OK this is a rosé - let's get that out of the way immediately so those who think there's no such thing as a decent rosé can pass on to the next post.
Secondly, the name is an invention. The wine is made by Luc de Conti of Ch Tour des Gendres, and is a rosé made by the saignée method during the fermentation of the top red cuvée of this estate. These are therefore the best parcels, and the wine has far more concentration and power than one would expect from a rosé.
But that's not the peculiarity of the wine, lots of growers make saignée pinks. What sets this one apart, was a complete rush of blood to Luc's head. He tasted the must as soon as it had been drawn from the fermentation vat and decided to let it continue its evolution in oak. And that's where it stayed for just over 5 years. So this is a pink wine with >5 years in oak.
The wine was a sort of apricot pink in colour, more orange than most rosés even Tavel, but with a bit more intensity than these. On the nose, vanilla, redcurrants, some cherry, not at all what one would expect. On the mouth - an initial surge of oak, and then you find the fruit, excellent balance of fruit and acidity - not a flabby oak soup at all, like so many of the over oaked chardonnays, but a wine with definite rosé character. We drank it with some cold ham, baked potatoes, beans and spinach and it stood up to them excellently, neither dominating nor being eclisped.
Not a wine for everyday drinking but one which will amuse and tease wine lovers with an open mind.