Provence rose, eat your heart out. This wine looks more like a clarete – deep orangey-strawberry pink. It`s far from difficult to persuade yourself there are notes of both strawberry and orange in this concentrated, somehow upright wine. Nothing vapid about it, it`s clearly a wine that would be extremely happy at a well-laden table. From a pretty ripe vintage, its superior pedigree is clear as it has an intense, sophisticated nose and a bone-dry finish after grabbing the palate and giving it a good scrub. There`s no attempt to make a smooth-as-satin wine here. It`s out to make an impression, and to prove that champagne really is a wine. The finish is even more adamant than the nose at this point. But I think it`s time is now. 18 points