2019 Château Minuty Rose et Or and 2019 Château Minuty 281
Château Minuty is one of the most highly regarded producers of rosé wines in all of Provence, which is considered by many the single greatest wine region for the production of that wine.
Provence rosés are, in general, known for their pale pinkness, their sometimes almost see-throughness, as if there is nothing liquid in your glass but if there is it might taste like (clean) air.
This is a kind of illusion of the unseen, for lurking within such transparency can be great flavor, never overwhelming except of expectations, almost always, if you don’t swallow too quickly and let your mouth take its time with the wine, nearly unnervingly complex. As in most things (good things, that is), when you expect little and are rewarded with plenty, you are extra-charmed.
Château Minuty has a long history in Provence. It was founded in 1936 and in 1955 was certified as a Cru Classé of Côtes de Provence wines.
It produces four rosé wines. The two here are its top rosés and are, among the many rosés in the world from many countries, among the most deluxe.
The Rose et Or is a blend of Grenache and the less common Tibouren, the latter of which is grown in few other places than Provence and lends to this fascinating wine an aromatic uplift. What I mean by fascinating may be only personal, but this wine reminded me most of white Bordeaux, in general my favorite of all white wines and a wine in general that may never before have been compared to a rosé. But that’s wine for you: one person’s this is another person’s that. I just hope for your sake you get to taste some of this (Minuty’s 2019 Rose et Or) and see what I mean about that.
The top-of-the-line 2019 Château Minuty 281 is uniquely named for the Pantone reference number (281) for the blue color that appears painted on the top half of the bottle and ends in what would be called a “leg” in wine terms. It may be the palest of the Minuty rosés and is demanding in that it wants to be kept in the mouth and savored before its old-vine Grenache will give you the immense pleasure of its minerality balanced by its delicate fruit. You’ll want to sit with this one for a while (not so difficult a task to contemplate on a summer’s early evening) and then keep the empty bottle for its blue tear.
