French Connections Wine, or FCW as the label says, (more) was from the Texas Wine Club (more) box. Officially the full name of this wine is 2021 La Connection Rosé, and according to the website is a blend of 68% Mourvédre and 32% Cinsault. The grapes are grown in the Texas High Plains.
I love the color of the wine so much, I had to photograph it. My thoughts below.
After opening this slightly chilled bottle of Rosé I expected a heavy floral scent – but very little scent at all. Maybe a slight grapefruit/nectarine scent. The first flavor was acidic and faded on the tongue, but made my mouth water, so I wanted to drink more of it, much like eating a ripe grapefruit without sugar.
I love a nice Rosé with my spicy garlic eggplant and scallion pancakes, so this was paired with it. It probably needed something with a bit less punch to it. It went well with the egg roll, keeping the bread flavor that develops on the tongue after the citrus fades. It actually worked really well with the eggplant and pulled out some flavor in the wine to give it a hint of sweetness, but it really brought out the spice in the Kung Pao Chicken. It didn’t go with the scallion pancakes at all.
Final Thoughts
As the brand name suggests, this is a French style Rosé that really needs food with it. My husband summed it up with “It’s not an Intro Rosé.” So, we ended up not drinking much of it during dinner, and just enjoyed sipping on it during the action movie (his weekend to pick) afterwards. We gave it a Thursday rating as it was really good.
Personally, I think it would have gone better with a chick flick than a CIA thriller – but if you’re into the traditional Rosé style that isn’t a sweet porch pounder or book club wine – then this is for you.
P.S. Can’t wait to try this with Hye Thai!
[…] I reviewed the Rosé already, so you can read more here. […]