Eleven remarkable rosés for fine wine lovers

For a long time there’s been a sense that rosé is too frivolous for fine wine lovers, who should go in search of great white Burgundies or cru classé Bordeaux blanc when looking for cold refreshment. Well, not any more, and we’ve rounded up 11 pink wines for connoisseurs.

In fact, one can trace the emergence of the fine rosé category back to 2006 with the launch of a Provençal pink from Château d’Esclans, called Garrus. Made by gifted former Mouton-Rothschild winemaker, the late Patrick Léon, and fermented and aged in new French oak barriques like a top-end Chardonnay, it re-wrote the rules for rosé, which had previously been made in neutral vessels – primarily stainless steel vats – to create something fresh, light, and for immediate consumption.

After all, why should the wine’s colour dictate the winemaking methods? Bearing in mind the beneficial influence of oak and lees on fine whites and reds, surely they would augment a pink wine too?

Well, as Garrus proved, it is quite possible to marry the ripe juicy fruit of Grenache grown in the warmth of a Mediterranean climate with the vanillin flavours from fine-textured French barrels.

Not only that, but create a rosé that can be drunk on release, and be cellared like any great wine, so that its flavours could slowly evolve in the bottle, and take on a greater array of characters.

And, once Château d’Esclans had made the pink wine like a great white, Garrus was given a price tag to match – it retails for £120 today, and has spawned a new category of luxury rosés, including a niche club of £100+ bottles.

Fast forward to the present, and, as proved by the 2020 Rosé Masters, there is now a wide range of options should you want to drink barrel-influenced pink wine, with some of them at surprisingly accessible prices.

Leading the charge in this is still Château d’Esclans, but others have successfully joined the movement, in particular the Languedoc star winemaker Gérard Bertand, who has made fine rosé a specialism for his southern French operation – and is currently the producer of the world’s priciest pink wine.

But these two are not alone in this endeavour, with great oak-aged rosés in this list hailing from Italy, New Zealand and Spain – although the latter has an established reputation for such a style, albeit in a rather more traditional approach (as still employed by Rioja’s López de Heredia, whose Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado is released after many years maturing in barrel).

Now, before we reveal our top 10 rosés for fine wine lovers, it should be noted that all the wines below are complex, structured styles of pink wine with varying degrees of oak-influence, from the barely perceptible to the obviously toasty and creamy in style.

All these wines have been made for drinking now, but do have the potential to cellar for consuming in three to five year’s time.

However, I should also add that there are fine rosés made without any barrel-influence that can also be cellared to deliver a delicious result, such as, for example, the pink wines from Domaine Tempier in Bandol.

Finally, I should stress that the following rosé recommendations for fine wine collectors have all been taken from this year’s Global Rosé Masters, which saw almost 200 wines assessed without any knowledge as to source region or producer – and please click here to see the results from the competition in full.

So, if you think you deserve a place on this list, please visit The Global Masters website for more information, and, to enter future competitions, please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

11. Terra Sancta Special Release First Vines Rosé

Producer: Terra Sancta Wine
Country: New Zealand
Region: Central Otago
ABV: 13%
Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2019
Price: £25
Residual sugar level: 2.1g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Pale salmon pink
Medal: Silver

Few places have carved out a reputation for fine Pinot Noir as quickly as New Zealand’s Central Otago, and so it should come as no surprise to learn that this region should be able to produce great Pinot-based rosé too. With just a brief period spent maturing in used French oak barrels, this pink wine shows little in the way of wood-sourced flavours, but shows plenty of the intense red berry fruit and some of the tomato-like flavours of Otago Pinot, along with a touch of dried herbs. Despite the strong characters, it remains light and refreshing.

10. Cassiopea Pagus Cerbaia

Producer: Poggio al Tesoro
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany, Bolgheri
ABV: 13%
Grape variety: 50% Syrah, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2017
Price: £40
Residual sugar level: 0.6 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Salmon pink, touch of onion skin
Medal: Silver

Tuscany is becoming an increasingly serious source of fine rosés, often using fruit grown in vineyards near the Mediterranean coast, where conditions are similar to Provence.

This example uses French varieties Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, which are both popular for making so-called Super Tuscans, particular in the Bolgheri area where this wine comes from.

Interestingly, this rosé has a lovely set of characters that speak primarily of its source, rather than its base grapes. By that I mean it has plenty of cherry fruit flavours, from fleshy Morello to more sour berry notes, as well as a touch of bitter almond, and a hint of dry tannins, which are all hallmarks of classic Tuscan reds, particularly those made from the native Sangiovese grape – the basis of Chianti and Brunello. While the wine does show a touch of development, after all, it is already three year’s old, it displays no obvious barrel-sourced characters.

9. Joy’s

Producer: Gérard Bertrand
Country: France
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
ABV: 13%
Grape Variety: 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 30% Cinsault
Vintage: 2019
Price: £10-£15
Residual sugar level: 1 g/l
Closure type: Vinolok (glass)
Colour: Pale salmon pink
Medal: Gold

Bearing in mind that the Languedoc’s Gérard Bertrand is the producer of the world’s priciest still pink wine, I was delighted to find that some of his rosé making skills have been employed to create something affordable too.

By that I mean that Joy’s displays the flavours of French oak barriques – such as vanilla cream and toast – that you would expect to taste in a top-end Chardonnay, or, one of Bertrand’s fine rosés. But, this sample, priced at sub £20, is almost 10 times cheaper than his flagship rosé, Clos du Temple (featured below).

Joy’s isn’t all about the sweet oak flavours, however. Complementing the vanillin is plenty of peachy fruit and a touch of ripe red berries too.

In short, I can’t think of a better value way to dip your toe into the waters of barrel-fermented rosé – which, after all, can be a bit of a shock to the all but the most experienced pink wine imbiber.

8. Las Fincas Rosado Fermentado en Barrica

Producer: Bodegas J Chivite
Country: Spain
Region: Navarra
ABV: 13%
Grape Variety: 100% Grenache
Vintage: 2018
Price: £35
Residual sugar level: 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Very pale salmon pink
Medal: Gold

If you have heard of Navarra’s Bodegas J Chivite, it’s probably due to one wine: an oak-aged Chardonnay called Blanco Fermentado en Barrica. One of Spain’s most sought-after whites, it marries stone fruit to creamy oak. More recently, the producer has extended it’s barrel-based know-how to pink wines too, and this pick, called Las Fincas Rosado Fermentado en Barrica, is the latest expression.

The result is lovely, and, despite its pale pink colour, reminiscent of top-end white Rioja, with its aromas of wood shavings and hazelnuts, along with peach and pear. This also has a touch of wild strawberry and orange zest to form a refreshing, if strongly oak-influenced, rosado.

7. Château la Sauvageonne La Villa

Producer: Gérard Bertrand
Country: France
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
ABV: 14.5%
Grape Variety: Grenache 30%, Mourvèdre 30%, Viognier 30%, Vermentino 10%
Vintage: 2019
Price: £22
Residual sugar level: 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Very pale salmon pink
Medal: Master

This barrel-fermented rose from Gérard Bertrand’s Château la Sauvageonne estate in the Languedoc has proved a consistently fantastic wine, winning top scores in the Global Rosé Masters year after year. Why? It has plenty of powerful flavour components that all seem to be in balance, from the sweet vanilla oak notes to the peach and apricot fruit flavours and then the juicy freshness of just-sliced pink grapefruit on the finish. It’s a full-on wine, and with a punchy alcohol level, but it’s just so easy to drink – and goes with everything.

6. Château Romassan

Producer: Domaines Ott
Country: France
Region: Provence
ABV: 12.5%
Grape Variety: 52% Mourvedre, 26% Cinsault, 22% Grenache
Vintage: 2018
Price: £30-£50
Residual sugar level: Less than 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Very pale salmon pink, barely any pink
Medal: Gold

Château Romassan is the Bandol-based estate of Domaines Ott, which is most famous for its Côtes de Provence properties, in particular, Clos Mireille and Château de Selle. And, unlike its rosés from Provençal terroirs, which are made entirely in stainless steel vats, at Romassan the pink wines rest for eight months in old oak casks. Because these vessels are large and made with old wooden staves, this rosé doesn’t have any obvious oak-sourced flavours, but does have a gently weighty texture, giving it an appealing fatness in the mouth; there’s even a touch of cream and smoke, along with the usual peach, wild strawberry and white cherry characters one expects of fine southern French rosé, as well as a gentle but fresh acidity.

5. Rock Angel

Producer: Caves d’Esclans
Country: France
Region: Provence
ABV: 13.5%
Grape Variety: 65% Grenache, 13% Cinsault, 9% Syrah, 4% Vermentino, 10% Others
Vintage: 2019
Price: £32
Residual sugar level: Less than 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: v pale salmon pink
Medal: Gold

This more funky looking label from Caves d’Esclans – the producer of Whispering Angel – marks the starting point of this Provençal property’s barrel-influenced rosés. As a result, it’s the least oaky of the rosé maker’s wood-aged range, and has a gently creaminess, rather than rich toastiness. Indeed, it’s characterised by its appealing range of fruit flavours, from peach to red berries, pink grapefruit and a touch of wild herbs, including a hint of dill.

4. Château d’Esclans

Producer: Château d’Esclans
Country: France
Region: Provence
ABV: 14%
Grape Variety: 52% Grenache, 20% Vermentino, 14% Syrah, 7% Cinsault, 7% Tibouren
Vintage: 2018
Price: £39
Residual sugar level: Less than 1 g/l
Closure type: natural cork
Colour: Very pale salmon pink
Medal: Gold

Another wine from d’Esclans, this time carrying the name of the great house on the property, it’s a notch up from Rock Angel, but still priced some way below the producer’s flagship rosé, Garrus.

As a result, it’s some way between the two wines in style, with a touch of vanilla, smoke and toast, along with some ripe peach and pear, and a hint of white peach and red berry fruits too. Gently oily, and creamy but also fresh, it’s a lovely, quite weighty rosé.

3. Les Clans

Producer: Château d’Esclans
Country: France
Region: Provence
ABV: 14%
Grape Variety: 73% Grenache 18% Vermentino, 8% Syrah, 1% Tibouren
Vintage: 2018
Price: £57
Residual sugar level: Less than 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Pale salmon pink
Medal: Master

If you love barrel-influenced white wines such as fine Burgundy, or the great blancs of Graves in Bordeaux, then Les Clans should not disappoint. Loaded with a vanilla cream character, peach, pear and wild strawberry fruits, and a touch of orange blossom and bitter almond, even a bit of gently tannic grip, this is a rosé that has the hallmarks of a top-end white wine, mixed with some of the characters of a fine, light red.

2. Clos du Temple

Producer: Gérard Bertrand
Country: France
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
ABV: 14.5%
Grape Variety: 30% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, 30% Viognier
Vintage: 2019
Price: £190
Residual sugar level: 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Very pale salmon pink
Medal: Master

It’s official: with a retail price of nearly £200, this is the world’s most expensive still rosé. And, notably, it’s not from Provence, but biodynamically-farmed vineyards at a flagship Gérard Bertrand estate in the Languedoc. As for the taste, this barely pink rosé belies a powerfully-flavoured, persistent and layered drink, with plenty of barrique-sourced characters from toast to vanilla pod, complemented by masses of juicy fruit from peach, ripe pear and wild strawberry, and an appealing orange zest lift too.

1. Garrus

Producer: Château d’Esclans
Country: France
Region: Provence
ABV: 14%
Grape Variety: 96% Grenache, 3% Vermentino, 1% Tibouren
Vintage: 2018
Price: £120
Residual sugar level: Less than 1 g/l
Closure type: Natural cork
Colour: Very pale salmon pink
Medal: Master

Ok, so our end point is where it all began. As I mentioned at the start of this feature, Garrus was the pioneer in barrel-fermented luxury rosé, creating a new category of fine pink wine, and that way encouraging a reassessment of rosé’s image as purely a fun, short-lived summer drink.

Now, that was back in 2006, and it was a delicious surprise for the wine world. But what does it taste like today? Well, it is still delicious, just less of a stylistic shock. While it may be only just pink, it carries all the moreish flavours of great Provençal rosé, from peach to red berries, white cherries and orange blossom, along with the creamy, vanilla characters from fine French oak. Textured, full-flavoured, but also fine and refreshing, this must be the world’s most versatile dry rosé.