Buyer’s Guide to Vintages June 7th Release

The Rosé Roundup, Thomas Bachelder’s Centerfold, and International Values: A Buyers Guide to the June 7 Vintages release
By Sara d’Amato with notes from David Lawrason, Megha Jandhyala and John Szabo

Rosé season has officially begun, ushered in by warm, balmy days and the first wave of pink-hued bottles. In the wine world, however, rosé doesn’t arrive all at once — it trickles in, a patchwork release of regions and styles.

Here in Ontario, the locals lead the charge, followed by the now elusive American offerings, with French and Spanish cuvées drifting in soon after, unless, of course, they’re the longer-macerated Tavel types or ultra-premium, barrel-aged Provençal rarities, which take their time. International clarets tend to arrive fashionably late, while some bottles miss the party entirely until fall, often delayed by shipping hiccups or élevage that refuses to be rushed. What’s on the shelves now is far from the full picture, but even in this early showing, there are real standouts. Notably absent are the deeper-hued, off-dry rosés of the Loire Valley, France’s third-largest rosé producing region after Provence and Languedoc, which deserve far more attention than they tend to receive.

Rosé is still selling strong, though the dizzying momentum of the 2010s has begun to level off. Gone are the days of panic-induing headlines like “The Great Hamptons Rosé Shortage” of 2014, which helped spark a pink wave from Long Island wine producers. Still, the category holds firm, emboldened by its reputation as the quintessential seasonal sipper. But with all this breezy branding, one can’t help but ask… is rosé a serious wine?

Even within the wine trade, this question will result in a myriad of responses. Without a doubt, we in the wine world often take ourselves (and our beverages) a bit too seriously. If anything, rosé offers a welcome reminder that wine can still be joyful, inclusive, and dare we say it, fun. It has the ability to disarm even the most fastidious of wine snobs.

Still, rosé suffers from a lingering image problem. Thanks to the wildly successful campaigns, led in large part by the marketers of Wines of Provence, rosé has become a lifestyle brand as much as a wine: playful, poolside, pink and refreshingly uncomplicated. And while we could all use a little more “rosé state of mind,” this favourable marketing result has inadvertently painted the entire category with the same pastel brushstroke. The global wine world quickly followed suit, embracing the escapist “c’est la vie” narrative. Take for example Gerard Bertrand and Jon Bon Jovi’s “Hampton Water” from this release, a Languedoc-grown rosé that pairs its pale hue with a stylized diver and calls for North Americans to plunge headfirst in a vision of summer leisure.

Yet, to relegate rosé to mere seasonal novelty is to sell it short. Many rosés are quietly complex, food-versatile, and in some cases, ageworthy. In France, rosé isn’t just a summer fling; it’s a year-round companion, often occupying just as much shelf space in the grocery stores as reds or whites. Its adaptability as a pairing partner from a wide array of fish dishes to bold sauces, grilled meats, and even assertive cheeses that can do in many a red and white wine, makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. In this light, the beach-and-brunch narrative, though charming, doesn’t do the category justice. Rosé deserves to be taken more seriously — not instead of being fun, but precisely because it can be both.

Rosé can be crafted through a range of techniques, each contributing to the notable diversity of styles that make this category so rewarding to explore. The palest of the pale often result from “direct pressing,” where red grapes are pressed immediately after harvest, limiting skin contact to the brief window of the press itself. With so little time for the juice to extract colour, tannins, or phenolic depth, these wines present a challenge that require winemakers to get creative, often through the management of lees contact and oxygen, techniques that discreetly leave their mark for the attentive wine drinker to discover.

Other rosés are made using the “saignée method” — I recently read this translated to the gleefully gory “bloodletting” which is a term I’m adopting with deference — in which juice is drawn off from partly macerated red grapes. Still others are crafted through blending, combining red and white wines to build complexity and balance. Each method or combination of methods offers a different window into what rosé can be, from crisp and ethereal to textured and expressive — all worth seeking out.

Even though most rosé on the market should be drunk with haste or at least by the end of the year, others can age in bottle, especially those with longer maceration times or those with more extensive barrel and lees aging. Cellaring opportunities include last month’s release of Château d’Aqueria’s Tavel which is made using pairs of co-fermented red and white grapes. The winery is known to bottle a significant amount in magnums specifically because it’s dark-hued rosé matures exceptionally well over the mid-term. Also to consider cellaring in this release is the gently barrel-aged Provençal rosé by Sacha Lichine, Cave d’Esclans Rock Angel.

Sara at the Rosé Symposium

For those keen on getting a jumpstart on the rosé season or just wanting to know more about rosé production and where you can find the latest releases both in and outside of the LCBO, you likely attended this year’s second annual Rosé Symposium at Verity in Toronto the week before last — the brainchild of rosé importer, professional figure skater, and a Marseillaise at heart, Chantal Fry. We loved seeing the WineAlign subscribers who came out to taste and talk rosé along with participating in our Sustainable Rosé discussion panel. Our panel explored the idea that rosé may quietly be one of the wine world’s most inherently sustainable styles. There are more than a few common sense reasons that led us down this path. With respect to its environmental efficiency, rosés can be produced from early-harvest grapes, potentially reducing irrigation needs and vulnerability to drought. The shorter maceration periods for rosé mean less energy use, and the lower alcohol levels in many rosés can result in slightly lower carbon emissions during fermentation. When it comes to vintage variability, rosé offers a kind of viticultural insurance — its flexible blending allows winemakers to adapt grape selections in response to extreme climate events, turning unpredictability into opportunity. Because of its minimal use of barrique aging as compared to reds, there is less reliance on resource-intensive oak barrels. Shorter cellaring time lowers energy costs, such as cooling and storage, which also makes it a quicker cash flow for producers. In a case study, we looked at how the reputed California producer, Tablas Creek, used the public’s open-mindedness about rosé packaging to put their premium pink in a $90 bag-in-box.

Before leaving you with our international recommendations from this week’s Vintages release, I’d be remiss not to pause and extend congratulations to local terroir-seekers Thomas Bachelder and Mary Delaney for their well-deserved centerfold in the print edition of the Vintages magazine, now available in stores.

Together, Thomas and Mary have built the Bachelder Niagara project into a benchmark for site-driven winemaking in Ontario. Their tireless exploration of Niagara’s hidden vineyard gems has helped place once-overlooked parcels firmly on the map. With unrelenting curiosity and contagious enthusiasm, they’ve inspired a broader movement: elevating growers, celebrating their legacies on the label, and carving out a vision of Niagara’s own “crus.” Their journey has been one of humble persistence: trial-and-error cuvées, opinion-seeking, deep dives into the idiosyncrasies of soil and site, and a rare ability to know when to step back — and when they’ve struck something truly special. Always with reverence for the land and those who’ve farmed it before, they’ve helped propel Niagara’s reputation as a region of serious, world-class potential.

This Vintages release also offers a rare treat to purchase these cuvées from the LCBO stores instead of buying directly from the winery. Our scores speak to their quality, but more than that, they speak to a vision still unfolding. You’ll find those we’ve singled out below.

Buyer’s Guide June 7th: Rosé

Cuvée Françoise Crémant De Limoux Rosé Sparkling, Languedoc, France
$25.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Sara d’Amato – An effortlessly elegant cuvée that takes its name from Maison Antech’s sixth generation winemaker Françoise Antech, this wine is rife with botanicals and a deliciously mouthwatering hint of bitterness, with notes of pumpkin seeds, peony and orange zest. Chardonnay, chenin blanc and pinot noir from France’s southernmost sparkling wine growing region offer a substantial degree of freshness that is balanced by creamy lees from 18 months sur latte. Great value.

Firmian Fildirose Pinot Grigio Rosé 2024, Alto Adige-Trentino, Italy
$17.95, Vinexx
David Lawrason – This pale rosé was created through extended skin contact with the purplish/grey skins of ripe pinot grigio grapes. It has pretty, floral, peachy nose with a whiff of grapefruit. It is light boded, nicely fresh, slender and delicate. A value sipper!

Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé 2024, Ontario, Canada
$24.95, Mark Anthony Group
John Szabo – A relatively deeply coloured pinot noir rosé as far as they go these days, also fruit backwards and stone-forward, a more “gastronomic” than patio-sipping style. It’s like a wash of chalky liquid, which is a good thing.
David Lawrason – This is 100% pinot noir rosé — a style among my personal favourites in the world of pink. It is bright pale salmon pink. The nose is complex with red currant, ground cherry, grapefruit and almost minty herbals. It is dry, warm and intensely flavoured. For food matching rather than solo sipping.

Mathilde Chapoutier Orsuro Rosé 2024, Provence, France
$21.95, Profile Wine Group (Vin Vino)
David Lawrason – This vibrant, dry rosé is made by Mathilde Chapoutier, daughter of Michel Chapoutier, one of the leading winemakers in the south of France. The colour is classic pale Provencal pink. The nose has lift with strawberry, peach, grapefruit and saffron. It is light to mid-weight, firm and dry with better length than expected.
Sara d’Amato – Mathilde, daughter of Michel Chapoutier, has carved out a nice niche for herself and this new Côtes de Provence offering is evidence of her prowess. Concentrated but with pep and a shade deeper than you might have expected from rosés of the region. Generously aromatic rosé petal and peach and persimmon. Lovely stuff.

Gérard Bertrand Perles De Grenache Rosé 2024, Languedoc, France
$19.95, Family Wine Merchants
John Szabo – Well-made, gentle, widely appealing pink grenache from Bertrand, ready to enjoy now. Nothing but smooth contours and sweet fruit.

Caves D’esclans Rock Angel Rosé 2024, Provence, France
$39.95, SOUTHERN GLAZER’S WINE & SPIRITS CD
Sara d’Amato – This premium rosé hints at creator Sacha Lichine’s serious rock star vibe. An amped up, ageworthy style of Côtes de Provence rosé that sees partial barrel aging of a blend of grenache, cinsault, rolle (vermentino). Buy one for now and one for later.

Kir Yianni Xinomavro Rosé 2024, Macedonia, Greece
$19.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
Sara d’Amato – Bright and vibrant, this xinomavro rosé has ample fruit and the slight savoury grounded-ness I often find in pinot-noir based rosé. Dry with mineral chalkiness, pink grapefruit and cherry skin. Tart and just a little bitterness, clean and with a lengthy, fruit-driven finish.
John Szabo – An intense, energetic, complex and engaging rosé version of Greece’s great xinomavro grape from Macedonia, well suited to the style, like nebbiolo or nerello mascalese. It’s bone dry and crunchy, another fine wine from Kir-Yianni.

Buyer’s Guide June 7th: Sparkling

Huff Cuvée Peter F. Sparkling 2021, Ontario, Canada
$39.00, HUFF ESTATES
John Szabo – A complex and tangy, dry and sharp bubbly from PEC, having gained since last tasting a year ago additional toasty complexity and caramelized citrus fruit. Yet it remains a youthful and vibrant example overall.

Buyer’s Guide June 7th: Whites

Invivo Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Marlborough, New Zealand
$19.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
David Lawrason – This is intense, vibrant NZ sauvignon, with well-defined passion fruit, lemon grass, grapefruit fresh dill and mint. It is slim, racy with a hint of sweetness, but it finishes dry and almost saline. The length is excellent.

Werner Anselmann Gewürztraminer Kabinett 2022, Pfalz, Germany
$18.95, B. Cojocaru Agencies
David Lawrason – This is tender and spry off-dry gewurztraminer — not as heavy and oily as Alsatian renditions. The nose is nicely piquant with mandarin, lime, lychee and fresh ginger. It is light bodied, zesty and fresh and so well balanced. Great patio wine with Asian-flared meals.

Lungarotti Torre De Giano Bianco Di Torgiano 2023, Umbria, Italy
$17.95, Profile Wine Group (Vin Vino)
Sara d’Amato – A bright and expressive blend of vermentino and trebbiano — mouthwatering salty and vibrant. It’s strikingly mineral, refreshingly zippy, and impossible not to smile at. Sophisticated yet playful, it carries a delicate floral lift and a dynamic energy, underscored by a fine thread of tension.
Megha Jandhyala – This central Italian white blend is full of energy and flavour. I love the bright citrus, green apple and fresh herb flavours and the delicately fleshy yet vibrant palate. At under $20 this promises to be an appealing aperitif for summer garden parties or a harmonious pairing for light seafood.

Laurent Miquel Nord Sud Viognier 2023, Languedoc, France
$16.95, Lifford Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)
Sara d’Amato – A wine that even viognier skeptics can dig — this finely tuned expression of this characteristically voluptuous grape variety shows impressive tension and precision, sourced from carefully selected north-south–oriented vineyard blocks that promote optimal ripening and diurnal contrast. Partial fermentation in neutral oak adds textural nuance without overshadowing varietal character.

Domäne Wachau Terrassen Federspiel Grüner Veltliner 2023, Wachau, Austria
$19.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Sara d’Amato – A zesty Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, mineral and vibrant and peppery, and grapefruit and lemon and blossom and what incredible dynamic tension. I’m sold! Refreshing with depth and character and texture.

Bachelder Parcelle Haut Ivy & Warren Saunders Vineyard Chardonnay 2022, Ontario, Canada
$45.00, Lifford Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)
Megha Jandhyala – This single-vineyard chardonnay is impeccably balanced — its intense, rich, and silky palate supported by firm acidity. There is so much complexity here, yet also focus, elegance and freshness. An assemblage of seeming contradictions, this is an intriguing and exquisite wine that is drinking beautifully now.
John Szabo – Tasted twice and still loving this Saunders Parcelle “Haut” from Bachelder, the upper portion of the Saunders vineyard on the Beamsville Bench. Balance is spot-on, sapidity is high and complexity impressive. Lots of terroir on offer, and energy, vibrancy, depth. A serious cru, best now to 2030.

Buyer’s Guide June 7th: Reds

Domaine Queylus Tradition Cabernet Franc 2021, Ontario, Canada
$33.70, Marchands des Ameriques
Sara d’Amato – This cabernet franc carries a graceful lightness, yet it’s brimming with nuance — quietly precise, a signature of Kelly Mason’s attentive hand. Despite its modest 12% alcohol, the palate is expansive with a layered flavour profile, delivering a clear-eyed expression of Niagara Peninsula cab franc.
Megha Jandhyala – Kelly Mason has crafted an elegant and agile yet vividly expressive cabernet franc here. This is a perfectly ripe example of the variety, delicately herbal and leafy, with flavours of supple red fruit, beguiling floral aromas, and subtle spice.

Bachelder Wismer Foxcroft Gamay Noir Niagara Cru 33 Whole Cluster 2022, Ontario, Canada
$32.00, Lifford Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)
Sara d’Amato – The Wismer-Foxcroft gamay noir has a textural chew that’s utterly satisfying — substantial yet seemingly weightless. There’s a vivid sense of place here, a terroir-driven allure with an evocative aromatic profile. Seductive in the way great pinot can be, with sneaky depth and excellent length.
Megha Jandhyala – Unsurprisingly, this single-vineyard gamay from Bachelder is a bewitching example of how Niagara’s terroir differentiates itself from other parts of the winemaking world. Bright, balanced and perfumed with perfectly ripe fruit, flowers, and spice, it will appeal to connoisseurs and novices alike.
David Lawrason -This is such a pretty, aromatic and delicate gamay. The nose is in full bloom with rosé/lilac florality, red cherry/pomegranate fruit and just a hint of barrel spice. It is light bodied, almost satiny smooth, and sour-edged. Lots of energy yet sophistication.
John Szabo – One-third whole bunch fermentation yielded a lifted, fruity-spicy version of gamay, absent any hard, stemmy edges. I’d like to see this again in another couple of years — I feel that it has plenty more to give outside of the fruity spectrum.

Ernie Els Big Easy 2021, Western Cape, South Africa
$23.95, Vintage Trade Wine
David Lawrason – Former PGA golfer Ernie Els makes the best “celebrity” wines on the planet in my view. Anchored on sturdy Stellenbosch shiraz and cabernet, then eased up with grenache, cinsault and a splash of viognier, this offers complex plummy, floral, cedary and peppery notes. It is open-knit, warm (14%) and generous — fine for red-meat grilling.

Château Maison Noble Cuvée Prestige 2020, Bordeaux, France
$20.95, Appellation Wines
John Szabo – Evolving nicely into the tertiary spectrum, with leathery, plummy fruit mingling with dried mushrooms and dried resinous herbs. I like the balance and the complexity on offer at this price — many more expensive examples might blush at a taste of this.

Marchesi Di Barolo Barbaresco 2021, Piedmont, Italy
$43.95, Majestic Wine Cellars
John Szabo – Everything falls nicely into place in this fine 2021 Barbaresco, pretty much textbook stuff and attractively priced in the context. Best from 2026-2032.

Santé!
– Sara

(Bonus) Sara’s “Piscine” Recipe

In this critic’s option, summer heat calls for ice in your wine. Yes, ice. Don’t scoff — the French do it all the time, particularly the effortlessly chic Niçoise who order “rosé piscine” wile lounging at seaside cafés on the Riviera. Bonus: it’s perfect for those dabbling in the “no-low” alcohol category.

What You’ll Need

Large, Burgundy-style glasses
Ice cube tray or large silicone ice molds
An uncomplicated bottle of rosé
Water

Instructions:

In a large measuring cup, mix 2 parts rosé to 1 part water
Pour into mold and freeze overnight
When ready to serve, add the frozen cubes to a glass of the same chilled rosé you used in the mix. (Consistency is key.)

Note: if you’re using a high-alcohol rosé (14% ABV or more), increase the water ratio slightly to ensure it freezes properly.

Use these quick links for access to all of our June 7th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – June 7th
Megha’s Picks – June 7th
John’s Top Picks – June 7th
Sara’s Selections – June 7th

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