Summer Rosé

2023 Bandol Rosé, Domaine du Gros' Noré Dry | Rosé | Still | 13%

This rosé is one of the secret gems of our list. Pale, dry, and quintessentially Provençal at first, it opens up in the glass revealing layers of complexity that take it far beyond your average rosé. It has beautifully pithy grapefruit, orange blossom, and sweet red berry notes, with lovely sea-salty freshness on the palate. Unlike many simpler rosés, whose enjoyment lies exclusively in their fruitiness, this wine has the structure and depth to age with grace. Bandol is a small appellation, well-known for producing that rare beast: ageworthy and truly gastronomic rosés. Its neighbour Domaine Tempier put these rosés on the fine wine map. We firmly believe that Gros' Noré is every bit as thrilling, yet remains pleasingly under-the-radar. If you hold this wine for a couple of years, you'll discover just what this wine can do.

Ready: 2024 - 2030

2023 Château La Mascaronne Rosé, Côtes de Provence Dry | Rosé | Still | 13%

Château La Mascaronne in the picturesque village of Luc de Provence was snapped up in 2020 by Michel Reybier, owner of Château Cos d`Estournel, and he set the bar sky high with his debut vintage. Since then he has gone on to receive critic acclaim, including snapping up second place in Vinous.com's recent appraisal of all things rosé. This organic, dry, delicate, complex and delicious rosé is quite literally Provence in a glass. It is exquisitely balanced and refined, and perhaps the most understated and elegant rosé on our list.

Ready: 2024 - 2026

2023 Méditerranée Rosé, Figuière Dry | Rosé | Still | 13%

Bag-in-box wines might not have the most chic image, but this bucks the trend. It’s beautifully packaged, offers amazing value and has superb environmental credentials (it has a much lighter carbon footprint than glass and all the packaging is 100% recyclable). Moreover, the wine itself is delicious: a dry, delicate rosé, with a fruity and fresh red berry nose and a salty freshness on the palate. You could easily mistake this for a bona fide Côtes de Provence. The wine will stay fresh and vibrant for at least a month from first opening. Stick it in your fridge and you'll have chilled rosé on tap. In this format, it offers unbeatable value for money. Dimensions: 19x19x19cm

Ready: 2024 - 2025

2022 Break-a-Leg Rosé, Lukas van Loggerenberg Dry | Rosé | Still | 11.5%

This is a blend of 17% Grenache from the Polkadraai, with the balance coming from one of the closest Cinsault vineyards to the ocean, in Stellenbosch. The resulting wine is savoury, saline, and totally delicious. This is South Africa’s best rosé, and the 2022 is a real winner.

Ready: 2023 - 2033

2022 Sancerre Rosé La Noue, Claude Riffault Dry | Red | Still | 14%

Stéphane Riffault, one of Sancerre's most talented winemakers with demand to match, makes rosé in only tiny amounts. We are thrilled to have a small parcel of the delicious 2022. Sancerre rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir and this iteration is vinous and long, with a mineral backbone, as if chiselled from Sancerre's limestone soils, and a juiciness from the sunny conditions of the year. Unlike Stéphane's whites which demand a little ageing, this is ready to drink already, though do not underestimate its ability to age.

Ready: 2023 - 2028

2022 Sancerre Rosé, Vincent Pinard Dry | White | Still | 13.5%

This Sancerre Rosé is made in the village of Bué by brothers Clément and Florent Pinard, who know a thing or two about Pinot Noir. It's fresh and fruity, but with serious structure underneath making it a great accompaniment with food. It's a real all-rounder of a rosé, and easily one of the best in the appellation.

Ready: 2023 - 2025

N/V Grains de Celles Rosé Extra Brut, Pierre Gerbais (2019 base vintage) Dry | Rosé | Sparkling | 12.5%

This has a similar grape variety make-up to the blanc version, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc in the blend. Indeed, it's made from the same base as the Grains des Celles, with a dash of Coteaux Champenois (red wine) added for colour.

Ready: 2024 - 2030

2018 Rosé Brut, Rathfinny, Sussex Dry | Rosé | Sparkling | 12%

Just the fourth vintage of rosé from Rathfinny, this is the finest example of the style that we’ve tasted from the UK. Pale in colour, there’s notes of Seville oranges and plenty of floral notes. This has structure and vibrancy, and there’s a delicious toasty complexity at play on the palate. Wonderfully balanced, and very long: not to be missed.

Ready: 2023 - 2033

Non-alcoholic Rosé, Oddbird, Languedoc-Roussillon Dry | Rosé | Sparkling

A blend of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, from the Languedoc-Roussillon, with the alcohol removed. This is crunchy and juicy, with nice vibrancy, and notes of crunchy apples and lots of citrus fruit on the finish. There’s good length here: surprisingly delicious.

 

2021 Domaine de l'Ile, Côtes de Provence Rosé, Porquerolles Dry | Rosé | Still | 12%

If this doesn't transport you to the south of France, nothing will. It’s an exciting new venture from the team at Châteaux Rauzan-Ségla and Canon in Bordeaux, owned by Chanel. It’s one of just two domaines on the staggeringly beautiful, and biodiversity unique, Porquerolles Island, just off the Provence coast. The schist soil and clement micro-climate here make for a delicate, sophisticated, and extremely elegant rosé. It captures everything we love about this part of France, and this style of wine.

Ready: 2022 - 2025

2021 Château La Mascaronne Rosé, Côtes de Provence Dry | Rosé | Still | 13%

Bin-end sale: case price down from £72 to £65 per 6 in bond.
Château La Mascaronne in the picturesque village of Luc de Provence was snapped up in 2020 by Michel Reybier, owner of Château Cos d`Estournel, and he has set the bar sky high with his debut vintage. This organic, dry, delicate, complex and delicious rosé is quite literally Provence in a glass. It is exquisitely balanced and refined, and perhaps the most understated and elegant rosé on our list.

Ready: 2022 - 2025

2021 Clos Mireille Rosé, Domaines Ott*, Côtes de Provence Rosé | Still | 13%

Domaines Ott* is the last word in Provençal sophistication, and their Clos Mireille rosé has become an emblem of the Riviera. But the truth is, this is equally at home enjoyed in the garden on a summer evening as it is on the white tablecloths of the chicest restaurants in St Tropez. The wine is made only from the "coeur de grain," the very purest juice of the berries. Its light, lithe body and detailed freshness make this one of the world’s most graceful rosés. Domaines Ott* can take a lot of credit for putting the now ubiquitous style of pale, dry Provençal rosé on the map.

Ready: 2022 - 2028

2020 Confidentielle Rosé, Figuière, Côtes de Provence La Londe Dry | Rosé | Still | 13%

Bin-end sale: case price down from £109.05 to £99 per 3 magnums in bond.
La Londe is unusual in the Côtes de Provence for warranting its own appellation, much like Bandol. It applies only to the best sites between Toulon and St Tropez, close to the coast, facing the dazzling Porquerolle islands. Here, the schiste soils and cooling sea breeze combine to make the most elegant and sophisticated of the region’s rosés. This is the top wine from the Combard family, made from the domaine’s organically-farmed grapes, selected and vinified by parcel with meticulous attention to detail. It is fine-boned and subtle, ethereal and enticing, and shows just what the best terroirs of Provence are capable of.

Ready: 2022 - 2025

2022 Bandol Rosé, Domaine du Gros' Noré Dry | Rosé | Still | 13.5%

Bin-end sale: case price down from £121.50 to £110 per 6 in bond.
This rosé is one of the secret gems of our list. Pale, dry, and quintessentially Provençal at first, it opens up in the glass revealing layers of complexity that take it far beyond your average rosé. It has beautifully pithy grapefruit, orange blossom, and sweet red berry notes, with lovely sea-salty freshness on the palate. Unlike many simpler rosés, whose enjoyment lies exclusively in their fruitiness, this wine has the structure and depth to age with grace. Bandol is a small appellation, well-known for producing that rare beast: ageworthy and truly gastronomic rosés. Its neighbour Domaine Tempier put these rosés on the fine wine map. We firmly believe that Gros' Noré is every bit as thrilling, yet remains pleasingly under-the-radar. If you hold this wine for a couple of years, you'll discover just what this wine can do.

Ready: 2023 - 2030