Mission Codename Methode Man
Pink wine is serious business. Most winemakers make their rosé as an afterthought. Most rosé you come across is made using the saignée technique. That’s when the winemaker “bleeds” off a bit of juice from a fermenting red wine - the juice hasn’t had as much contact with the skin which is why it has a lighter hue.
Methode Provençale on the other hand, pioneered by the eponymous Provence, a French winemaking region, makes a rosé from the outset, starting in the vineyard. The grapes are grown and harvested at a different interval than grapes destined for a red wine, and the juice is instead pressed off immediately. Azur’s superstar winemaker Julien Fayard emulated this approach and here you have a Californian wine paying homage to the winemaking style of the masters of rosé. Taste the difference!
Pale salmon with a tinge of copper on the rim and a bright halo of rose gold within. The nose offers up engaging blood orange and bergamot aromas carrying over to the flavors, with mint and nectarine accompanying the balance. Creamy edges are encircling a hint of watermelon with a spine of finely beaded acidity on the palate, while it remains spicy and sweet at once on the finish, prolonged by the lively, juicy stone fruit and citrus accent. This is a lovely bone-dry rosé to ruminate over and possessing abundant heft to pair with ethnic fare, Japanese cuisine for example.
Fayard is a doyen, a true prodigy, and don’t just take our word for it. Let’s just drop a couple of names first where he’s been through to get here, all from the very top of the wine world: Château Lafite Rothschild and Atelier Melka. Leading luxury-lifestyle magazine Robb Report endorsed him as; “a Wine Whisperer Worth Watching - A student of Bordeaux and the French masters before him, Fayard is forging his own path in California wine country… Now, there’s a new name to add to that short list of superstar consultants: Julien Fayard, having grown up in Provence (note the serious rosé cred!), checked the Bordeaux winemaking box at the likes of Lafite Rothschild and Smith Haut Lafitte. To date, Fayard is a bit more hands-on than most of his French cohorts, who work with a head winemaker at each brand. To a large degree, he is the winemaker. And his bottles are giving him a strong voice in a message that’s trending in the Valley.”
What the Winery Says
2018 'Methode Provençale' California (Rutherford & Sierra Foothills) Rosé
- Winemaker
- Julien Fayard
- Varietals
- 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah
- Vintage
- 2018
- Appellation
- Rutherford & Sierra Foothills, California
- Alcohol
- 12.6%
- Method
- Direct press, exclusively for rosé
- Aging
- 6 months
- Vessels
- 100% stainless steel