The Ultimate Pool Pounder Rosé Wine of 2023

We’re back!

The 2 Hollywood Winos are back in the wine biz with a new re-designed blog and a refreshed excitement about all of the fun wine entries we have in store for you! In this entry, we want to tell you about the top pool pounders we had this summer as we revamped the blog.

First off, we love an ice cold rosé on a hot day as we’re sitting poolside. Nothing is more refreshing and relaxing than the first sip of a dry, crisp Provence Rosé or one that is in the Provencal style (as California makes some wonderful rosés too!).

What Is a Provence Rosé?

Provence rosés are a type of rosé produced in Provence, France. They are usually made from the thinner-skinned Grenache grape or a blend that contains a high percentage of Grenache, which grows well in the warm climate of Provence. These kind of rosés tend to be a pretty pale pink color and who doesn’t want to drink a pretty wine? They are usually dry and crisp, perfect for a hot summer day and even year-round if it’s your go-to wine.

On its own Grenache can be a super yummy red wine that’s kind of light and fruity, with an aroma of red fruits like strawberries or raspberries. Grenache has low tannin (the stuff that makes your mouth pucker) and the thin skin means a lighter-colored wine (think soft pink), which helps make it a good grape for a rosé. The Grenache grape is usually the star but it can also be partnered with other grapes, like Syrah or Cinsault, to create a beautiful rosé.

Grenache also makes an excellent partner in a wine blend called a GSM, which stands for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. A GSM is more complex and bolder and has great structure due to its grape pals in the bottle. We’ll be chatting about GSM in a future blog entry!

We chose three wines for this rosé taste test:

• The first one comes from Tablas Creek, one of our favorite wineries in California’s Paso Robles wine region:
  • Patelin de Tablas Rosé 2022 from Paso Robles, CA
  • Blend: 67% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 9% Counoise, 3% Vermentino
  • Price: $22
• The second was a suggestion from K&L, our local wine store in Hollywood.
  • Domaine de Fondreche Rosé from Ventoux, Provence, France
  • Blend: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah (unknown %s)
  • Price: $17
• The third was a rosé that we tried during a wine tasting at Flask, another local wine shop in Studio City.
  • AIX 2021 Rosé from Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France
  • Blend: 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsault
  • Price: $15

We originally planned to taste just the Domaine de Fondreche and the Patelin de Tablas. After opening them both we found the Domaine de Fondreche was a bit underwhelming and didn’t have a lot of personality. We proceeded to pick up the AIX which we have had many times and liked, to make it a better competition with the Patelin de Tablas.

Jane Says:

All three wines were really refreshing. I found the Patelin de Tablas to be fruity and light and easy to drink. I could easily pound it all day! The Domaine de Fondreche (2 out of 5 stars) was more puckery and acidic. It had grassy notes and a grapefruity-bitterness that I didn’t love. The AIX (3 stars) was the smoothest of them all but also more one-note. It’s very easy drinking but if you want a little more structure, I would go with my overall pick (4 stars) for top pool pounder: Tablas Creek’s Patelin de Tablas Rosé.

Steve Says:

I’ll start with the Domaine de Fondreche. The color is a pale pink grapefruit and on the nose it shows a bit of apricot and honeysuckle. I like that it has a big nose; it’s probably twice as aromatic as the Tablas Creek. With medium acidity it is pleasantly mouth watering. Overall its a good bargain rosé but it just didn’t have the same complexity as the Tablas Creek bottle. I personally would spend the extra five dollars for the Tablas. I give it 3 stars.

Onto the AIX, it has a nice honey color and a very pulled back nose. On the palate it’s bright with pleasing acidity, just a touch less than the Patelin de Tablas Creek. I detect a hint of meyer lemon as well. At $15 it’s another very respectable bargain rosé. This bottle is 3.5 stars to me.

If you haven’t guessed yet the Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas is my favorite, not surprisingly its also the most expensive at $22. To me it pays to spend a few extra bucks for this one. A light honey color with just a hint of pink, it’s beautiful, showing stone fruit and a subtle lemon-lime on the nose. On the palate its bracing acidity is really mouth watering, with a surprisingly full mouth feel for a rosé. I find it finishes nice and round with a touch of dryness 30 seconds out. To me it’s just what you need at the pool on a hot summer’s day. I’d say this is a 4 star wine.