Review: Licence IV Rosé

The wine I’m reviewing today is a rosé from the Provence region of France and it comes in a can! That’s right, wine in a can.

I, for one, am a fan of the aluminum can as a vessel for wine. Yeah sure, I like bottles too. There’s something about the ritual of pulling a cork from a bottle that’s special. But in my humble opinion, cans should have a place in the wine world.

Wine enthusiasts are often accused of being snobbish. But there’s nothing snobbish about wine in a can. It’s the opposite of snobbish. It is the most approachable, casual format for wine to be served in. And at the same time, it’s a vessel that makes sense.

Unlike bottles, wine inside a can is completely protected from light. It’s also significantly lighter in weight than a bottle would be, reducing shipping weight and therefore making it a greener option. And if you want to chill your wine quickly, it’s much faster to chill cans than it is bottles due to greater surface area and smaller volume of liquid per container.

The only thing I don’t like about wine in cans is the portions can be deceptive. A 250ml can of wine is essentially 1/3 of a bottle, which is more than a lot of folks think it is when they see these small, skinny cans.

Licence IV

Often when I write about European wine brands the story is about about vineyards that have been passed down within the same family for several generations. That’s not the case today. Licence IV was founded just a few years ago, in 2017 by sommelier Gregory Castells.

Castells grew up in the Provence region and first learned about wine at his parents bar in Southern France. He then went on to study at the Escoffier Restaurant School and the Sommelier School of Tain L’Hermitage before embarking on an impressive career as a sommelier. As a sommelier he worked for Chef Gordon Ramsay in London, at Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia and at the world-famous French Laundry in Napa Valley.

After his restaurant career, Castells went on to work at — and eventually purchase — wine importer and wholesaler Martine’s Wines. In 2017 he launched Licence IV as a subsidiary of Martine’s Wines. The name, Licence IV, is a reference to the permit establishments in France need to get in order to serve alcohol. All of the wines on this label are made from small, family-owned wineries in France, and are produced to be approachable.

Tasting Notes

The aromas from this rosé are a nice bouquet of floral fragrances alongside strawberry, pomegranate and lemon aromas. On the palate it delivers crisp pomegranate and lemon flavors. The acidity is nice and vibrant. The mouthfeel is pleasant. It finishes relatively long with tart citrus, berry and salty mineral flavors.

Wine: Licence IV Rosé
Varieties: 80% Grenache, 20% Merlot
Vintage: Non-vintage
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Average price: $5.99 (250ml can)
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.