▻ Sacha Lichine
Jane Anson in conversation with Sacha Lichine
Episode Summary:-
Jane Anson talks to the “Godfather of rosé”, Sacha Lichine, who founded Whispering Angel, the Provencal wine that kick-started the rosé revolution, for our Great Wine Lives series. Sacha’s father, Alexis Lichine, was a celebrated wine writer, war hero and the owner of the Bordeaux Château Prieuré-Lichine in Margaux, and regarded as one of the wine world’s most influential 20th century figures. Sacha talks about his childhood, where he would be surrounded by his father’s friends, wine importers, journalists, Hollywood stars and friends like Philippine de Rothschild and the Duc de Mouchy. He learnt to drive on tractors, not cars, and describes himself as “a bit of a cellar brat, because there was not much going on in Margaux in the summer.” He asserts that wine was surely in his DNA, and there was no other world he wanted to enter.
““There are a lot of people who know how to make wine, there are a lot of people who know how to sell wine, but there are few who know how to do both. I was fortunate enough to be able to do both.” ”
Twenty years ago, rosé wasn’t thought of as a serious wine, Jane notes – it lacked the prestige of red and white wines. In 1994 he visited Château d’Esclans for the first time, it was for sale, but he couldn’t take it on because Prieuré-Lichine, which he had inherited on his father’s death in 1989, needed attention. The property was bought by a Swedish pension fund, so Sacha took a lease on the land, and after selling Prieuré-Lichine in 1999, bought the estate in its entirety in 2005. An important figure in the success of Château d’Esclans and Whispering Angel was Patrick Leon, the former Technical Director of Château Mouton Rothschild, who came on board as the estate’s first consultant oenologist. “We had a fantastic technician in Patrick Leon, I’m not sure I could have done it with anyone else,” Sacha says. He explains how they treated making rosé as they would a serious white or red wine, and this, he believes, is a major part of its success. Patrick wanted the wine to be darker, more like Tavel, but Sacha could see the trend to lighter wines, more precise wines, so his direction prevailed. Originally, they were a small team, but a team with passion, he insists. “There are a lot of people who know how to make wine, there are a lot of people who know how to sell wine, but there are few who know how to do both. I was fortunate enough to be able to do both.” The wine quickly gained a following, firstly with the trade, who were intrigued by the idea of a serious rosé, then it caught on with celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Adele. (Adele remarked the first thing she would do after the lockdown was to go out and buy Heinz ketchup and a bottle of Whispering Angel.)
Jane asks who else have been mentors, apart from his father and Patrick Leon. He cites Mel Dick of Southern Wine & Spirits, who told him “shake hands, make friends, sell wine,” and Michel Rolland, the renowned consultant oenologist, whose first Left Bank consultancy was Château Prieuré-Lichine. In 2019 he sold shares in the estate to LVMH, and he reveals how the new partnership is working – many Zoom calls and more organisation! He believes the best marketing is word of mouth, “we are merchants of pleasure,” he states. Will his children follow him into the wine business? His son wants to go into white spirits, his daughter has just graduated from St Andrew’s and his youngest daughter wants to go to southern California and wear flip-flops. A great place to drink rosé, Jane and Sacha agree.
Running Order:-
-
0.00 – 15.51
“I was a bit of a cellar brat, because there was not much going on in Margaux in the summer.”
– Jane’s first visit to Château d’Esclans in 2006.
– Rosé wines’ image 20 years ago.
– Sacha Lichine visits Château d’Escalans 1994.
– He leases the land and buys the estate in 2005.
– Growing up with his father Alexis at Château Prieuré Lichine. -
15.52 – 43.01
“We are merchants of pleasure.”
– The people who influenced him.
– What Sacha Lichine thinks about Bordeaux today.
– Patrick Leon’s contribution to the Château d’Esclans.
– Celebrities who love Whispering Angel.
– His children’s ambitions.
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Sacha Lichine, the “godfather of rosé” talks to Jane Anson – find out about his childhood at Château Prieuré-Lichine and how he started the rosé revolution with Whispering Angel.