ESTANDON ROSE 2013
PROVENCE, FRANCE
By: Ed "The Wine Guy"
Provence, France is the prime area for a certain style of Rose wines: light-bodied, crisp, dry (not sweet), with aromas and flavors of berries, usually strawberry, raspberry, or cranberry. Harney's best selling Rose wine of 2013 was Whispering Angel, also from Provence, which is now available in a new vintage, and, I feel, is even more satisfying than the previous one. Estandon is a blend of red grapes; the juice - all grape juice is initially white - remained in contact with the skins for only a few hours, accounting for its pink/salmon color. I recently had a tasting of Estandon in the store, and received only favorable reactions. If we ever get hot weather, this is the perfect out-on-the-deck wine, accompanied by, perhaps, a crisp, leafy salad, and a loaf of crunchy French bread.