This was a delightful dry rosé, full of the minerals of the good earth of the limestone-clay soils characteristic of the vineyards of the Domaine Brusset wine estate in the heart of the Cotes du Rhône wine region of France. One of the noblest of France’s vineyards producing noble-tasting wines and this rosé, Jeanne B. 2023 AOC, from the house of Brusset was no exception. Made from grapes growing in the good mineral rich earth, its color, too, reflected the soil, pale pink like a rose petal like the sky when the sun rises early here, and with a hint of silver, reflecting the minerals of this succulent soil.

It’s a blend of hand-harvested, carefully selected grapes of three varieties that grow perfectly in the region under the continued care of the hand of man. The Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault grape varieties are carefully blended into this delightful wine which serves well as an aperitif but can also accompany grilled fish, a goat cheese or ripe berry fruits. At The Gourmet Gazette we served Jeanne B. as an aperitif with canapés with a Mediterranean flavor: yellow tomatoes, anchovy- stuffed green olives, oregano and purple arugula.

The house has been in the Brusset family since 1947 and today has been under the helm of Laurent Brusset, the third generation, since 2008. The estate produces a selection of the great wines of the Rhône like Gigondas, Cairanne, Côtes-du-Rhône, Rasteau and Ventoux. Their vineyards — making these noblest of wines — are nothing short of spectacular, spread out over nearly 100 acres (70 hectares) that are made up of nearly 175 acres (18 hectares) of vine plants growing on terraces and plains of Jurassic and Triassic limestone-clay soils. The house uses only indigenous yeasts in its wine making procedures. The vineyard has been certified with the French label HVE which is the French acronym indicating that the estate has embarked upon practices that respect the environment and will soon be certified organic. The Brusset estate’s wines are available on five continents and in 26 countries around the world. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette.Domaine Brusset, 70, Chemin de la Barque 84290 Cairanne – France. Tel: (+33) 4 90 30 82 16 – contact@domainebrusset.com – https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/domain.php

See also: https://thegourmetgazette.com/2023/02/10/a-gourmet-gazette-fine-wine-find-a-great-gigondas/
See also: https://thegourmetgazette.com/2023/07/18/a-gourmet-gazette-fine-family-wine-find-the-courtly-cairanne-fit-for-a-king/