Here at last is friendly 2006 pricing from Pauillac and a clever, well, I suppose the word is product, not one usually applied to wines made in top classed growth properties in Bordeaux.
This attractively packaged wine, the label just as ornate as its stablemate Pichon Longueville (Baron), all turrets and engraved detail, is hardly a rosé at all but a very light strawberry red. It could surely qualify as that old Bordeaux hue clairet. And it is very definitely made for drinking with food, being pretty substantial in terms of body, definitely reminiscent of red bordeaux, but it should be drunk cool (not icy).
It is the result of a saignée, or bleeding off, or less concentrated juice from grapes destined for the robustly priced grand vin and it tastes like it. Very aromatic and lively on the nose, it smells completely unlike most rosés but not unlike most red bordeaux – and there’s even a bit of tannin on the finish. The overall effect is very unusual – nothing like the super-fruity, often rather sweet wines that predominate in the rosé section of most stores. This is seriously intriguing wine because it really does hint at Pauillac and yet – it’s not red. Fascinating. I could imagine it so easily served outside in the shade on a hot day at a table heaped with delicious summer food. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc make up the blend. There’s none of the third Pichon grape Merlot because it wasn’t aromatic enough – it would have had to have been picked a week earlier to retain its aroma and acidity, which would hardly have helped the grand vin.
This is a wine to be drunk this summer – no point in hanging about – so congratulations to those many Oregon retailers, so far from Bordeaux, who are currently selling it according to winesearcher.com which also lists stockists in Switzerland and Germany too, as well as its UK importers Bibendum Wine who are asking the rather strange price of £10.23 a bottle, though they don't sell single bottles. In the UK the wine is available at £9.99 from the new Whole Foods Market in Kensington about which Nick wrote recently, www.winebuythecase.com and Bentley’s of Ludlow (01584 875520).
The alcohol level is a 13% and it comes stoppered with one of those smart screwcaps with flat sides that’s pretending not to be one.
This is thoroughly recommended for serving with special outdoor meals.