2022 LQLC Rose Cabernet Sauvignon, IGP Vaucluse, Les Quelles de la Coste

Tasting note

A super refreshing style of rosé, pink grapefruit and herbal notes dominate. On the palate the acidity is mouthwatering, leaving you reaching for another glass before you know it.

Our thoughts

A rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon is unusual at the best of times, but particularly in the Vaucluse, where the Grenache-Syrah-Mouvèdre triumvirate dominates. But John Malkovich is nothing if not contrary, and when the actor decided to plant four hectares around his farmhouse here, on a valley floor with underground springs that yields a microclimate that is cooler than the surrounding fields, he decided to shun the traditional local varieties. ‘There’s a lot of GSM planted near where we are because they are heat-resistant varieties, but they’re not my thing at all. It’s just not what I like,’ he says. For several years the wine was made in a local winery and drunk by locals, friends and family, before in 2014 a new focus was bought to the project and quality shot up. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon rosé sees two days of skin-contact prior to pressing and cold fermenting, delivering an attractive racy character.