INSIDER'S PICK: 2015 REGIS BOUVIER MARSANNAY ROSE $22.99

First day of Fall, so it's the last in-store tasting of this Summer's selection of Rose..... at least until Thanksgiving, when the wines are surprisingly versatile and well-suited for most tables. Marsannay sits at the northernmost end of Burgundy's famous Cote d'Or, barely outside the city limits of Dijon. It is the newest of the recognized AOC designations in Burgundy (established in 1987) and has no designated 1er Cru sites. For red and white wines it is relatively nondescript, but for Rose it is the ONLY appellation recognized in Burgundy. It has the right balance of good-but-not-outstanding grape quality and higher acidity to make quality Rose from Pinot Noir without the vigneron feeling as if they should have made a more lucrative red wine instead. Regis Bouvier is considered among the very best producers from this part of Burgundy (even their reds are exceptional), and if there was ever a Rose that was perfectly suited for the early Fall just as much as the Summer, this would be the one.

A lovely salmon color in the glass, almost Provencal in fact, but from the first sniff the wine is distinctly not from the Mediterranean. Lots of cherry skin and rose petal aromas that extend on to the palate, as well as that round, extremely polished texture Pinot Noir is so renowned for. The subtlety through the finish is equally Burgundian in nature, and only improves in complexity as it opens up with air, getting more subtle savory red fruits and even gaining some richness on the palate. 
​

---