The Clos du Temple was named the best rosé at the Global Rosé Masters of Drink Business in 2020. Its a blend of granache, consault, syrah, mourvedre and viognier grapes that results in a the palest rosé colour with aromas of apricot, peach, flowers and green pepper according to the wine maker. Its presented in a elegant looking bottle with a deep punt (usually found in champagne bottles). This rosé retails for 190 Euros, which translates to approximately $292 CAD or $230 USD. At this price tag is it worth it?
I was a bit giddy when an agent sent out a link to the article and she had a few cases to offer. I jumped on this quickly because I wanted to try “the best”. I brought the bottle to a friend’s backyard back when we were allowed to safely socialize. I knew there would be others in attendance who enjoyed rosé and wanted to see what they thought. Okay, maybe I wanted to show off a little.
The way I choose wines that I want to purchase is a combination of reading tasting notes, online reviews, attending tastings, talking to wine agents and sommeliers, plus asking friends what they are drinking. I make my decisions on whether I like a wine through a process of sniffing, swirling, sipping, swallowing then considering the flavours in my mouth. I think its a reasonable way to get the nuances of the wine on my palate. As we tasted the wine, I heard comments like:
“Reminds me of an orange wine because of the mouth puckering feeling toward the end. I like it!”
“This is not what I expected. It has a bit of spice on it. I like it and I’d buy this but pay only up to $150 for the bottle.”
“Punch in the month feel and very complex but I despise the bottle. I wouldn’t buy this one but my favourite rosé is the Biondi Santi Rosato.”
“The taste is fine but the smell is unpleasant. I’d pay up to $40 for a rosé.”
“Pretty light and tastes a little flat. I’d pay $20 for this.”
“Seems older than a 2018. It has very little fruit and isn’t a summery drink. I would never buy this.”
“Not a typical rosé. It has an edge…a dry acidic edge. It’s like a burgundy with a grenache feel. I wouldn’t buy a rosé that cost me more than $25 though.”
“Feels too serious for a rosé. It tastes like its aged but its not. Rosés should not be more than $20 a bottle.”
My thoughts? Why didn’t I do my research??! If I did, I would have noticed it’s aged in french oak for 6 months. I have a problem with oak. There is something about it that I just don’t enjoy. My entire body heaves. I don’t drink chardonnay because it’s mostly oaked. As for this wine, I couldn’t get past the unpleasant smell and it had a bitter taste plus the oak. I could only drink a quarter of the glass that was poured before I just abandoned it. The bottle cost me $150 CAD and I did not enjoy it at all. I regret spending this much.
I did learn a few things from this experience. I won’t be completely dazzled by best of lists again! I now see the value of attending tastings (including virtual ones). It gives me the opportunity to try different wines before committing to purchasing the bottle or a case. If I can’t taste the wine before purchase, then I need to do my research by starting with the tasting notes to see if it aligns with what I enjoy and ask around. There are so many people that love to talk about wine and I shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to them.
Would you have bought this bottle of rosé? Let me know in the comments!
I remember enjoying this one!
That’s right! I wish I enjoyed it as much as you did.