Review Detail

Appearance: This rouge is a crystal clear and stunning ruby red. There's a slight pink when held to direct light indicating natural hibiscus coloration. It's deep and strong yet incredibly light on the eyes.

Louche: Holy thicksauce! This resembles strawberry milk. There's a nice blue hue at the meniscus but almost zero transparency.

Aroma: Wormwood! For something this red it is wonderful to smell wormwood right up front. There are the floral and citrus tartness one would expect but they appear to be in a nice balance. I'd swear to a small amount of rose use as well. Star anise is there but in the background.

Flavor: An amazing, wonderful, gorgeous, and heavenly wormwood and hibiscus lead gets quickly swept under the rug by star anise. There's a tart and creamy texture which is very nice. I just wish I could've gotten more of that lead flavor before the star anise showed up to be a party pooper.

Finish: The floral notes show up again, welcome back! The aromatics lead towards other floral and citrus notes as well. A peppery note comes mid-finish to provide a beautiful contrast and astringency. Another nice finish from Adnams.

Overall: Much like their verte offering there's a lot of wonderful going on covered up with some design flaws. Reviews like this are frustrating because there's quality oozing here but I can't in any sort of conscience ignore the flaws either. Once again, if there are recipe modifications in future batches then I can't wait to try them. The initial second or so of flavor puts some of the more hidden “artisan” rouges to the test and I'd love to see that expressed more.