Summer might be over, but that doesn’t mean I am going to stop drinking rosé. Many consider it to be a summer wine, but rosé wines are also extremely food friendly (especially with hard to pair fare like Indian and Chinese), so they often find a place on my table no matter what the season.

This rosé from Domaine La Blaque is a blend of 50% cinsault, 30% grenache, 10% syrah and 10% vermentino. It is made by a combination of saignée (“bleeding” of the tank) and direct pressing of the dark-skinned grapes to capture the best elements of each method. The cinsault and much of the grenache are pressed, a method that results in superbly fresh wines with great aromatic elegance. About 1/3 of the grenache, and all of the syrah and vermentino, are made with the saignée method, giving them deeper color, more structure, and more intense fruit. The grapes treated by these two methods are fermented separately and then blended.

The wine reminded me a lot of the Mas des Bressades Rosé. Strawberries, white flowers and white pepper come through on the nose. On the palate, candied cherry and watermelon, white peach, lychee, rose water and white pepper. Vibrant acidity and an elegant, clean finish.

I would add this to my list of top rosés of the year and it would make my short list with the Mas des Bressades Rosé and Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé 2006 (my perennial favorite Rosé).

I purchased this wine at Arrowine. It was offered at $16 a bottle (6 bottle price) as one of their weekly email offers. Arrowine continues to impress me for their selection, customer service and obvious commitment to being the best neighborhood wine (and cheese) shop in the greater DC area.

I also purchased the Domaine La Blaque Viognier 2006, VDP Portes de Mediterranée, which the owner of Arrowine called the best Viognier he has ever tasted for under $50. That is a pretty bold statement — stay tuned for my notes.

Recommended.