Barbazul Rosado 2015 13%, Bodegas Huerta de Albalá

Appearance
On the dark side for rosé, a sort of pale plummy cherry red with a faint trace of brick at the rim.

Nose

Fairly full with both floral hints of rose and violet and fruity hints of plum and black cherry. There are also gentle notes of spices and herbs and a trace of smoke, one of the hallmarks of Syrah, and a refreshing trace of raspberry. Attractive and unashamedly southern.

Palate

Closer to red wine than white, there is no shortage of body and character here, one could say it is a rather masculine style. There is plenty of fruit , perfectly judged acidity and even a hint of structure: it has a mineral feel from the albariza soil probably, a dry texture with a faint trace of tannin and it is not low in alcohol, though all the components are well balanced. It has a long plummy, raspberry, smoky finish.

Comments

This full, no - nonsense rosado is made from 100% Syrah grown on the Huerta de Albalá estate near Arcos de la Frontera owned by Vicente Taberner. Making rosé requires skin contact with red grapes, but  how long that contact lasts is up to the winemaker, and obviously the longer it lasts the darker and more intensely flavoured and structured the wine will be. This wine bucks the current trend for super-pale anaemic salmon coloured rosés and gets a decent period of skin contact, so it is in the good old fashioned style and none the worse for that.

Price
7.50 Museo del Vino Málaga