2015 Mas Carlot Costieres de Nimes Rose 750 ml

Mouthwatering Mas Carlot Rosé and Summer in the City

If you haven’t been in NYC recently, let us assure you, it’s still summertime here. Frankly, it’s uncomfortably hot. We’ve spent most of our time in the last few weeks within a 5-foot radius of our AC, which is cranked on high at 68 degrees. So when Michael Madrigale, Wine Enthusiast’s #1 Sommelier in America, called and asked us to meet him in Central Park, we thought he was crazy. “OUTSIDE?!” we winced. “I’ve got something special,” he replied. We could hear him grinning over the phone, so we figured we had no choice...

We got to the Great Lawn at 4 p.m. and Michael was already there, sitting on a blanket next to a blue and white cooler. We wondered about its contents, but said nothing. Madrigale didn’t rush to reveal his secret either. We talked Yankees, Olympics, 2015 Bordeaux AND Napa, before he finally let on. “Let me show you what you came for,” he relented, reaching into the cooler. Madrigale rattled around ice cubes and took out a glistening salmon-colored bottle. “2015 Mas Carlot Costières de Nîmes Rosé,” he said proudly. “This is easily the most refreshing wine I’ve had all summer.” We thought about the weeks we spent huddling next to our AC and wondered what took him so long.

Popping the cork, Madrigale gave us the backstory on the bottle. “Costières de Nîmes covers the area between the towns of Nîmes and Arles in the southern Rhône. Arles is where Van Gogh went for inspiration. It’s where he painted ‘Le Café de Nuit’.” We were familiar with the appellation, a dozen miles from the Mediterranean, stamped by the Mistral winds that aerate the region’s grapes and prevent rot and pest infestation. “This Rosé was made by Nathalie Blanc-Marès,” Madrigale continued, “the daughter of Paul-Antoine Blanc of Le Pied de Cochon.” We were momentarily distracted by memories of an unforgettable dinner at the famed Parisian restaurant overlooking the Gothic Saint-Eustache church. “He bought Mas Carlot in 1986 and has since passed the torch to Nathalie.”

We looked at the opened bottle fizzing in front of us. Were we sweating in anticipation or from the heat? At that point, it didn’t really matter. Finally, Madrigale poured our glasses. The wine crashed onto our palates and for a moment we thought we felt the breezy Mistral at our backs. “Ahhh,” was about all we could muster.

Brilliant salmon to the rim, the 2015 Mas Carlot Costières de Nîmes Rosé is perfectly mineral aromatically, featuring a mouthwatering mix of apricot, rose petals, and sweet herbes de Provence. Rich and wonderfully juicy on the attack, filled with high-toned wild-berry flavors, finishing with mouthwatering acidity. All anyone could ask for on a hot day in Central Park.

91 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine, plus 2016 “Value Brand of the Year” honors for Mas Carlot. The best part? It’s ONLY 12 BUCKS!

Don’t spend the precious few remaining days of summer inside like us. Pack an ice-cold cooler with a bottle of Mas Carlot and lay out a blanket in the most scenic spot you can find. It’ll be a moment you won’t soon forget. $15 on release. Just $12 today on WineAccess, before fall hits.