Wine of the Week: 2010 Mas Carlot

We are nearly giddy over having discovered yet another perfect summer wine on local shelves, this one not a white but a peony-pink rose, the 2010 Mas Carlot (about $11 at wine-savvy markets and wine shops), a French Rhone blend of 60 percent grenache and syrah.

The pleasure begins at first sniff with a breezy, lightly floral nose. Fresh raspberry notes and a little bergamot add to the intrigue even before the fist sip. Then, on the tongue: huge fruit! Strawberry and raspberry flavors break over the palate in waves with grace notes of white peach for balance. The amazingly long and refreshing finish brings back that hint of bergamot, the oil extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange that gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive zing, as well as a bit of lime.

Above all, the finish is astonishingly clean and crisp, even a bit flinty, which makes this glorious wine a real winner when drunk chilled on its own or paired with Coho salmon as a main course, with panna cotta for dessert, or with brioche French toast at brunch.

By Colette and John Bancroft. She is the Times' book editor, and he is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine and travel. For an index and archive of reviews, go to pictograph.com.