2021 Le P’Tit Paysan, Rosé, Pierre’s Pirouette, Central Coast, California.
Ian Brand’s delicious and more serious than the name Pierre’s Pirouette would suggest, dry Provence style Rosé, made with 75% Mourvedre, 14% Cinsault and 11% Grenache Noir is Bandol like blend that gives the right amount of structure and intensity to impress even the most high brow wine enthusiast, especially this vintage which is one of my favorite to date with its driving acidity and bone dry crisp detailing. The racy palate is nicely balanced between fruit and savory elements and has a lovely mineral core showing ruby grapefruit, sour cherry, strawberry, watermelon and orange rind, along with chalky wet stone, snappy herb, spice and a touch flinty/smoky cured bacon. The Mourvedre is dominate with its meaty grip, but with air the 2021 Pierre’s Pirouette adds rosewater and fresh crushed raspberry along with a textural feel in the mouth, which is from the Grenache and the zesty Cinsault that makes this wine even more compelling and fabulous with steamed mussels in spiced broth or Marseille bouillabaisse, while local to Monterey a bottle would be awesome with cioppino. Along with this tasty Le P’Tit Paysan Rosé, Brand is releasing a Spring collection, all of which are as good as expected, especially the new 2019 Bayly Ranch Cabernet Franc and the outstanding old vine Massa Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon! This Rosé is steely with low alcohol, it comes in at just about 12%, and still has loads of flavor, plus the twist top makes it great for beach use and or picnics.
The pale pinkish Le P’Tit Paysan Pierre’s Pirouette Rosé shines youthfully in the glass with a hint of vivid magenta and salmon hues, it comes from grapes grown in various plots in the Central Coast, including Arroyo Seco, in Monterey County and San Benito County. The grapes are picked early to retain vibrancy and this wine really benefits from that fresh acidity and the stony elements that come from, what Ian Brand calls, the calcium rich Aguajito Shale bluffs above the dry river bed in the Arroyo Seco AVA, as well as the calcareous alluvial soils around the San Benito Arroyo. Brand, a noted geology (dirt) geek and vineyard whisperer, along with his team employed a clean and transparent approach to their P’Tit Pays Pierre’s Pirouette Rosé, choosing to pick at a tick under 22 Brix and doing a direct pressing in separate small lots with between 3 to 6 hours of skin maceration. To promote the zingy character they chose to arrest secondary fermentation after the lots finished their cool temperature primary in stainless steel, where the wine aged as well with a minimum lees contact and bottled after just a few months. This vintage was cold stablized and sterile filtered to be as clear and as zesty as possible, making it a perfect Spring and Summer sipper, I highly recommend enjoying this one over the next 6 to 12 months. The latest offerings by Ian Brand, throughout the range and regardless of price are some of his best efforts to date and deserve your immediate attention, from the Le P’Tit Paysan Rosé and Le P’Tit Pape Rhone Blend to his La Marea Albarino and the top line I. Brand & Family stuff, like the mentioned Cab Sauvignon and Cab Franc, as well as the Grenache and Syrah bottlings are stunning!
($19 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive