Domaine de l'Horizon - Rosé 2017
We drink a Rosé from the south of France from Domaine de l'Horizon.
As with the white wine we’ve already tasted, I’ve been lurking around the Domaine de l’Horizon Rosé for quite some time. The wine is made from Grenache Noir and the grapes come from vines that are over 80 years old, planted on slate soil. Rosé is taken seriously here and receives just as much attention and care as white or red wines. As with the white wine, organic work is done with as little intervention as possible. It is fermented slowly spontaneously and then aged for 9 months in used wood. Although the growing area around Calce in southern France is naturally spoiled by the sun, the wine is not a heavyweight at 13 percent alcohol. Rosé and I are not the very best of friends. However, this may also be due to the fact that one often has the feeling that it is not really taken seriously or that one thinks one has fruit candy in the glass. With these two points, however, it has been clear from the outset with this bottle that this will not be a problem.
The fruit is great from the first sip. There’s some Amarena cherry coming out of the glass along with some very ripe peach that has been briefly swished through Cognac. In the mouth, the wine is immediately super spicy and clings to the tongue with its tannin. There is decent tension in it, but it feels like it still needs to sort itself out a little bit. This was a bit expected as we have freshly opened the bottle and 2017 is also relatively young regardless, but that’s ok and we try the wine not only over two but over three evenings. A little slurping while drinking really changes the perception. The wine is then already on the tongue developing much more grip and power and above all it remains there also much longer. These will be exciting evenings.
On the second evening, the fruit has changed. The cherry has almost disappeared, the peach has remained. However, it now goes in the direction of peach liqueur in addition to the ripe fruit. In the background one finds herbs and a nice minerality. Everything seems tidier and clearer. This is also the case on the tongue. There it still develops decent grip, but one has the feeling that it has found itself more. The peach also arrives on the tongue now along with some red berries. The length continues to impress and is now rounded out by a fine, buttery creaminess. There is enough depth of flavor and you get the feeling that the wine demands attentive tasting. And then rewards that.
On the third evening, the fruit on the nose is now peach and red berries. Add a bit of lactic, cherry yogurt perhaps, and the herbs behind it and you have such an exciting aroma that you can’t get your nose out of the glass. On the tongue, something happened again, too. The grip has become softer, almost velvety. It still sticks to the tongue forever and now seems much more accessible on the third evening. So lots of air is the motto when you open a bottle of this. Lots of air and lots of attention. But then this is a really exciting rosé that shows what is possible if you approach the subject seriously.