There are days when I walk into my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source and every wine is a winner.  Actually, that is every time I stop in, because they don’t carry the usual run-of-the-mill wines that are found in gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, department stores and convenience stores.  I would have to say that close to one-hundred percent of all the wines that they carry, they have actually tasted.  Another unique aspect, is that if they really like a wine, they may try to corner the market on it, in the state.  And if that does happen, he still doesn’t try to gouge, because sometimes he can get a better price and he in-turn gives a better price to his customers. 

What a perfect wine to start the day then, having Les Maîtres Vignerons de Vidaubanaise “La Plage” Rosé du Var IGP 2020 and la plage translates to the beach.  The producer is also known as La Vidaubanaise.  The cellar was founded in 1912 in the town of Vidauban, and operates a cooperative of vineyards in the Var Department of the Cotes de Provence.  They mainly grow Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rolle.  They have also attained the highest level of environmental agriculture in France.  They maintain six-hundred hectares of vines which are between fifteen and thirty-five years of age, planted on soil of sand, clay and limestone.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Carignan and Merlot.  The wine is fermented and aged in Stainless and bottled in February after the harvest.  The nose offered ripe cherries and raspberries and delivered a bright refreshing taste that gave me watermelon and cherries with a short finish of minerals.     

I followed up with Ixsir Winery Grand Reserve Rosé Batroun, Lebanon 2020.  Ixsir Winery was founded in 2009 in the northern part of Lebanon in Batroun which is a coastal area.  They are a mountain winery, and one of the highest in elevation for the Northern Hemisphere.  The name Ixsir derives from the Arabic word “Iksir” the original Arabic word for “elixir.” History has recorded that man has searched for the perfect elixir for eternal youth and for love.  The winery is very progressive and has been named one of the greenest buildings in the world.  The winery owns one-hundred-twenty hectares in the Batroun with several different vineyards capitalizing on the terroir.  The winery grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Caladoc, Cinsault, Merlot, Obeidy, Viognier, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon.  Quite impressive for a young company, as far as I am concerned. This wine was forty percent Mourvedre, forty percent Cinsault and twenty percent Syrah.  This was done in Stainless Steel for both fermentation and aging to maintain the fresh fruit of the wine.  A beautiful floral nose with flavors of red fruits, bright and firm acidity and a nice lingering finish of terroir for a lighter wine.  Perfect on a summer day with barbecued lamb, and a couple of more bottles chilling on reserve.