The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2016

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50  /  the tasting panel  /  june 2016 ROSÉ S acha Lichine, esteemed producer of luxury Provence rosé wines at Château d'Esclans, unveiled the 2015 vintage of his Rock Angel Côtes de Provence Rosé (SRP $35) at Wally's Beverly Hills on April 19. The newly rebranded and extremely food-driven wine, formerly known simply as Château d'Esclans, showed beautifully against a range of cheeses, charcuterie and hors d'oeuvres from the Wally's Beverly Hills kitchen. Lichine has been the de facto leader in Provence rosé, with a strong tradition of innovation, re-invigoration and downright category disruption, and the newly rebranded Rock Angel follows suit. Wearing a signature pink shirt, Lichine got a welcome reception from L.A. area somms and buyers at the raffishly chic Beverly Hills venue. "Following the success of Whispering Angel, we are excited to familiarize devotees with our reimagined estate-bottled wine, as it offers a truly premium alternative Château d'Esclans owner Sacha Lichine (right) at Wally's Beverly Hills with Wine Director Matthew Turner (left) and Kim Beto (center), Vice President of Key Accounts for Southern Wine & Spirits of Northern California. Rockin' Pink SACHA LICHINE INTRODUCES ROCK ANGEL AT WALLY'S BEVERLY HILLS by David Gadd to the beloved Whispering Angel," commented Lichine, who spends much of his time on the road pro- moting his portfolio of wines. The charismatic Jim Allen, the retired Senior Vice President of Fine Wines for Southern Wine & Spirits (who once hired Lichine), was on hand in his current capacity as "Ambassadeur de la Famille" for Château d'Esclans, as was Kim Beto, Vice President of Key Accounts for Southern Wine & Spirits of Northern California. Rock Angel is crafted through a marriage of different styles employed at Lichine's Château d'Esclans. The grapes are partially fermented in stain- less steel as well as 600-liter French oak barrels, highlighting the best of both methods utilized onsite. Similar to Whispering Angel, Rock Angel is a superb aperitif rosé, yet with the structure and complexity characteristic of the winery's two prestige cuvées, Les Clans and Garrus. The estate part- nered with London-based packaging design firm Design Bridge to create an edgy, contemporary design that literally brings wings to the new label. Poured for us by Wally's Retail Sommelier Elizabeth Kelso, Rock Angel is delicately pale in color and has an enticing nose of red berries. Mineral and floral notes prevail on the larger-than-expected palate, tinged with baking spice and leading to a long, dry finish. The new release was accompanied at Wally's Beverly Hills by this year's new vintages of Lichine's other Grenache- based rosés: 2015 Whispering Angel, 2014 Les Clans and the highly lauded 2014 Garrus. After excellent conditions in Provence, experts are saying the 2015 vintage will be the best in the past decade—good news for lovers of Provence rosé! PHOTO: DAVID GADD

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