by Malcolm Jolley
“Fruit bomb” is not usually a term of endearment in the wine writing world. But maybe, just maybe, once in a while, it ought to be. When a fruit bomb is done well it loads lots of biggish jammy fruity flavour with a balance of mouth watering acidity and a bit of smoky leather to add a savoury note, as is the case with the 2007 Chateau Rouquette sur Mer, Cuvee Amarante, La Clape ($17.95 – LCBO# 156273) from the Mediterranean side of Languedoc, in Southwestern France. Maybe it’s the early proliferation of strawberries this year in Ontario, part of the warm sunny spring we’ve had, but the grandiose raspberry and (even) blueberry notes coming out of the Amarante are welcome, especially with big BBQ flavours like garlicky sausages, or cheeseburgers with the works. Let this be a revelerous exception to the rule of subtle complexity, and let’s just have a fun quaff this weekend.
The Amarante is actually a survivor from a late March release, so click here to do a search to find out which LCBO Vintages are stocking it near you.
