2018 Grande Cuvée Rosé Côtes du Roussillon Domaine Lafage

A vibrant yet powerful rosé that's geared for the dinner table, the 2018 Grande Cuvée Rosé is 85% Grenache Gris and 15% Mourvèdre that was brought up in tank with a tiny amount fermented and aged in new 500-liter Burgundy barrels. It has a monster bouquet of wild strawberry, white flowers, and hints of cherries to go with a silky, seamless, just beautifully layered, silky style on the palate. With nice texture, concentration, yet also incredible purity, it will stand toe to toe with the best rosés from Bandol.

A 70-30 Grenache and Mourvèdre blend, the 2018 La Grande Cuvée Rosé saw a bit of barrel (20% of the blend went into demi-muids) during the aging process. It shows a bit on the nose, where you can pick up hints of pencil shavings, but mainly this medium-bodied effort is about good old- fashioned fruit, ranging from cherries and strawberries to melon, peach and finally lime on the long, mouthwatering finish.