le belles vignes sancerre and muga rose

My sister and her husband came over for dinner. We were making a wine, cream, and herb clam linguini. I'd left most of our wine in the in-law's cool basement for the summer and still hadn't picked it up yet. So, off to the local wine store. They are pretty nice people down the hill at Rockwood and Perry Wine Merchant. I picked out this Loire Valley Sancerre and a Muga Rose from Rioja.
Pretty standard Sancerre. And by that I mean good. Not the best Sancerre I've ever had but definitely right up there with good whites for a warm evening.

Color: Pale white gold
Nose: Subtle floral notes
Taste: Steely, smooth and silky. Nice lemon fresh acidity but no overpowering citrus flavors. A good clean complement to the dish. I'd drink this 2004 again for $18.99.


I wanted to pick us something that if my sister liked it, she could find nearly everywhere and which is pretty cheap, ~$12. So, a Spanish Rose from Muga it was. Not bad, but then again you don't normally think Spanish when you think Rose. It is a Grenache and Tempranillo based blend. The Muga was drinkable, in that no one protested. But fairly simple overall. For this price, there is probably a cheap out-of-the-way French Rose that will pull off a stronger finish for $12. I'd shop around before picking this one up again. But if you pop into a wine shop in a hurry and want to try something different from the normal Rose round-up, Muga is going to treat you fine.

Color: Muted glowing coral
Nose: Light cherry, also subtle
Taste: Fun ripe red cherry cola bliss without the color. Good, easy to drink with a little bite on the back of the palate and a gentle vanilla from this blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Tempranillo, & 10% Viura. Citrus lingers on the tongue. A very dry rose and overall pleasant.