Summer wine time

Ros√©, Moscato d’Asti, fresh fruity bracingly acidic and low alcohol white wines. These are summer wines we have learned to adore. And every summer brings a new batch. What is it about summer wines that seem so fresh and new soon as the weather gets hot? As Dotor√© might say these are the best days of the year.
2008 Le Saint Andre Vin de Pays du Var Ros√© $11: Ros√© de Provence that is 25% each Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache and CInsault. Light salmon color. Tastes like a lightweight non-fizzy soda yet serious in a summer ros√© context. Like it fine but it ain’t the killer summer wine we know will eventually turn up. 12.5%
2007 Vida Organica Torrontes $8: Argentina’s great white wine [ed. must you say this every time?] this from Mendoza produced by the Zuccardis, wine royalty in the heart of Argentina’s wine country. Floral nose so common to Torrontes. Good acid and medium weight. Tropical flavors just like the label says. Torrontes is consistently lush with natural acidity that brightens it up. Viscosity makes it almost beefy. These are organic grapes, purchased at Whole Foods. It is a real deal at this price. Screw cap and 12.6%
2006 Domaine Gauby Les Calcinaires Cote du Rousillon Villages $24: The red version of the white wine from the same house. Imported by Weygandt. Dark almost black red color. Red berry fruit flavors. A village wine which means it is not very complex or it is exactly what you would expect to find in a local restaurant in southwest France. Put this next to your Qupe Syrah at $12. Is this Gauby twice as good? Is it worth another $12? I think it is twice as interesting as the Qupe but problem is there are some really nice Pinot Noir wines or otherwise in the same price range. So I would rather have the Gauby than the Qupe but then I wold rather buy the Dewey Kelly than both. 13.5%
2007 Belle Pente Wlliamette Valley Pinot Noir $19: Purchased at local wine shop WHWCo. Wanted to visit this the winery when up there last month but they were closed on Sunday. tBoW has reviewed Belle Pente wines a 2005 specific vineyard before. That was in the $30+ range. This is the entry level and we wanted to see if the quality trickled down into lumpen land. Color is light red brown as we expect in a 2007 Oregon PN. Looks like it is aging but it is not. More like tomato soup with burnt red peppers. There is no hint of oxidation. It is just a lighter vintage. The nose is all about the forest floor. Mushrooms, wet decaying leaves, earth. I know it sounds just awful but it is actually decadent. The wine is yummy and I would buy it again. An excellent example of what one can expect from the 2007 vintage in Willamette Valley. At $18 it is a U20 winner. Sorry Gauby. 12.5%