After selling 50,000 bottles in just 48 hours, the rapper/singer/songwriter has brought his record-breaking rosé down under.
Look upon celeb wines and spirits with all the suspicion you like – plenty have half-heartedly tried (and failed) – but for Post, his is a true passion project. Despite the seeming gap between hip-hop and the rolling vineyards of France, Post isn’t simply the tatted-up face of the brand. He possesses a deep sincerity and admiration for the craft, and it comes through in the product. Sure, it takes a moment to reconcile premium wine with the man whose exploits beyond music to date include Doritos and Bud Lite, but Maison No. 9 (or “the juice”, as he affectionately calls it) has scored a coveted 91 and 90 points with wine.com and Decanter respectively, earning praise from critics and fans alike. Bustle described it as “shockingly impeccable”, Los Angeles Magazine called it “a rosé with a lot of life” – we just know it’s delicious.
The brainchild of Post, his manager Dre London and revered entrepreneur James Morrissey, Maison No. 9 began when they discovered their shared love for the pink tipple, especially those hailing from Provence (the birthplace of rosé). 10 days later, the trio was on the French Riviera, sampling grapes and meeting with Alexis Cornu, a highly decorated winemaker who would go on to play lead in the wine’s development. In between concerts across the world, Post and his partners spent as much time in the French vineyard as physically possible.
As Post puts it, “Rosé is for when you want to get a little bit fancy.” But before that could happen, they had to sample over 100 rosé blends to find the perfect one. The resulting wine is a blend of grenache, cinsault, shiraz and merlot. It’s zippy, crisp, dry and refreshing, with a rosy ‘Provencal Pink’ that streams out of a striking slim-line bottle. Aromas of ripe pineapple, pear and strawberry tangle delicately with hints of sweet French desserts. Its Australian launch comes with perfect timing, given the weather – and plenty of seasonal food matches from shellfish to summer salads, or even a classic roast chook. Like Post’s own varied tastes and talents, it’s a wine that screams balance. And it’s as smooth as he is, too.
There’s something startling yet exhilarating about Maison No. 9. Leave it Post to somehow maintain the utmost respect for tradition, while at the same time catapulting it into the future (unlike any other wine brand I can think of, the team have even developed a suite of cocktails featuring the rosé – twists on classics such as the Spritz, Paloma and Sangria). It’s impossible to deny the man is talented – his sales of over 80 million records and 10 Billboard Music Awards speak to that – but, as some wondered, can he do wine? Turns out he truly can.
And just like his music, Post’s Maison No. 9 has proven hugely popular. When the debut release rolled out in the US in 2020, it cracked a record-breaking 50,000 sales in the first 48 hours alone. Its subsequent release in the UK flew off the shelves and now Maison No. 9 has officially launched in Australia, available exclusively at Dan Murphy’s – just don’t expect it to be available for long.
