will deliver an exceptionally enjoyable experience. And it is true that the best producers, whether in Provence or elsewhere, delivered excellent wines. The oaked wines were a delicious group. Even at £10-15, the wines were balanced, with oak gently accenting attractive red fruits. Above the £20 price point the wines were glittering gemstones.”

The judge’s view: Jonathan Pedley MW

“As has been the case for the past couple of years, it is obvious that the Côtes de Provence style (extremely pale colour, restrained fruit, angular light-bodied palate) is the paradigm. It is perhaps fanciful to sense that in many cases there had been the potential to make more overtly fruity wines but that the winemakers, marketers or

accountants had decided otherwise. Following on from the above, I guess that we in the industry have to acknowledge that a lot of consumers prefer wines that are not hugely expressive.

“As far as origin is concerned, the surprise was that three of our Golds were Italian. Two were Sangiovese-based wines from Tuscany and the other a Nerello Mascalese from Sicily.”

About the competition

The Drinks Business Global Rosé Masters is a competition for all styles of rosés from around the world. This year’s event saw almost 200 entries judged blind by a panel of highly experienced tasters. The best wines were awarded medals which ranged from Bronze through to Gold as well as Master, the ultimate accolade given only to exceptional wines in the tasting.

The wines were tasted at Beach Blanket Babylon Restaurant and Bar in London’s Notting Hill on 16 April. This report features only the medal winners.

For further information on the Global Masters please call +44 (0)20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

See more

VIDEO: INSIDE THE GLOBAL ROSÉ MASTERS 2019