2023 Julien Fayard Just Pink Rose IGP Var 750 ml

The temperature was ticking up in Napa Valley. We were walking to meet friends for a cocktail or three before dinner at the newly opened A16 Napa. But just as we got to First Street, a text buzzed in. New plans: Meet at Maison Fayard. We rerouted two blocks to Coombs Street. 

We’ve known Julien Fayard for years—the guy makes Purlieu, Le Pich, Beau Vigne, what seems like half of our members’ favorite wines— but hadn’t seen him in months. To our great pleasure, he was behind the bar at his downtown tasting room. 

A minute after six, after Julien had sent the last group on their way with a case of Cab, he flipped the sign to “Closed.” When he stepped behind the bar and noticed our perspiration-dotted shirts, he reached into a bucket of ice, pushed aside a few Chards and Sauv Blancs, and pulled out his 2023 Just Pink Rosé. 

Long story short: Goodbye cocktail bar. We eventually made it to our dinner reservation, but we stayed chez Fayard for hours, effortlessly draining several bottles of Just Pink as we watched downtown Napa come alive. That’s because this is the kind of bottle you’ll want to linger over, the kind that your palate craves on a hot day or warm evening. 

Julien sourced this wine from organically farmed vineyards in Provence’s Var IGP. Although the IGP allows for more varietal flexibility than the Côtes de Provence, Julien (unsurprisingly) sticks to the traditions of that vaunted AOC, making this wine with organically farmed Cinsaut, Grenache, and Syrah, sticking to time-tested protocols. He harvested the grapes at night, cold-pressed them, and stirred the lees to add body to complement the zippy acidity.