Jacob’s Creek Le Petit Rosé 2016
By itself that’s not unusual – sensory science underpins wine production after all – but it’s very rare to have an Australian winery that includes this role.
What’s more, JC also has a full sensory lab, complete with red/white light tasting booths, setup to help with analysing samples. Again, not wildly odd, but a further nod to just how seriously they take sensory analysis.
Couple this context with the winery’s focus on innovation, and it is little wonder that when they produce a new wine, it often hits the mark.
Just like they have with this new Jacob’s Creek Le Petit Rosé 2016.
Released as part of a pair of new pink wines (the other an on-premise focused style that is curiously fuller and darker) that are attempting to tap into the runaway growth of rosé (up 20% over 12 months), this is a pale, ‘I’ve been to the French Riviera and wish I have a superyacht’ style pink based on Pinot Noir, Grenache and Mataro.
To be honest, I didn’t expect this to be much more than just palatable. Making savoury style of rosé without it tasting like alcoholic orange/pink coloured water is harder than it looks, and I just assumed this would be pleasant and likely unexciting.
But this is much better than that. It’s still a drinking wine, the flavours light and the palate shaped by acidity. Yet it’s a properly intense wine. There’s no harsh acidity, nor is there excess sugar to prop up the finish. It’s just crunchy, faintly earthey, barely-kissed-by-a-strawberry rosé with enough softness to have you coming back for a second glass.
Strictly speaking this could never be a high-scoring wine. It doesn’t have the structure or length to dictate that, nor the beauty and grace of the best Provencal styles. But as an affordable, well-made summer drink, it performs well above its station.
Best drinking: 2017-2018. 17/20, 90/100. 12.5%, $16.99. Would I buy it? Sure would.
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4 Comments
I was trying to find a decent, quaff-able rose for an upcoming day of boating that wouldn’t break the bank (nor taste like an Allen’s lolly) and this would seem to fit the bill nicely. Thanks for the timely review!
Win! Report back on impressions.
So, it definitely does what it says on the bottle! Dry and fresh enough to enjoy a few glasses. Length, as you say, isn’t really there but it doesn’t need to be. I’ll probably stick to drinking rosé that has more texture and structure but will keep this in mind for when I’m entertaining and perhaps don’t have quite the right audience for some of my preferred options. Cheers!
This is good. Comes up well in all benchmark tastings, and against far higher priced wines too.