XF Rose 2023 by Marcos Eguren
I know it is supposed to be summer out there, but not sure where the sun had gone to. So, since the sun had been very shy this year, I thought we could reverse the concept in which we drink rose when the sun is shining. Perhaps if we open some rose the sun might decide to join us!?! Worth a try - after all, what do we have to lose? Moving forward, I had managed to get 12 different Roses to my shop last weekend for a tasting to try and pick something that would really lift the spirits. There were 8 Roses from Provence (including By Ott and Whispering Angel) and 4 non-Provence wines. Whilst the standard was quite high across the selection, the wine that stood way above the others and the outright winner had been the 2023 XF rose by Marcos Eguren from La Rioja.
Some of you might remember me waxing lyrical about it couple of years ago when we released the 2021 vintage - the wine is still the best Rose that I have run across in over 30 years of my professional wine buying career. The 2021 had set up the standards based on which I now judge every other rose - the 2023 is at the same quality standard albeit slightly different, more hedonistic in style. To remind you, it was a collaboration between Marcos Eguren, the winemaker/owner of Vinedos de Paganos (one of the most respected winemakers in Spain) and Xandra Falco – Marquesa de Mirabel, the daughter of legendary Spanish winemaker Marques de Grinon. This is only the 4th incarnation of this beautiful wine with production of only 30 000 bottles.
To the wine: XF Rose 2023, La Rioja, Spain
ZR 17+, WA 91 points , Vinous 92 points.
When I originally released the 2021 vintage there were no reviews by any critics as it was a brand-new project, but by now we already have ratings in both Wine Advocate (91 points) and Vinous (92 points). I think these ratings are still quite conservative compared to the quality on display but, considering that roses are normally not taken seriously, this is very good indeed. The wine feels like really fine, modern style white Burgundy with a slight pink hue; light, mineral and refined with soft, white summer fruit in the background. Quite gorgeous whichever way you look at it. The 2023 is a blend of 35% Garnacha, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Viura, 5% Maturana and 5% Tempranillo (white and red grapes), fermented at very low temperatures and bottled without oak ageing. Marcos Eguren is really showing his skill in preserving the elegance and finesse with underlining ripeness - the wine somehow manages to be hedonistic and intellectual at the same time. For a rose, it is not shy at these pennies, but it is more than worth it and will easily sit on a table with some of the best wines out there. Designed to be drunk over the first year or two after bottling this is ready to go. Enjoy.
I will leave you with these words from the winemaker, Marcos Eguren:
“An ode to life and joy, a journey full of hope."
Wishing you all the best
Zoran