(2022) I have to say, this wine caused me a bit of head-scratching. First of all, let me be clear that the stuff in the bottle is very good; a vibrant, and intense berry-infused wine from a vineyard in Bandol, with excellent concentration and a mineral edge to the crisply-defining citrus acidity. It's a brand, created by two English entrepreneurs, with a whole diesel/cars/driving schtick behind their website (where the wine can be purchased). They also stress their carbon-neutral ambitions for the wine and its supply-chain. Quite how appealing the name will be and how the story fits together is unclear to me, as is the decision to package the wine in a very non-descript bottle. That may be part of a light-weight strategy, but with most rosés going all-out for shelf-appeal glamour, it's a bit odd for a wine selling for between £15 and £18. It's an oddity, but a delicious oddity it's true.
(2022) Fans of Whispering Angel will notice a slightly more gastronomic, mineral and meaty character here, Esclans cuvées from this point up seeing some barrrel fermention, of Grenache, Cinsault and Vermentino. Peachy-pink, this is in some ways a sweet spot on price and quality for the whole, impressive range: intense, concentrated peach fruit, but with a keen raspberry edge of mouth-watering tartness, minerals and a touch of savoury tannin into a long, shimmering finish.
(2022) What a lovely, refined and joyously delicious rose, based on Grenache, its typically pale colour is attractive, as is the peachy aroma, nuances of sherbet and small, redcurranty and dry berry fruits. The palate is refined and elegant, finely etched acidity enlivening the ripe, sweet summer berry fruits, adding edge and extra freshness. Nobody will be disappointed in this.
(2022) For a couple of quid more I'd go for the Etoile I must say; absolutely nothing wrong with this creamy and red berry, raspberry filled wine, but stacked against the Etoile, it is a little harsher in its phenolics and just lacks the delicate prettiness.
(2022) This organic rosé comes from the IGP Méditérranée, an area mostly in Provence but which also extends to parts of the Rhône Valley. It's made by a Provence estate, and is a typical Provence blend of Cinsault, Grenache and the local Tibouren grape. A little more depth to the colour here, and a tooty-fruity bonbon nose. Red berries onto the palate, ripe and rounded, but acidity is good. Ripe and sweeter in style, but most enjoyable.
(2022) Mostly Grenache with Syrah, fruit comes from vineyards at 300-400m altitude, planted on clay and limestone soils. Pale and pretty in colour, there's an aromatic quality to this, a hint of passion fruit and small, sweet red berries. Punchy on the palate, plenty of zing and verve between raspberry fruit and its fine line of acidity. At time of review £5.50 discount to £11.99 on one of Majestic's scarcely realistic 'mix six' deals, oy by the bottle in Scotland. That price is good value - £17.49 less so.
(2022) A pale and rather lovely Provence blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, this is all fragrant, light berries, watercolour paint and a touch of watermelon. The palate is bone dry and wonderfully brisk and racy, the small, firm, red berry fruits running into rosy red apple and lemon acidity that is decisive without being at all harsh.
(2022) Last year's Les Clans was a fabulous wine that I ranked more or less equally with the Garrus, and I have to say this 2020 is equally compelling. The blend is Grenache, Syrah and the white Vermentino, the wine fermented and aged 10 months in oak. I detect the creamy, quality but subtle oak across the aromas, but there's a raft of delightful small red berry fruit that still dominates the nose. The palate shows that layered, complex subtlety, delicate but so intense, the frut and mineral, stony acid core combining to extend the finish.
(2022) The estate wine is partly vinified in larger oak barrels and blends Grenache and Syrah with Vermentino. There's an attractive peachiness on the nose here, but mostly tight, small red berries and a wisp of salt. The palate is firm and has a really decisive, dry, grippy citrus core that is eminently food-friendly. Long, structured, with a saline edge, it's a lively and serious wine.
(2022) There is no denying the concentration and serious intent of this 2020 edition of Garrus. A blend of the best parcels of Grenache, Syrah and Vermentino, it was fermented and aged 10 month in French oak 600-litre 'demi-muids'. Taut and mineral on the nose, tasted blindfolded this would be judged a serious, complex white wine I am sure, save for a tell-tale whisper of small, precise red berry fruits and a hint of sweet earth and spice. The palate is quite strict, the tension of the citrus and salts acidity and a little grippy tannin, agains red fruits that are constrained, but one can almost sense a straining at the leash, waiting to blossom more fully. Long, balanced but concentrated, I'd tuck this away for a few years for sure.
