Chateau Ballan Larquette Bordeaux Clairet 2013 - Oscar Winner

£9.49

Bordeaux Clairet. Dark rose; luscious, intense, fruit driven and well structured. Glorious flavours of crushed strawberries, blackcurrants and ripe dark red cherries with subtle notes of passion fruit and pomegranate. A well loved favourite - one customer said: "quite simply has to be the best ever rose I've tasted".

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. 13% abv. 75cl

Don't fancy Rose?? Neither did I - try this and you'll be converted

Review by: Mike England, 26/06/2014

Wow! one of the best Roses, if not favourite wines ever. I don’t like Rose normally, forget your predudice, this Bordeaux Clairet is fabulous. My wife and eldest son, neither wine drinkers, both loved this. Very fruity, not acidic, long lasting on the palate. Lots of soft fruit flavours. This is a must try and I will buy more

Review by: Andrew from London, 17/04/2014

I loved this! It's smooth, fruity, aromatic and very very moreish. It knocks spots off other roses.

Review by: Esther Downing, 16/08/2011

An intoxicating find! This wine goes well with food too. It's something a little different and quite special. We are having a party in the garden and will need a case of Ballan Larquette please as I can see everyone wanting to try it.

Review by: Tom Bright, 16/08/2011

I can understand why this wine is one of your most popular. This really is a cut above other roses I have tried. Clairet is new to me, I had never heard of it until I found BU and decided to try it. Now it's my favourite wine! It has so much more body and fruit than other roses - quite delicious!

Review by: Sara Walker, 16/08/2011

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Description

Chateau Ballan Larquette is from the award winning estates owned by Regis Chaigne, whose family have been wine makers for six generations. Ballan Larquette lies in a tiny village named St Laurent du Bois (St Lawrence in the Woods).

Clairet is unique to Bordeaux and is different to Rosé; being both deeper and darker, with more fruit flavours, power and structure. It has its own AOC: Bordeaux Clairet, to regulate its production. If the name sounds familiar, that's because Clairet was the style of Bordeaux enjoyed in England until the 18th century - hence the name Claret!

Ballan Larquette really is a beautiful presentation of a Clairet produced in Bordeaux. It is perfect as an aperitif and is fabulous with food - in fact Regis calls it 'The Rose of Family Cuisine'. Ballan Larquette will accompany seafood, grilled meats, rabbit and fish, salads, Asian cuisine and prime rib of beef.

Richard Mark James - Wine Writing
Château Ballan-Larquette Bordeaux Clairet - rich vibrant colour and red fruit cocktail on the nose / palate vs oily creamy flavours and texture, fairly full-bodied with 'sweet' cherry / berry fruit vs crisp fresh bite on the finish. Serious foodie rosé.

Fresh Escapes
Clairet is a full bodied style of Rose particular to Bordeaux and if the name sounds familiar, that's probably because it was the most common style of Bordeaux enjoyed in England until the 18th century - hence the name claret. It has a distinctive rich colour and a ripe strawberry nose. On the palate it's brimming with lovely round red fruits - cherries and a hint of rose petals; summer in a glass, great value too.

Andrew Barrow, The Observor
On a man-acceptance scale this (colour aside), is right up there. Dry and delicious with or without food, it's a classic Bordeaux spread but made to be a rosé rather than a red. Someone at least has been listening to what the British consumer really wants and has responded with a wine of excellent structure, fresh, clean flavours that end with raspberry jelly that also has a gorgeous mouth-feel and surprisingly good length.

Ned Halley, The Western Daily Press, Today's Tipple
Clairet is a Bordeaux name for rose, made by keeping the juice on the skins just long enough to impart a nice pink hue, and lots of character and flavour, too. This wine is a vivid magenta colour, smells of fruit blossom and is packed with strawberry-blackcurrant flavour. It is crunchy fresh, yet long on the finish. Easily the best rose I have tasted this year, it's simply delicious.

Clive Platman, The Birmingham Post, Food & Drink
Uncommon in the UK, a clairet is a deeper-hued rosé, benefiting from long skin contact with the juice. Fuller on, this gave deep flavours of plum infused with spice.

Charlotte Lessing, The Lady
A surprise delivery of Bordeaux wines from an online wine shop . . . for those who appreciate quality wines but can never seem to find a reliable source . . . it's intense colour is fullon the nose with red fruit aromas including strawberries and redcurrants. With smooth tannins, plenty of fruit, it has what they call "a slight hint of sweetness". Once again the sweet taste almost put me off but as I went on enjoying the frutiness and the easy drinking I thought it would be popular.

Learn more about Clairet on Nicks Blog: Bordeaux Clairet - A Rose By Another Name