Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awards Mirabeau 89!

Robert Parker is undoubtedly the single most influential wine critic on the planet. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and note-taking vocabulary, have become influential in global wine buying and particularly in the US.

The Financial Times described his as “the world’s most prized palate” and The Wall Street Journal has described him as being “widely regarded as the world’s most powerful wine critic”. Max Lalondrelle, fine wine buying director for Berry Bros & Rudd says: “Nobody sells wine like Robert Parker. If he turns around and says 2012 is the worst vintage I’ve tasted, nobody will buy it, but if he says it’s the best, everybody will.”

Here is the tasting note and score for Mirabeau Rosé 2012

Mirabeau 2012 is a classic Provencal rosé that offers up loads of juicy strawberry, mint and hints of herbs as well as a medium-bodied, supple and downright gulpable profile on the palate. Upfront and fruit-driven, with juicy acidity, it’s a crowd pleaser meant for a hot summer day and warrants a multi-bottle purchase. 89 Points.

Article by Jeb Dunnuck  for Robert Parker’s ‘The Wine Advocate’.

‘Tis the season, as they say, and now (or the past month or two actually) is when you need to be stocking up on the new 2012 rosés before they disappear from retailer shelves. While rosé is not something I think of as highly vintage dependent, the latest crop of 2012s are certainly solid across the board and have good fruit and crisp acidities.

When looking at which rosés to drink, I generally break rosé up into two classifications: Provencal and Tavel. Provencal rosés are, generally speaking, lighter in color — sometimes even verging on salmon as opposed to pink – and are mostly light in body, with bright acidity and more mineral, orange rind and melon-styled aromatics. In my mind, this style is perfect for quaffing on hot summer days, yet can also work nicely to start a meal or to pair with tapas or light appetizers. Tavel-styled rosés in comparison, as well as a number of (not all) rosés made in California via the saignée method, are richer, fuller wines that can vary from light pink/raspberry in color to full on ruby. They can offer more fruit driven bouquets, additional texture and yet stay crisp and refreshing. There are no hard rules, but I generally pair this style with food, and they can even fill in for a Pinot Noir in some cases. There’s no right or wrong and both styles can be superb. There’s also a wealth of bottlings that span the spectrum. Given that the top releases disappear quickly from retail shelves, it’s best to stock up early with a selection of different styles. This gives you the greatest selection at wine shops and allows you to choose which style you want to drink at any given time over the summer. It also allows you open bottles without any guilt that it’s the last one.

While some rosés can certainly age, I’m a firm believer that these are best consumed in their first year; that means, as a general rule, you should only be buying 2012s at this point. Certainly, top Tavels, Bandols (not reviewed here) and richer styled efforts can drink beautifully for 2-3 years, but nevertheless, they never last that long at my house

Happy hunting and happy quaffing.