Each spring, I head to the Beaujolais region for one of my favorite wine-related rituals of the year. The annual tasting at Chteau Thivin is memorable for many reasons, not least of which is the opportunity to catch up with the lovely Geoffray family and reflect on thirty years of business together. Then there is the scrupulous tasting and blending of a dozen stellar tanks of Gamay for their flagship Cte-de-Brouilly bottling, followed by the generous lunch of traditional French comfort food, executed to perfection by Evelyne Geoffray and often accompanied by a special older vintage.
But the first order of business, before we stain our teeth with crimsonrougesor sample any of Evelynes creations, is to taste Thivins Beaujolais-Villages ros. Its the perfectmise en bouche, as the French saya palate opener to sharpen the senses and introduce your taste buds to the days first drops of wine.
Thivins Beaujolais-Villages vines sit opposite the Cte-de-Brouilly, where steep expanses of pink granite cascade down from wooded hilltops toward the valley below. These Gamay vines are over fifty years oldrare in ros productionand you can sense a mouthwatering salinity that mimics the old-vine roots licking up mineral salts from the granitic bedrock.
Also unusual for ros production, the Geoffrays ferment this wine with native yeasts and embrace malolactic fermentation, a practice Kermit and I have long associated with our favorite ross. The result is a silky mouthfeel and delicate fruit that reflects the gentleness of these natural methods. The choice to harvest early assures a low alcohol content and a spark of freshness that enlivens ones palate.
With its delightful peachiness and stimulating hints of its granitic terroir, Thivins ros really is the idealmise en bouche. Pouring a cold glass is just whats needed to charm the senses in anticipation of more great things to come.