2008 Garrus
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Tasting notes
Very, very pale salmon pink. Smoke, herbs, iodine and delicacy on the perfumed nose. With real depth and concentration too. Intense salivatory fruit with a lightly saline finish. Not a trace of sweetness but nor of decay. In fact even next year it may still be alive; it has certainly lasted much longer than I predicted when I first tasted it. But then it is Sacha Lichine's top cuvée at this Var property that has encouraged a general upward trend in quality in the best Provençal rosés. Admirably neat and persistent on the finish. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Very herbal and somehow marine on the nose (though this estate is far, far inland). Bewitching lightness and dancing freshness. If this were a champagne house, this would be its Blanc de Blancs. Very persistent and complex though in thoroughly refreshing register. I'm impressed! (JR)
Selection of the best vineyards of the château, south-south-east exposure, chalky-clay slopes. Assemblage of Grenache (48% 80 year old) and Rolle. 100% free-run juice. Grapes are individually tasted and selected in the vineyard, harvesting in small crates, only in the morning, sorted twice. Destemming and soft pressing, maceration at 10-12°C to extract aromas, vinification exclusively in demi-muids (500-litre barrels) for eight months with burgundian-style bâtonnage, temperature controlled. Seems the palest and most orange of the 2008s. Slightly more savoury and more obviously garrigue-influenced than Les Clans. Lovely creamy texture and a little bit of lemon cream on the finish. Reminds me of a white burgundy in some ways. Very persistent. This is a ridiculous price – €80 a bottle from the Esclans website as opposed to €50 for Les Clans, but at least it really does taste different. Though one does wonder who on earth buys this wine and how much notice they take of the taste. Because it is so intense, the light astringency on the finish is much less evident in this bottling than in the other 2008s. Hence my suggested drink dates. (JR)