There are many very good rosé wines from France, but my favorite from last year was the Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé 2006. This estate in the Cotes de Provence covers about 267 hectares. It is interesting to note that Provence produces 8% of the world’s rosé. Sascha Lichine is the proprietor and Patrick Leon (previously at Mouton-Rothschild) is the winemaker.
I still have a couple of bottles hiding to get me to the 2007, which should be available in the very near future.
This wine is a blend of Grenache and Rolle. Very light pink in color, truly vin gris in color. An aromatic nose with herbaceous plants and flowers. Strawberries, lavendar, minerals on the palate with a dry, clean finish. Provence in a bottle – and a text book expression of rosé. Beautiful, elegant and seductive.
This was my favorite rosé from 2006 — and may have been one of my 10 favorite wines for the year. A wonderful food wine — a great pairing with seafood, white meats (an outstanding selection for any holiday with turkey or ham), Indian or Asian cuisine — or any light spring or summer fare (salads, vegetables, etc).
They make 3 rosés, the Whispering Angel is their entry level wine. They make the world’s most expensive rosé (Garrus), which retails at about $99 a bottle. While I would expect that to be a great wine as well, it would be difficult to pass up the quality and value of the Whispering Angel.
Strongly recommended.
The wine may not be easy to find, but worth seeking out. I found it on sale at Calvert Woodley in DC for about $17 a bottle. The best price online is about $16-17 a bottle. The bad news is that I have not been able to find any of the 2007. Calvert Woodley told me that they would not be getting any this year, and wine-searcher.com does not turn up a single listing. Please leave a comment if you have found any of the 2007.
You can learn more about the estate and their wines at their website.
More rosé wines:
Lopez de Heredia Rioja Tondonia Rosé 1998
Mas des Bressades Rosé
Prieto Picudo Preto Rosado 2008
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