Christoval Vineyards Rosé of Mouvèdre 2012: Ripe strawberry, watermelon, sweet cherry, cranberry; fresh, nice fruit, medium-dry, clean, some weight and savory elements in the mouth. Mouvèdre (monastrell in Spain) is thick skinned, warm-to-hot weather staple, the third-blending grape in GSM wines, a natural ally of grenache. The rosé choice pulls the juice from its thick, dark skins and does not allow evolution of the leathery, spicy, gamey elements that make it valuable as a full-red blender. This restraining allows the grape to sing solo, as it does well in this all-Texas grape effort. $19
