The coming of "cult" rosé?

I am staggered to read in Jancis Robinson's Financial Times survey of pinks for the UK market that there is now a rosé from Provence on offer at GBP= £65 (double the number for a rough price in USD!). This is "Garrus", the top of Sacha Lichine's Château d'Esclans range; there are others in the range at £45, £22 and £15. These prices make my favourite Provençal pink, Château Simone from Palette, seem almost a steal at € 31.

Here is a link to Jancis' article which I hope you can read as non-subscribers - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3109ffd2-44ac ... fd2ac.html .

According to la Revue du Vin de France, pinks are also becoming fashionable in Paris.

There was also recently a feature on pink wine in the FT How to Spent it supplement, mentioning of course Garrus. There is nothing better to get attention thatn bold pricing these days.

Peter

She doesn't give much description of the wines aside from their price. Is that really the only thing one can say about them?

How much high-value luxury treatment can you really lavish on rose?

It won't be good news if rosé becomes culty. I always thought of it as the anti cult wine.

She doesn't give much description of the wines aside from their price. Is that really the only thing one can say about them?

How much high-value luxury treatment can you really lavish on rose?

Rahsaan,

What Jancis says, or doesn't say, is sufficient for me

That said, I see no inherent reason why rosé should not be as fine as the best white or red, provided that it benefits from the finest grape varieties and terroirs and the same rigour in the vineyard and cellar as "great" whites and reds. The difficulty is that these terroirs, in Europe at least, have been dedicated for centuries to making reds and whites. What producer is going to take the risk of converting to rosé? Such hypothetical "great" rosés would be likely to be in the elegant and subtle vein like the ethereal pinot noir based Sancerre Chavignol Rosé 1996 from Cotat which represents my finest pink experience. I don't think, however, that Provence and its grape varieties are capable of this although Château Simone sometimes gets close. Luxury treatment other than rigour, e.g. lavish wood ageing, is likely to produce a monster.

But who knows? These expensive cuvées may have snob appeal. Peter's point about high price as a marketing tool is well taken and, if a high profile critic (guess who?) can be induced to praise the wines, their success is assured.

[David M. Bueker]

The most recent rosé from Sine Qua Non (2006 Autrment Dit Rosé of Grenache) was about $70 from the winery.

That said, I see no inherent reason why rosé should not be as fine as the best white or red, provided that it benefits from the finest grape varieties and terroirs and the same rigour in the vineyard and cellar as "great" whites and reds... Luxury treatment other than rigour, e.g. lavish wood ageing, is likely to produce a monster..

Winemaking methods are one justification for pricing, which in this case do not seem to hold.

I guess the old classics of supply-demand and marketing are more likely to be relevant.