Cinsault is a rare and difficult to vinify red grape originally from the Rhone Valley. This dry rose packs a fruity wallop into an unassuming wine. You could pack it into a picnic because it survives warmth well, or drink it by itself, as I just did.
According to the label, Les Jamelles' wine is made at a small winery in the north part of the Beaujolais region of eastern France. These cinsault grapes themselves, however, are Vins de Pays, that is, they come from a region of France along the Mediterranean, to the west of the mouth of the Rhone, toward Spain. This is France's experimental appellation, where the wine laws are relaxed and growers can try new techniques, horticultural styles and varietals. Les Jamelles has succeeded with this one.
If this (note the price!) is France's way of re-normalizing relations with the United States, um, ... Vive le France!
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