Mateus? Mateus. The wine your parents dranks when Lancer’s, Blue Nun, and Black Tower weren’t available is making a push back into the zeitgeist, and — surprise — it’s better than you might think.

The brand lays claim as being the first Portuguese rose ever created, and while the original Mateus was slightly sparkling and fairly sweet, the new Mateus is a dry rose that will feel familiar to any drinker of Provencal-style French roses. What hasn’t changed? The bottle, while it’s evolved over the years, still has the iconically fat base that dates back to its inception in 1942.

As for tasting, today the wine is certainly credible, an exploration of strawberries and cream and not much more, lightly sweet with notes of lemongrass and a hint of potpourri. That’s really it. What are you expecting for 8 bucks?

B+ / $10 / mateusrose.us 

2019 Mateus Dry Rose

$10

8.5

Rating

8.5/10