This column was originally published on the Bordeaux Chauvinist’s website, Cquoi ce vin, or What is this wine? 

He advises on good value for money wines of all appellations, regions and countries (but he remains a Bordeaux Chauvinist). He remains anonymous, so he can review wines independently. Here, he tries an expensive rosé from Provence and can’t find the value.

So invited to my parents last weekend, my mother, not a little proud, said to me:

“Daughter, have you ever tasted the most expensive rosé in the world?”

“But no mother!, I answered him! (Yes, we are like that in the family!)

She then proudly placed on the table a bottle of Château d’Esclans, the Garrus rosé 2017 vintage.

This wine comes from a property in the Côtes de Provence located on a hillside about twenty kilometers north-west of Fréjus. The winery is owned by Sacha Lichine, son of Alexis Lichine, former owner of the Château Prieuré Lichine in Margaux.

The wine comes from old Grenache vines, fermented in French oak demi-muid, here 600 litres, but the volume can vary from 500 to 650 litres of wine. Stirred twice a week for 10 months is practiced, stirring consists of putting the lees in suspension in order to provide the wine with: fat, structure and length in the mouth. To the eye, the wine has a salmon-colored robe (which will go very well with my coral pumps) it, therefore, shows a small evolution, from the first nose exhales disturbing aromas of Champagne !!! It’s amazing.

The second nose reveals a note of red fruit, slightly vanilla, followed by a touch of brioche.

The palate is terribly supple and fresh at the same time, with floral aromas, this rosé has a very nice balance and a good length in the mouth.

This is a gastronomic rosé, certainly not an aperitif wine, it will be perfect with a bouquet of shrimps, grilled langoustines, salmon with sorrel … for a color match, or white meats like a sautéed Provencal rabbit, a hunter chicken …

However, just like the meaning of “Garrus,” Holly in Provençale, the price stings a bit, you have to pay no less than 95 € for a bottle!

I will have the opportunity to offer you rosés that are much cheaper, just as good and which will allow you to have a much cooler summer … for your finances.

It’s a shame that you don’t live in Bordeaux.😉

Editor’s note: There are several positive reviews of Garrus by ‘professional’ reviewers. One, Tom Cannavan, says the Garrus is “a wine that plays mind-games with you, seeming like a typically fresh, floral and herb-strewn Provence pink one minute, perhaps a delicate and feminine Pinot Noir the next, and yet with the texture and balance of a fine white wine. Truly something exceptional and will cellar positively too.” See more reviews here of various Garrus vintages here. As always, tread with caution. Reviewers typically don’t buy the wine, then taste, they just taste!