lperry Posted June 24, 2013 Share Posted June 24, 2013 From Dave McIntyre in the Washington Post, 11 June 2013 Domaine du Dragon, Grande Cuvee 2012 ★★★ Cotes de Provence, France, $15 Pale and translucent, this is a traditional Provence rosé. We are conditioned to think that depth of color equals depth of flavor, and vice versa. But this wine will disprove that theory. Subtle and complex, it will command your attention and will reward it, as well. From the winery: Wine: Clear light pink dress. Intense nose of red fruit and strawberries. Full mouth, dense and fruity. Drink as an appetizer on Asian cuisine and barbecue. Percentage of alcohol per volume: 13% Blend: Grenache 68% - Cabernet 15% - Cinsault 8% - Rolle 6.5% - Mourvèdre 2.5% Availability: 50 cl, 75 cl et 150 cl, 300 cl and 600 cl bottles From WIkipedia, a bit about rosé production. I'm also linking to the larger article, because someone besides me might find the history of rosé in winemaking particularly interesting. Rosés can be produced in a variety of ways with the most common method being early pressing of red grape varieties after a very short period, usually 12-24 hours, of skin-contact (maceration). During maceration, phenolics such as the anthocyanins and tannins that contribute to color as well as many flavor components are leached from the skins, seeds and any stems left in contact with the must. In addition to adding color and flavor, these phenolics also serve as antioxidants, protecting the wine from degradation of oxygen exposure. While red wines will often have maceration last several days to even several weeks, the very limited maceration of rosés means that these wines will have less stable color, potential flavor components and oxygen protection. This contributes to wines with shorter shelf-life that are meant to be consumed soon after release.[4] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Whole Foods in Arlington is out of this wine, and when I mentioned I was trying to get it for a tasting discussion, the guy in the wine department laughed, said, "good luck." and told me that the distributor had to go back to France for more. Well, "ha" back atcha Whole Foods Wine Dood. I got mine for $14.99 at the Bradlee Unwined, and there are three more bottles on the shelf. I went by Balducci's in McLean and didn't see it. Also stopped at Chain Bridge Cellars and was told they sold out. Anyone else had luck finding this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I went by Balducci's in McLean and didn't see it. Also stopped at Chain Bridge Cellars and was told they sold out. Anyone else had luck finding this? I wanted two cases of this for my party last weekend. I tried to get them through Sonoma's distributor, with no luck (and if they can't get it, well...). It was written up in the Post a few weeks ago, so maybe that explains the shortage. I can recommend an excellent replacement, though: Charmille Pays d'Oc 2012 Domaine de Malavieille. Available at Schneider's for about 12.50/bottle, which is cheaper than the Dragon, if I recall correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 Shoot. Lack of availability seems to be a recurrent theme. Maybe we need to go with columns from a few months ago, or from another source? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted July 1, 2013 Author Share Posted July 1, 2013 Banco - I wasn't dismissing your wine selection. Without a premium membership in Wine Searcher, I don't know how to find out if something is available in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. That's what makes Dave McIntyre's columns so helpful - they tell us where to buy it, and we can see at a glance if a wine will be easily accessible to most of us. If you happen to know your wine selection is widely available, or if anyone else has a method that would also work, please share. If you can get hold of the DdD, grab everything they have. It's wonderful. I had a propensity to avoid pink wines due to a checkered past that may or may not have involved white zinfandel. There is no zealot like the convert. In the glass: light peachy pink color, little nose. On the palate: I don't get the berries everyone talks about with rosé wines, but there is a fruity complexity, stone fruit, maybe, and something I can only describe as a smooth elegance. A very faint citrus bitterness is balanced by a little residual sugar. Really easy drinking and very food friendly. We had it with socca and grilled veggies, and it was perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Banco - I wasn't dismissing your wine selection... No problem. In fact, I wasn't really sure where this thread was going at all. I just wanted to commiserate with those who couldn't find the Dragon after its recent write up, and offered an alternative. Having grown up on the West Coast in the 1970s, I should share your bias against blush wines in spades, but I don't. For sitting outdoors in this humid climate, eating spicy, full flavored stuff like BBQ, there is no match for a good rosé. I keep coming back to Provence for this, or in a pinch (as here) Pays d'Oc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted July 1, 2013 Author Share Posted July 1, 2013 No problem. In fact, I wasn't really sure where this thread was going at all. I just wanted to commiserate with those who couldn't find the Dragon after its recent write up, and offered an alternative. <snip> I'd like to keep this thread moving because I know a few others did manage to find the wine, but there's no reason we can't have more than one going at the same time if we have availability issues. Does anyone have access to some system that can "find" wines in this region? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Does anyone have access to some system that can "find" wines in this region? Everyone does: try www.wine-searcher.com, or maybe www.winezap.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted July 1, 2013 Author Share Posted July 1, 2013 Everyone does: try www.wine-searcher.com, or maybe www.winezap.com I tried both of these with no good luck in the past, and plugging in the wines we've had so far, I get a couple of hits, mostly in NJ. The exception is the Dibon Cava which comes up in NY, FL, and CA. Wine-searcher also wants you to buy a premium account so they strategically leave out stores close to the IP address. Do the retail outlets themselves have to input their data? Or is there a trick I don't know about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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