Lacules Estate – Rosé 2025

Lacules Estate lies in Koroni on Lacules Bay in Messenia, a small property of around five hectares, founded in 2013; Barbara Gruber, holder of the WSET Diploma and with a stint at the Californian winery Blankiet, runs it together with Jörg Salchenegger, who holds a doctorate in chemistry. This rosé is my first wine from the house in this colour, and it has a charming origin story: 2024 saw the very first rosé, which came about almost by accident from a cellar experiment. After destemming, must was drawn off by the saignée method, and after just a few minutes of skin contact it had taken on an intense colour; briefly it was even intended as a sparkling wine for the family, but on account of its aroma, berry fruit and power it remained a still rosé, and the tiny quantity was gone in no time. The 2025 is the second vintage and thus a deliberate confirmation of this style.

The winery openly markets it as a "rosé for red wine lovers," closer to a red than to the pale summery type. And precisely for that reason I first thought of what in Greece is generally known as Kokkinokrasi, the simple red house wine – but I was well wide of the mark. In the glass stands a sparkling, dark rosé, a feast for the eyes in any case. The nose is very aromatic, red-fruited, with a hint of banana; it already promises a slight sweetness, along with plenty of strawberry and just a touch of mint.

On the palate there is then an incredible amount of succulence and an incredible sweetness for such a dry wine – fruit sweetness, plus a light, appetising bitter note and a long finish. This paradox is no coincidence: the producer states only about 1.6 g/l of residual sugar and himself explains the perceived sweetness by ripe fruit, extract and texture. The winemaking fits with this. Fermentation ran somewhat warmer than for the classically cool-fermented, pale rosé, and the wine matured for seven months in used barriques with regular bâtonnage – deliberately used barrels, so that the wood does not overpower the fruit. The blend comes from old Grenache and Merlot vines as well as newly planted Augoustiatis; the exact proportions are not published by the estate. The label states 14.5% alcohol. Important for enjoyment: do not drink it too cold.

A real treat, and the bottle was empty incredibly quickly. I'll be honest: if you haven't had anything of this kind for a long time, a wine like this could well rate distinctly higher for you. As a vintage, 2025 on the Peloponnese was promising and healthy, with steady ripening and lively acidity, saved by a cooler, heat-free ripening window before the harvest and northerly winds, despite frost and hail at the end of March and a hot July – though this applies above all to Nemea, Mantinia and Patras and can only be roughly extended to the coast around Koroni.

At around €24 it sits at the level of The Chord and well below the single-varietal Estate wines at some €51 to €56; a boutique wine in small quantity. You can drink it as a food companion – or simply as a dessert, if you want more than just a sip of sweet wine. 93 points.