Apparently between getting married, shooting movies, collecting children and being generally ridiculously good-looking, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have found the time to get into the wine business. Ordinarily, I tend to shy away from celebrity-brand alcoholic products. (I'm looking at you, Ron Jeremy. Well, actually I'm not.)
But with Miraval, Brangelina's new line of French wines from the Rhone Valley, I'm willing to make an exception, because this is a pretty spectacular wine. The couple has partnered with Famille Perrin, a noted producer of wines at their own Chateau Beaucastel. The resulting flagship product is Miraval Rosé 2013 A.O.C Côtes de Provence which has received several 90-plus scores from the wine press.
I'd have to concur. Since entering the market recently, Miraval has fairly flown off the shelves at local wine stores, even with a relatively high price point of the $30-$35 range. The distinctly designed bottle contains a lovely pale pink wine that exhibits delicate floral, citrus and red-berry notes on the nose.
In the glass, Miraval is probably best served somewhere between the traditional temperatures that you would use for white and red wines. Take it out of the refrigerator and let it rest, warm and open up in the glass for about a half-hour and you should be good to go. After opening up, the wine offers a soft and round mouth feel and highlights elements of all four blending grapes used in its creation: Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle and Syrah. Delightful minerality perks up your tongue as you detect more of those red berries and just a touch of saltiness from the limestone.
I expect this would be a very food-friendly wine, although my bottle didn't survive long enough to finish cooking dinner. Hey, there were two of us! I like to serve rosés at Thanksgiving to add a little contrast to the creamy and buttery flavors that usually accompany turkey, which is exactly why we like cranberries with our birds. While there will still probably be a can of old-school cranberry sauce on my holiday table, Miraval would make an excellent accompaniment.
It's a limited release, so if you find a bottle, snatch it up. Or pick up two, and I'll pay you back! Thanks, Brangelina.
