2018 Azur Rose

99-point Winemaker’s “Côtes de California”

An exquisitely crafted rosé can show the character and complexity of the great white wines of the world, and the first time you taste one, it can be a game-changer. The 2018 Azur Rosé is that kind of eye-opening rosé: a pale, salmon-colored California beauty that rivals the best of Provence.

After compiling a stellar Bordeaux and Napa Valley résumé, winemaker Julien Fayard started Azur, where he calls upon his upbringing along France’s Mediterranean coastto produce a California rosé that has become the must-haverosé of Napa, and regularly makes itself at home at top restaurants like The French Laundry, Meadowood, Auberge du Soleil, Morimoto, Bouchon, Rutherford Grill, and Mustards. Walk into any Napa party or winemaker gala this season, and one thing is for sure: Azur rosé will be there either in celebration-sized three-liters, or a standard 750ml bottle with its minimalist label practically smirking from across the room.

Glimmering salmon-pink in hue, high-toned, and infused with notes of alpine strawberries and elegant soft red fruits, this is Provence by way of Napa, and no less than a rosé revelation.

Very few California wineries give rosé the kind of attention that Azur does. Julien sources grapes from the high-altitude, iron-rich Sierra Foothills specifically for rosé, and makes Azur using his homeland’s time-honored direct pressing technique, which makes it a truly Provençale California wine. Aged just four months, Azur is pure finesse and elegance: bone dry, with a creamy texture and bright acidity.

Julien Fayard has rosé in his blood—his family produces cru classé Château Sainte Marguerite, one of the most elegant and delicately aromatic rosés in the South of France—and a résumé stacked with famous names: He has made wine at Bordeaux First Growth Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Smith Haut Lafitte in Graves, as well as Quintessa, Dalla Valle, Métisse, Lail, and Gemstone in Napa Valley. He also founded Purlieu, the Napa Cabernet label that has become a massive hit with the critics, and whose name, among Wine Access members, has become synonymous with “sold out.”

Azur is sure to sell out, too. Now that the weather is warming, rosé is a given, and this is your chance to taste the bone-dry, mouth-watering pinnacle of California rosé. Julien Fayard’s homage to Provence is a rare top-shelf bottling that will deliver serious pleasure all year long.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 12.50%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Grenache% Syrah
• Serving temperature – 48°
• Cork