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Domaine de Leos: the celebrity rosé takes a new direction
French actor and singer Patrick Bruel has teamed up with Rhône vigneron and wine merchant Nicolas Jaboulet to produce the third release of his organic southern French rosé. Elizabeth Gabay MW tastes and rates the new wine.
Patrick Bruel, a well-known French actor and singer, an accomplished poker player and a television poker commentator, is no newcomer to the wine scene. He is a longtime friend and collaborator of Philippe Faure-Brac, Best Sommelier in the World 1992, and since 2007 is also the owner of Vaucluse estate Domaine de Leos (named after his sons Léon and Oscar).
The 41ha estate is located near the town of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in northwest Provence, in the hills and on the Plateau de Margoye.
French actor and singer Patrick Bruel at Domaine de Leos.
(Image credit: Domaine de Leos)
Scroll down to see the tasting note and score for Cuvée Augusta 2022
Bruel has embraced the biodiversity of the estate with passion. Over the past 10 years he has planted truffle oaks and olive trees, and uses the lavender, thyme and honey produced on the estate in a range of jams, conserves and beauty products.
In the years to come, Bruel plans to extend the vineyard area from 13ha to 20ha. Vineyards are being replanted with Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Rolle, chosen from massal selection vines from the Lilian Bérillon nursery, but the the old vine Carignan will be kept.
The first rosés produced at Bruel’s Domaine de Leos – 2020 and 2021 both bottled as Vin de France and made with Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and old-vine Carignan – were successful, and all 10,500 bottles sold out.
Olive trees and vines at Domaine de Leos.
(Image credit: Domaine de Leos)
A new direction
The 2022 vintage marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Domaine de Leos rosé. Bruel teamed up with Maison & Domaines Les Alexandrins, a joint venture between Nicolas Jaboulet and viticulturist Alexandre Caso. Together, with Leos winemaker Marie Barbé, they sourced the grapes and did the blending and production, and Maison et Domaines Les Alexandrins handles the promotion, sales and distribution of the new Cuvée Augusta rosé.
The new cuvée, named after Bruel’s mother, is made with 60% Grenache, 20% Bourboulenc and 20% Rolle (Vermentino). They sourced organic grapes for the 2022 vintage from the hills of the Ventoux, the Luberon and the Alpilles.
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It is relatively rare to have such a significant proportion of Bourboulenc in the blend (20%), and it marks this rosé out as being distinctly southern Rhône, giving a fragrant floral and rich creamy character.
Big plans for the future
Bruel aims to become fully biodynamic, and to create a fully sustainable and biodiverse property. In 2023 he plans to unveil a new winemaking cellar (up until now the wines have been vinified at the nearby Cave du Luberon), and in 2024 a boutique hotel, spa and restaurant in Isle-sur-Sorgues.
Cuvée Augusta 2022 was launched in February 2023.
See Elizabeth Gabay MW’s tasting note and score for Cuvée Augusta 2022
Leos, Cuvée Augusta, Méditerranée, Provence, France 2022
My wines
Served cold from the ice bucket, this wine initially appeared simple with fruity strawberry bonbon and fresh leafy notes; long, fresh and mineral with a...
Elizabeth Gabay MW has specialised in the wines of south-eastern France and Hungary since the 1980’s. Working as an independent wine merchant and consultant, she graduated as a Master of Wine in 1998 and moved to southeast France in 2002.
Her book, Rose: Understanding the pink wine revolution, was published in 2018 and she has continued to write about and judge rosé wines for Decanter.
Aside from Decanter, she has written for Drinks Business, Harpers, The Wine Merchant, VinCE and Nomacorc.
She is the lead instructor for the Provence immersion course run by the French Wine Society and she has judged at numerous Decanter World Wine Awards since 2007.
