On the label…
Errr…there isn’t really one. Not on the front, anyway. Looking at this incredibly beautiful glass bottle though, you can see why they dispensed with it! This is a wine that is going for maximum WOW factor with its bottle, rather than its label. It’s kind of art deco in a way. You will want to order several and take the empties home to serve water out of at dinner parties.
The Urban Rosé is a classic Côtes de Provence pink: pale and delicate, the colour of a satin ballet shoe. It’s made in a style that has made the region around the Côte D’Azur and beyond an absolute favourite: more often than not, very pale and dry, with a subtle, saline kick at the end.
What does 2017 mean?
2017 on the label simply refers to the year that the grapes in the bottle were picked to make the wine. This is its ‘vintage’. 2017 in Provence was a very tricky year as buds were lost due to frost and less than ideal growing conditions. What was left however, made some fantastic wine.
Grapes & Style
Provençal Rosé: like classical ballet…
In my world, I like to describe key styles of wine as people or things and my ‘vinalogy’ for the various styles of rosé is dance. We are not talking disco dancing rosé here – that’s reserved for those almost fluorescent, sweet, cheap pinks from California. No, Provençal rosé is classical ballet: the pink of a satin ballet shoe, the elegance, the subtlety, but with a complexity and weight that belies its looks. There’s so much going on here but it’s not… shouty. The wine is a blend of several grapes: Syrah mostly, but also Grenache and a touch of the white grape, Rolle (also known as Vermentino).