Tag Archives: Moulin de Gassac Guilhem

Memorial Day and rose 2022

Drinking rose
Bring on the pink — it’s the WC’s rose season preview..

The blog’s 15th annual Memorial Day and rose celebration — bring on the pink, because we need value and quality more than ever

Let’s gloss over the bad rose news as the blog celebrates its 15th annual Memorial Day rose extravaganza. Forget about the trumped up $18 pinks, both domestic and foreign, that try to get by on a label aimed at younger wine drinkers, because they’re supposed to be too stupid to know what rose is. And don’t worry about the continuing and all too depressing trend of calling a rose dry when it is noticeably sweet. These wines are mostly domestic, but even some imports think this is smart business.

Instead, let’s focus on yet another vintage of delicious and affordable roses — maybe not quite as affordable as in past years (tariff and pandemic), but still not the $20 that the wine business considers the cutoff for “affordable.” (Honestly. They told us that at a seminar last week — $60 is expensive, but $20 is affordable.)

In fact, I tasted so many worthy roses this year that picking which to include today and tomorrow was more difficult than ever. Who would have expected that? Missing are blog favorites Scaia and Mont Gravet; have not seen the 2021 versions yet. And don’t forget the blog’s rose primer and the rose category (from the drop down menu on the lower right), which lists 15 years of rose reviews.

Today, six standout roses – each highly recommended. Tomorrow, six more roses worth writing about:

• Bielet Pere et Fils Sabine Rose 2021 ($13, sample, 12.5%): Prices are all over the place once again for this legendary French pink. Can you believe $18 at one national retailer? This vintage has a touch more fresh berry fruit (raspberry?), but otherwise all one can expect from a rose at this price — or costing twice as much. Imported by Bieler et Fils

• Pedroncelli Dry Rose of Zinfandel 2021 ($15, sample, 13.9%): Rich, full, and balanced, with wonderful dark berry fruit from the zinfandel. This is not a razor-sharp, Provence style rose; rather, it’s much more California in style, and much welcome for that reason.

• Hecht & Bannier Rose 2020 ($13, purchased, 13%): I’m not the biggest fan of the Hecht, but the 2020 is a step up — more Provencal in style. That means almost stony, with wild strawberry fruit, and lots of garrigue. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons

• Zestos Rosado 2021 ($12, purchased, 12,5%): Maybe the best vintage ever of this always wonderful Spanish pink, taking garnacha where I didn’t think it could go. Almost an orange aroma, with subtle, barely ripe berry fruit, and stony finish that seems to go on forever. Imported by Ole & Obrigado

• Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 12.5%): This French pink is a tremendous value — strawberry and cherry fruit, full in the mouth, and quite refreshing. Imported by Polaner Selections

• Charles & Charles Rose 2021 ($12, sample, 12.5%): Fruitier this year, with an almost citrus zest aroma, followed with not quite tart cherry fruit. If the Sabine (made by one of the Charles’ here) is relatively consistent vintage to vintage, this Washington state pink changes every year. Which is a good thing.

More about Memorial Day and rose:
• Memorial Day and rose 2021
• Memorial Day and rose 2020
• Memorial Day and rose 2019
• Wine of the week: Les Dauphins Reserve Rose 2020

Photo: Taha Samet Arslan from Pexels

Wine of the week: Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rouge 2020

Moulin de Gassac Guilhem
Guilhem Rouge 2020/$9-$15

The Guilhem Rouge is the perfect red wine for winter’s weeknight dinners

Perhaps the most difficult thing about writing reviews for the blog is not the actual writing, but finding wines that meet the blog’s standards. This is particularly difficult for red wine, since the wine business seems to go out of its way to make especially plonky reds for $15 or less.

Which is why I was so surprised – and dare I say delighted – to find the Guilhem Rouge 2020 ($11, purchased, 13.5%). The white and rose are top-notch cheap wines, but even some of the greatest cheap wine producers have trouble with reds.

That wasn’t the case here. This is a red Rhone blend from France (mostly syrah and grenache, with a bit of carignan), but not too soft or too jammy, as is too often the case with red wine at this price. Instead it’s dark and full of red fruit (cherries?) , but also surprisingly fresh and mostly balanced. That means there isn’t any of that syrah inkiness that can creep in the back.

In other words, the perfect red wine for dinner during the winter, be it takeout pizza or meatloaf. And that this wine, made in a less well known part of one of France’s least respected regions, can do what it does as well as it does once again points out what California can’t do — or won’t — do anymore.

Imported by Palomar Imports

Wine for people who don’t drink much wine

people who don't drink much wineThree wines that offer quality and value when you’re serving wine to people who don’t drink much wine

The Wine Curmudgeon has entertained twice in the last month where the guests weren’t professional wine drinkers. That is, they were people who fit the profile of the typical U.S. wine drinker – someone who drinks a bottle of month and isn’t interested in the stuff that keeps wine geeks up at night.

The challenge then: How you buy wine to serve with dinner for people who don’t drink much wine? The goal is to pour something interesting that isn’t stupid or insipid, but won’t intimidate your guests. The key: Keep in mind that you want to serve wine other people will like, and not what you think they should like.

A few suggestions and guidelines:

• Try to stay away from tannins and their bitterness, which may be the most off-putting part of wine for those who don’t drink much of it. But what if you want to serve red wine? Then look for something made with sangiovese, gamay, or tempranillo, like the Capezzana Monna Nera 2016 ($10, purchased, 13.5%). This Italian blend is mostly sangiovese – fresh and well-made with soft cherry fruit. Imported by MW Imports.

• Chardonnay, and especially cheap ones with too much fake oak, can make typical wine drinkers grimace. So can overly tart sauvignon blanc. Hence, chenin blanc like the Ken Forester petit 2017 ($11, purchased, 13.5%). This South African white is a long-time favorite, offering crisp white fruit and a refreshing finish. Imported by USA Wine Imports

• One of the best things about the rose boom? It’s ideal for situations like this. The Moulin de Gassac Guilhem Rose 2017 ($10, purchased, 12%) is a French pink, almost tart and strawberry, and a tad better made than most at this price. Imported by Pioneer Wine Co.

Wine of the week: Moulin de Gassac Guilhem 2016

The Moulin de Gassac Guilhem is a French red blend that tastes like a French red blend, and not something smooth and soft

The Big Guy texted me the other day: “What’s with all these great cheap wines you’ve found lately?” His point? That I have spent much of the past two years wailing about the disappearance of great cheap wine. I’m not sure why we’ve been on such a winning streak, but the Moulin de Gassac Guilhem is one more terrific $10 wine.

The Moulin de Gassac Guilhem ($10, purchased, 13%) is from the Languedoc in southern France, home to much cheap wine of indifferent quality and to not so cheap wine that tastes cheap. This red blend, though, is what the French have done so well for centuries: A professional, well-made vin ordinaire, the sort of quality wine for Tuesday night takeout that seems to be disappearing.

The blend – made with a little more syrah than grenache and carignan – offers rich, dark red fruit, some spice, a bit of that funky French aroma that I like, and well developed tannins and acidity. In this, the latter are quite impressive for a wine at this price.

Drink this with dinner — delivery pizza, burgers on the grill, and even fajitas or enchiladas and burritos.

Imported by Vanguard Wines

Wine of the week: Moulin de Gassac Guilhem 2013

Moulin de Gassia GuilhemThe Wine Curmudgeon is a sucker for wines made with less known grapes from less known parts of the world. That’s because the revolution in winemaking and grape growing technology over the past 20 years has allowed these regions to improve quality with grapes that aren’t in great demand. Hence, a much better chance of quality wine for less money.

The Guilhem ($12, purchased, 12.5%) is a case in point. It’s a white blend from a little known part of the Languedoc in southern France, and the Languedoc remains little known itself. The wine is made with grenache blanc, terret blanc, and sauvignon blanc. Those first two grapes are obscure even for wine geeks, and it’s not like this part of France is famous for sauvignon blanc, either.

The result is a Hall of Fame quality wine that is just ?5 in France, and yet another example why so much of what we find on the Great Wall of Wine in the grocery store makes me crazy. The Guilhem bears some resemblance to a white Rhone blend, with white fruit aromas and some spiciness. But it’s not oily or heavy, instead featuring red apple crispness — almost juiciness — and just enough minerality to be noticeable. The bottle, chilled, was empty in a half hour, and I was irritated I hadn’t bought two of them.

In this, it’s the kind of wine that demonstrates the advantages of a quality, independent retailer. I bought it from Cody Upton, a long-time pal and one of the most knowledgeable wine people I know. Cody, who is working at Pogo’s in Dallas, asked me how much I wanted to spend — tongue firmly in cheek — and then walked right to this. Does customer service get any better than that?