Wine with Leslie: A wine with a lot to shout about

It is rare that a wine captures the public imagination and achieves cult status, like a handbag or a pair of trainers. Cloudy Bay did it and it was on such strict allocation in the 1990s that off-licences were lucky to receive 12 bottles per year.

It is rare that a wine captures the public imagination and achieves cult status, like a handbag or a pair of trainers. Cloudy Bay did it and it was once on such strict allocation in the 1990’s that off-licences were lucky to receive twelve bottles per year. These days, Cloudy Bay is owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy), and last November they added the current wine of the moment to their portfolio, Château D’Esclans and Whispering Angel.

D’Esclans founder Sacha Lichine retains 45% and sees it as an ‘alliance’ rather than a takeover which I think is good news. Lichine has made no secret of wanting to make the world’s most expensive rosé and sure enough the estate’s top wine Garrus sells for around €120 if you can find it.