15 Bordeaux rosé wines to try this summer
As the mercury soars, db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay puts on his rosé-tinted shades and seeks out some vinous refreshment from the vineyards of Bordeaux, including a surprisingly “grey and cloudy” showstopper.
Bordeaux has not had it easy in recent years with climate change, declining per capita wine consumption in most of its core export markets, intergenerational changes in consumption patterns and now Trump’s new tariff regime and its subsequent economic uncertainty all taking their toll.
But necessity is the mother of invention. And crises are accelerators of change. The result has been a significant diversification of the region’s offer – above all, accessible, fruit-forward, early-drinking wines that might appeal particularly to younger generations of consumers less enticed by the wines their parents and grandparents drunk.
Return to rosé
Notable in this has been the return to rosé, with the region currently producing around 16 millions bottles a year, double the volume produced just a decade ago.
The colour spectrum of Bordeaux’s rosé offer now runs all the way from a classical clairet raspberry and crimson via a more Provençal salmon pink to off-white. Indeed, as evidenced by at least one of the wines I’ve chosen below, the colour spectrum now ranges even more broadly than this – even to grey and cloudy.
All of the following are wines that I have enjoyed in recent months. None has any great pretention and, crucially, none will require you to empty the piggy bank.
1.Cap Castera Frais & Fruité 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% alcohol).
Oddly I can’t find the vintage on the label, but the fiche technique suggests 2024 (as does the wine itself). Despite the classically Bordelais blend here, this feels almost a little Provençal. It’s perhaps got a little more colour, but we have that rather classical blend of tomato consommé and fresh strawberries. But it’s fresher almost to the point of mild astringency – with rhubarb and gooseberry notes. Crisp and bright, but just a little tart even for me on the finish. 86.
2.Carrelet d’Estuaire 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 100% Merlot; 12% alcohol).
From Tutiac and sporting one of the strangest names for a rosé imaginable. At least the wine doesn’t look like it’s been drawn from the estuary! Reassuringly clear and quite crystalline. Rose pink, with a subtle shade of strawberry juice. On the palate this is quite lean and chiselled. That’s actually slightly confusing to the palate – in a way there’s not a wide enough frame for the viscosity that is actually present here to be noticed. The effect is that the wine comes across in the mouth as more dilute than it actually is. Pink grapefruit, gooseberry and strawberry. Actually, I rather like this. It’s fresh and not at all fat, crisp and bright, with a little pleasing kiss of tannin on the finish. 86.
3.Carrelet d’Estuaire Confidences 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 100% Merlot; 12% alcohol).
This is, in effect, a sort of cuvée prestige and it’s certainly more vertical, chiselled and lifted, the citrus notes ratcheted up a notch. Orange zest, blood orange, pink grapefruit, rhubarb. Crisp, bright, fresh and almost tart – but in just the kind of way you want. This dances on the limit of freshness and vivacity on the one hand and the edge of astringency on the other. It won’t be to all tastes because of that. But it’s very much what I’m looking for in a Bordeaux rosé. 87.
4.Diane by Jacques Lurton 2022 (Bordeaux rosé; 45% Merlot; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Sémillon; 12.5% alcohol).
Fleshy pink in hue, with fresh strawberry flesh, peach skin and tomato seeds, and a little green apple skin on the nose. Fresh, bright and quite lifted on the entry, with a nice sapidity building along the spine. Simple and a little slender on the finish, but with a nice brightness and a pleasing viscosity in the mouth. 88.
5.Dourthe No. 1 Cabernet Franc 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 100% Cabernet Franc from the Entre-deux-Mers; 12% alcohol).
Always a highlight of any Bordeaux rosé tasting in which it is present, the 2024 vintage is no exception. A light salmon pink with a trace of blitzed strawberry. Fresh, bright, lifted and leafy with a lovely Cabernet signature to it. On the palate this is beautifully intense yet glassy and glacial with a cool and quite sumptuous oiliness to it that is really quite enticing and that somehow accentuates the interest and underscores the vibrancy of this. Wild strawberry, mandarin zest, linden, tomato consommé and pink grapefruit. A hint of green tea too. Saline on the finish. Splendid. 88+.
6.Château Le Grand Verdus Rosé 2023 (Bordeaux Rosé; 50% Cabernet Franc; 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot; 12.5% alcohol).
Very impressive. Quite distinct and immediately very expressive of Cabernet Franc – with a lovely tomato leaf, white current and redcurrant aromatic note. Aerial, lifted, chiselled and never lazy or flat or overly rich. Crisp, bright and crunchy. I love the little hint of fresh ginger and ginger ale on the nose and on the finish too. Very sapid and juicy. 90.
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7.Nuances de Grand Corbin 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; almost, but not quite, 100% Merlot, with a little Cabernet Franc; 13% alcohol).
Intensely floral and intensely fruity – with strawberry and loganberry the most prominent notes. There’s a subtle hint of toasted sesame seed too and even a little coconut oil. Rich, viscous and quite intense in the mouth with a distinct note of rose Turkish delight and strawberry bonbons. Fresh, bright and with plenty of lift despite the density. Very nicely done. 88.
8.Les Nuits Blanches de Palais Cardinal Blanc de Noir 2024 (Vin de France; 100% Cabernet Franc; élevé en amphore; 10.5% alcohol).
I’m almost cheating here – as this is, strictly speaking, more white than rosé (there’s a clue in the ‘blanc de noir’ on the label). But it’s very much in the spirit of the new rosé revolution in Bordeaux so I hope you’ll excuse my indulgence. It’s also excellent. I have not always been the greatest fan of blancs de noir(s) masquerading as Bordeaux blanc sec. Blanc de noirs for me means Champagne. Sorry! But I’m going to have to make this an exception to my more general rule. For I love it. It’s vibrantly fresh, yet lithe and dynamic and subtle and elegant at the same time. It’s also a wondrously authentic expression of Cabernet Franc. That it’s at only 10.5% alcohol is a palpable bonus. 1218 bottles made, with the fruit picked at 3am in the morning of the 17 September 2024. It was worth getting out of bed for! 89+.
9.Les Nuits Blanches de Palais Cardinal Rosé 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 100% Cabernet Franc; élevé en amphore; 10.5% alcohol).
This is also a bit of first for me – a rosé from pure Cabernet Franc – even if it is indicative of a trend. I like it. Delicate. Refined. A little closed and subtle aromatically, but there are distinct hints that this is Cabernet Franc – with a soft white currant leafiness to the aromatics, perhaps a hint of tomato leaf or stem. Pure, crisp and intensely fresh. Sapid and juicy if very lightweight despite the sense of density. Lovely. Different. Refreshing. 88.
10.Parfaitement Rosé de Fourças Dupré 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 12.5% alcohol).
Somewhere between salmon pink and peach in hue, limpid and crystalline, this is bright and quite crisp and lifted both aromatically and on the palate, if a little closed at first. Very much a Listrac rosé. This has quite a racy acidity and is a little like the Cap Castera wine in style. A rosé for oysters, there’s even a little saline note on the finish. 87+.
11.La Petite Folie (Le Grand Verdus) 2023 (Bordeaux Rosé; 80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; from a clay-limestone terroir; 12.5% alcohol).
Salmon pink, shading to orange. Wild strawberry, tomato consommé, blood orange and orange blossom, a little nutmeg and sweet spice. Rich, quite fat and one almost craves a little more acidity. It’s got a nice swirl in the mid-palate where the more citrus notes finally engage with the richness of the berry fruits, but I’m going to prefer this in a fresher vintage. 87.
12.Picoron Madam I’m Adam 2024 (Vin de France; 100% Merlot from a single plot; 11% alcohol; just 3600 bottles).
From Chateau Picoron in Sainte Colombe (Castillon). Vinified from a single plot and picked at 11 degrees of potential alcohol, this is a style and an approach to rosé (and not just rosé) that I really like. Wild strawberries and assorted citrus notes vie for attention on the very vertical nose. There’s a little touch of sesame seed too bringing a little additional interest and complexity. Decent mid-palate richness and a pleasingly engaging freshness, there’s lots to like here. 88.
13.Picoron No Lemon, No Melon NV (Vin de France; 100% Merlot; 13,000 bottles from a single plot).
Sunny melon with a hint of pink, this is made from pressed Merlot harvested at 13% degrees of potential alcohol. Lime, lime zest, linden and a little white pear and melon. A slight hint of strawberry. There’s a delicate lactic note too and maybe a hint of freshly cut grass. Bright, quite crisp but with a certain mid-palate density that renders this just a little fat for me – certainly in comparison with the ‘Never Odd or Even’ cuvée. That said, it’s hyper-fresh again on the finish, almost becoming a little strict and astringent. Impressively different and quite a lot of fun. 87.
14.Picoron Never Odd Or Even NV (Vin de France; 100% Merlot from a single parcel; just 600 bottles produced; 12% alcohol).
This is grey and cloudy and that’s intended – or at least it’s integral to the identity of the wine (and, once again, it poses the question as to whether this can really be included in an article on rosé – even one exploring the breadth of the colour spectrum). Fresh and leafy, zesty and racy, this is a Merlot unlike any other and you’d deserve quite a big prize for picking this blind. Nettles. Coconut oil. Tahini. It looks a little like ginger beer and there’s actually a little touch of ginger there too. Intriguing. Distinctive. Rather fun. 89.
15.Le Rosé Latour Martillac 2024 (Bordeaux Rosé; 13% alcohol).
Pink with crimson highlights. Vinous, as it always is, with a lovely bright crisp and crunchy red berry fruit, plenty of vibrant citrus acidity, a more viscous touch of chilled tomato consommé. The pink gooseberry and white current on the finish reinforces the overriding sensation here – of an energising and vivid freshness. Classical. Reliable. Rather brilliant in its way. 88.
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