Château de Manissy Tavel Cuvée des Lys 2020, 14 percent, $20
The dark, powerful rosés of Tavel in the Southern Rhône Valley are not everybody’s mouthful. They are more appropriate with a meal than as an aperitif by the water. But this bottle is an excellent example of a style of dark, potent rosé that was once popular but is a bit lost in today’s pale rosé world. This wine, sort of a pale maraschino color, is 60 percent grenache, 30 percent clairette and 10 percent syrah. It’s dry, with just a suggestion of fruit and floral flavors and plenty of minerality. (Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Penn.)
Fabien Jouves Vin de France Rosé À Table!!! 2021, 12 percent, $23
Fabien Jouves makes some of my favorite Cahors wines under the Mas del Périé label. Under his own name he produces a range of natural wines like À Table!!!, essentially an invitation to come eat, which you will want to do with this dark rosé. It’s made of malbec, the grape of Cahors, along with two other grapes common in southwestern France, tannat and merlot, all farmed biodynamically. It’s fresh and deliciously complex, with earthy aromas and flavors of red fruits and flowers. (Zev Rovine Selections, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
AT Roca Clàssic Penedès Rosat Reserva 2018, 12 percent, $23
AT Roca makes excellent sparkling wines in Catalonia, the wines that used to collectively be called cava until many of the best producers stopped using the term, wary of its connotation of mass production. Roca has opted instead for Clàssic Penedès, an identification for sparkling wines with strict regulations, including a requirement for organic viticulture. This rosat (Catalan for rosado, which is Spanish for rosé) is made like a Champagne, with a second fermentation in the bottle. It’s bone dry, floral and highly refreshing. (José Pastor Selections/Llaurador Wines, Fairfax, Calif.)