PRICE $24.99, CASE SPECIAL $270/$22.50 per bottle

If you had a laboratory and could create the perfect Rose for this summer’s drinking and beyond, what attributes would you look for first? Wonderful color, for sure; a pale pink, maybe, that shimmers in the sunlight and just makes you want to hold the glass and watch the tears of condensation drip down the side. And it had better smell good! How about a zesty bouquet redolent of fresh lavender, wild alpine strawberries and fresh cut roses? Is that a bit of orange peel? On the palate it had better be fresh and lively- so you can drink a lot- but it also needs a bit of heft from its fruit flavors. Striking the right balance between too light and too heavy isn’t easy, is it? And it should have enough acidity to keep the wine going down easy and cut through all those salty, green and cheesy things on your plate in the backyard. And the finish. It need that lovely mineral, dry finish that will remind you that your wine was born in a vineyard sitting on the earth of southern France, not far from the Mediterranean, rather in your lab. So put that white coat away, grab your corkscrew, an ice bucket and a glass that doesn’t leak. It’s Rose season, and Commanderie de Peyrrasol, a property that has been making Provencal Rose since the times of the Knights Templar, has you covered! This is, indeed, the archetypal Rose of summer! Cook to it or just slosh it back while contemplating life- either way is OK! **+ Arugulas, *** Hammocks on PRIMA’s scientific Rose scale.

Just arrived from France and ours will be Wednesday.