2016 Domaine du Colibri Rose "Le Petit Tour" Ventoux 750 ml

A Winemaking Child Prodigy and his 100pt Mentor

The way the Legranger family tells it, Olivier Legranger was born to make wine. Take the first time that Olivier’s father, Philippe, slipped his infant son some Champagne.

Only a year after Olivier was born, Philippe, a biology professor with a passion for artisanally produced, small-grower Champagne, decided to introduce his toddler to the glory of the Montagne de Reims. On Saturday nights, Philippe would always pop a cork of a bubbly mix of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. Once, when his wife Catou headed for the kitchen, Philippe drizzled Champagne on the little finger of his right hand and placed it on little Olivier’s lips. When Olivier sucked on his father’s finger, his tired face lit up, and the one-year-old began giggling uncontrollably.

When Catou came back from the kitchen, wondering what had transformed her baby into a hyena, Philippe answered with a shrug: “Honnêtement, je n’ai aucune idée!” (“Honestly, I have NO idea!”)

Fast-forward five years. Philippe will never forget the day Olivier strolled into his study, where the professor was grading student papers, and asked his dad if he would taste something the 6-year-old had made. Philippe had no idea what his son was referring to, but said “Bien sur,” of course. Olivier handed his father a small bottle. Philippe, a connoisseur of great standing in the town, poured an ounce into a flute, swirled, smelled, and tasted a surprising apple cider.  “Pas mal du tout!” (“Not bad at all!”)

Philippe marveled at how his young son had made even such a small quantity of apple cider right under his mother’s nose.

The way Philippe tells it, Olivier shrugged. “I didn’t, Papa. Actually, I made six different ciders. This is the one I like the most.”

That’s when Philippe Legranger knew that while his first son would never become a professor of biology, the apple hadn’t fallen that far from the tree.

Nearly two decades later, a 25-year-old Olivier Legranger had completed winemaking school in Montpellier and traveled the globe working in top cellars from South Australia to Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s fabled Mont-Redon when he called Philippe and asked if they could go fishing.  Philippe had gone fishing with his son thousands of times before, but he knew the discussion on the Normandy beaches wouldn’t revolve around lures, rods, or bar sauvage.

Thigh-deep in the water in their waders, Olivier told Philippe that he had stumbled across a rare opportunity. Seven small parcels of old-vine Carignan, Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault, all bathed in Provençal sunlight and cleansed by the steady winds of Le Mistral, were about to come up for sale. Olivier told his father he wanted to buy the land, then tend the vines himself — by hand — and make his first wines. 

Philippe sighed, recognizing the inherent risk of the prospective land grab, but also, given his son’s resolve, that he had no recourse. “But you’re not jumping into this without help.” Philippe pulled his cellphone from his fisherman’s vest and speed-dialed his former student and close friend — who also happens to be the most brilliant and highly regarded enologist the southern Rhône has ever known, Robert Parker’s winemaker to the 100-point stars of Châteauneuf-du-Pape — Xavier Vignon.

Olivier Legranger benefitted from steady guidance from the ingenious Vignon in negotiating the terms of the purchase, the “young winemaker” loan from the French government, and in the approach towards re-tailoring the vines.

Then along came the 2016 growing season, which Xavier told us was the most extraordinary in Châteauneuf since 1978. Olivier Legranger — along with his father, mother, brother, and girlfriend — began harvesting the 25 acres of his new Domaine du Colibri. The last weeks of this miracle vintage were stunning, nursing each variety to near perfect, small-cluster ripeness.  The minimalist vinification conducted by young Legranger preserved the freshness and purity of the fruit.  Then the finishing touch was applied by the masterful Vignon, who assisted on the final assemblage.

If your palate preference in Rosé is for darker hues and a healthy dose of sweetness, the stunning first release from Domaine du Colibri won’t be your cup of tea.  But if you adore, as we do, the electrifying crispness and sorbet-like, wild strawberry freshness of the most mouthwatering Rosés of Provence and Bandol, the just-bottled 2016 Domaine du Colibri “Le Petit Tour” Rosé signals a brilliant beginning for one of the brightest and youngest stars of Le Ventoux.

Just $13.99/bottle — a definite case-buy! — as an aperitif all over NYC, or on the patio all spring and summer long!