It’s the last minute, you’re past the shipping deadlines, and you need a gift for a wine lover.  What do you do?  Well, you could get in the car and trudge through the freezing wastes to head to the liquor store.  One you’re there, you can agonize for minutes (hours, days) over the perfect bottle for your love one.  Do you get them the Chateau Montelena or the Glitter Edition of One Hope Chardonnay?  Once you find the perfect bottle, you must brave the lines, exchange your cash, and backtrack all the way to the house.  Only then, will you fulfill your quest to be the one Highlander, feel content that you’ve made their Christmas happy.

[Disclaimer, the folks over at Vinebox sent me a sample of their tasty, tasty club offering back in August.  I’ve been sampling the bottles for something an extended period, and they’ve all been wonderful —  Other disclaimer, the folks over at Reviews.com have been very persistent trying to get eyeballs on their articles.  This one about Wine Club subscriptions has an interesting methodology, but I’m not getting anything from them to tell you about it.]

There’s an easier way that keeps on giving.  Subscription based wine services.  There are tons of them out there, ranging from Plonk to the wine club formerly known as Club W (Winc).  The folks over at reviews.com have even put together a comprehensive overview of several out there, and the pros and cons.  One they don’t bring up, but I’d like to add to the mix is Vinebox.

As mentioned in our full review, Vinebox is a pretty cool product.  The wines are typically from smaller producers and are high quality.  With quality to match, the packaging makes it sing, with a beautiful collection of information and bottling techniques.  While you can read about the whole package in the review and Domaine Baud L’Etoile here, today I want to talk about the Rosé in my Vinebox, Château de Saint Martin Grand Reserve 2015

Sight: Amber gold, hints of orange

Smell: Orange blossom to start with hints of papaya, minerals, and touch of salinity.  The nose is very ripe but seems to lean into stone fruit.

Sip:   Bright, full-bodied, and with a round, smooth texture, it introduces more of the papayas and orange to start with a bit of ripe pear.  Hints of caramel and sea salt join in with a flit of candied citrus.  Hints of residual sugar linger at the edge.

Savor:  The ending leaves a slight tartness of orange pith, with touches of lemon, pineapples, and sea salt.

While Château de Saint Martin Grand Reserve is a little light on the color for a rosé, it makes up for it in spades with a fun palate.  This is one of those wines, where when I read the descriptors used in the marketing, I can’t help but wonder if someone forgot to change the bottle.  My first pass through this wine wasn’t significantly different than the Domaine Daud L’Etoile.

Overall similarities and potential confused bottling processes aside, my palate may have just picked up something off the beaten path.  It’s hard to say.  Half the fun of the Vinebox though is getting to try three unique glasses of wine, with the potential to buy the bottle.  Château de Saint Martin Grand Reserve is delicious, and Vinebox makes a great potential gift if you’re looking last minute.

Verdict:  Papaya, Orange, Sea Salt, Pear
Rating: 87
Price: Part of Vinebox – Our Review
Provence, France
Blend: Grenache, Tibouren, Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah