Château d'Esclans? It's known for creating the most expensive rosé in the world, the famous Garrus cuvée. Situated in Var in the South of France, 74 hectares of this extensive 267-hectare estate is used to produce Provence rosés. The main varieties that go into its blends are Grenache, Vermentino, Cinsault, Merlot, and Mourvèdre along with a few others. The vines are up to 90 years old and so they sometimes produce highly concentrated raisins. These luxury rosés are the wish of Sacha Lichine who acquired the estate in 2006. The former owner of Château Prieuré-Lichine located in Margaux creates these rosés with hints of woodiness like he would for some fine white wines, bottles to be conserved and uncorked in a year or two rather than the year following the harvest. And there are currently five rosés in the Rosés de Provence range. The property is by no means young with its history going back many centuries and its cellars dating back to the 12th century.

The Rock Angel rosé from Château d’Esclans is made up of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Rolle, the southern varietals par excellence. The Château harvests in the morning to preserve the freshness of the fruit. The bunches are sorted by hand and then for a second time electronically. They are then lightly pressed at a low temperature, again to maintain the fresh aromas. The juice is fermented without maceration. Then the free-run juice and the press juice are vinified in different containers: one half in stainless steel vats and the rest in 600-litre demi-muids.
This wine has a very pale pink colour with delicate notes of red fruit and flowers. It is pleasant and tonic on the palate. We recommend uncorking this cuvée in its youth and serving it with a simple dish like a summer salad, a savoury tomato tart, or a courgette gazpacho.