Earth and pepper spice are not usually the first notes we look for in delicate and cheerful rose wines. Such is the contradiction at the heart of Chinon Rose, where the cold climate lends itself so well to making rose, and the Cabernet Franc grape produces enough acidity for the job but along with the delicate, fresh-edged frame and light pink color we get those inescapable Cabernet Franc flavors; pure clay and rough cracked black pepper. There’s rhubarb in here too, golden raspberries and cranberry gelee and lemon zest. The palate is bouncy, full of life and zest and flavors of clay and red berries and dried sage that never quite sit still. Chinon Rose is never quite the wine we expect, but it never fails to charm us with precocious complexity and a certain stubborn streak, that even a fresh rose intended for sunny picnics and light, green leafy meals is still earthy and complex enough for a fireside chat. Angelique Leon is one of Chinon’s leading lights among organic, natural producers, and she knows that when making a wine this sure of itself, it’s best to stay out of the way.