De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé

Rosé is often an under-appreciated and overlooked wine category.  But if you’ve been reading Cheap Wine Ratings for long you’ve probably picked up on the fact that we love a good rosé—particularly a good, dry rosé.  And today wine writers around the world are celebrating dry rosé for the return of Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW).

WBW is an event that dates back to 2004, before Facebook and Twitter became what they are today.  Back then, social networking among wine bloggers took place on wine blogs themselves and WBW was a monthly event that brought wine bloggers together to write about a common theme.  It went on for a number of years, but eventually lost steam.  However, today it’s back and I’m glad to be a part of it once again.

WBW always includes a “host” blog where a roundup is posted to provide a summary of the contributions to the event.  The host for WBW #80 – Dry Rosé is Tim Elliott at Winecast.

The wine I chose to write about today is a sparkling brut rosé, made from 100% cabernet franc from the Loire Valley in France.

I have a slight tangent to share here but this will all make sense when you get to the next paragraph…  I often taste wines blind, particularly when I’m taking notes on a number of wines of the same variety.  Blind tasting has it’s merits.  It let’s you evaluate a wine without preconceived prejudices or preferences and come to a conclusion based strictly on the wine itself.  But it’s also disconnected from the real experience of drinking wine in life.  You almost always see the bottle before you taste a wine and that’s going to create expectations for you that become part of the experience.

I did not taste this wine blind.  And when I look at this wine, there are several factors that make me like it before I even taste it.  One could say that’s why you should taste blind.  Or one could say that those influential factors are part of the experience.

The things that make me think I like this wine before I taste it include:

• It’s a rosé.
  I already touched on this, but I think rosé is often overlooked.  A good dry rosé is crisp, refreshing and delicious.  I know some guys aren’t comfortable with drinking a rosé because someone might think they’re a sissy.  Get over it!  You’re missing out with that attitude.  I do lots of manly things, like weightlifting, boxing, listening to hard rock, woodworking, carpentry, the list goes on.  Yet, I’m totally comfortable drinking a rosé and it doesn’t compromise my masculinity.  A good rosé is fantastic and makes me feel totally gay — cheerful, that is.
• It’s a sparkling wine with a brut classification.
  I love bubbles.  But I don’t typically want a bubbly that’s sweet.  A brut classification is pretty much the perfect level of dryness.  And I know that in some people’s eyes the only thing that could make a rosé less masculine is making it a sparkling rosé.  Again, to hell with that misguided viewpoint.
• It’s a Crémant.
  This is the name for a French sparkling wine that’s not from Champagne.  While I love Champagne, the prices are generally higher than I prefer to spend.  Crémant can be just as good but not nearly as pricey.  And that, I love.
• It’s from the Loire.
  Some of the best values from France can be found coming from the Loire.  Good wine at reasonable prices.
• It’s 100% cabernet franc.
  When done well I love cabernet franc.  Of course my affection for cabernet franc is associated with big red wines.  And, cabernet franc is prone to vegetal aromas (green pepper) if overcropped.  Therefore, while I love the idea that this is cabernet franc, I have a slight reservation about it too.

All of those factors are giving me a positive vibe about this wine before I even taste it.  I hope it meets my expectations… and it does.

This Crémant de Loire has a nice, crisp nose with plenty of plenty of bright, citrus aromas like grapefruit and lemon.  It also offers some cranberry and a touch of yeast.  The palate is very tasty, bringing tart green apple, lemon and cranberry flavors.  The acidity is perfect.  The mouthfeel is nice and bubbly.  It finishes with a salty mineral quality layered over citrus flavors.

Wine: De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé
Variety: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: non-vintage
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $16.00