Paul Coulon Dom. de Beaurenard Cotes du Rhone Rose 2004

Stephanie and I purchased new bistro style plates tonight and prepared a matching meal. We started with an orzo pasta salad with lobster, tomatoes, parsley, and a lemon-garlic sauce. Then we enjoyed grill-roasted chicken with sugarsnap peas. The Coulon rose was a fantastic match. The wine opened with hints of oak and strawberry. As it warmed, Stephanie detected cotton candy, rose, and crab apple. As roses go, this one was lush, with great fruit, a long finish, and a beautiful glycerin-y body. Just the thing for grilled chicken. I would recommend it with most summertime dishes - king salmon, pastas, chicken, and pork.