2013 Bonny Doon Vineyard "Vin Gris Tuilé"

Though not quite a meeting on the astral plane, when an early morning conversation about dreams leads to the arrival of intriguing wines, it does make one wonder if, perhaps, the universe is working its mysterious ways through the magic of social media.

A sample of the 2013 Vin Gris Tuilé, a "brick pink wine of the sun & earth", arrived to me in just such a way. I didn't even know it existed before it materialized via delivery service. Though a traditional blend of southern France grapes, this is not a typical rosé in the Provencal sense; this wine was solarized in a glass demijohn purposefully changing both it's color and character.

I had dinner guests coming later in the evening and a large chunk of meat was already out spinning on the rotisserie. I was setting up some pre-dinner Mediterranean-themed snacks and decided to check out whether this Central Coast wine was "the perfect apéritif wine" as advertised on the back of the bottle. I poured a glass of the slightly cloudy, pale orange-colored wine. With it's oxidized aromas familiar to any sherry drinker, I immediately knew this wine was not going to be for everyone.

I took a sip, sat, thought and then I poured myself some more. Nutty with grapefruit citrus and an interesting Indian spice note through the lingering finish. Cumin or curry, I couldn't decide. Nope, this wasn't for everyone. It clearly was a wine for me and I wasn't sharing. I decided to go hide it in my refrigerator.

Dinner was served with different wines that evening and I continued to enjoy the 2013 Bonny Doon Vineyard "Vin Gris Tuilé" over the next few days. It was an excellent apéritif wine as suggested and with it's intentional oxidized character, it remained very consistent.

I did offer a taste to my husband the next day. He compared it with the white wines we had tried in Bandol (which I will tell you had not been his favorites). As I said, it is not for everyone so I took his glass and I finished it. Highly recommended for your quirkier wine loving friends.

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