Chateau Haut-La Pereyre Rose Bordeaux 2023 750 ML

This domaine started life in 1881 in the prestigious, if small and under the radar, appellation of Haut-Benauge in Bordeaux’s Entre-Deux-Mers region. It sold its wine in bulk to traders over the years until Olivier Cailleux’s parents began to estate bottle in 1974. Olivier himself was given the keys to the domaine in 1994; he is the sixth generation to manage the family affairs.\n\nHaut-Benauge refers to the coveted high ground inland from the historic river town of Cadillac, which looks across the Garonne to the appellation of Graves. This hill country’s south-facing slopes and good drainage make for prime vineyard land and is why the sector was granted its own appellation in 1955. The AOC is reserved for dry and sweet white wines—red wine falls under the larger AOC umbrella of Bordeaux Superieur—but both colors do equally well here.\n\nOlivier reserves 22 of his 51 hectares (54 acres) for the production of his two most important wines, the Haut-La Pereyre red and white. Those 22 hectares (54 acres) represent his finest terroirs. The red varieties make up 16 hectares (39.5 acres) and the white varieties constitute 6 hectares (14.5 acres), and all are farmed according to the pragmatic principals of lutte raisonnee, or reasoned fight (ie, one can spray synthetic treatments to protect against mildew and odium, but not blindly or without evident reason).