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Top 10 rosés from the Pays d’Oc IGP
Stretching along the Mediterranean coast to the height of the Pyrenees, the Pays d’Oc IGP is a part of the largest winemaking area in the world, and produces more rosé than Provence.
Having tasted through almost 100 samples from the area, I made the following selection, which formed part of a presentation on rosés from the region, which I gave online to the UK wine trade at 3pm on 13 May.
See below for my top 10 rosés from the Pays d’Oc, and click here to read more about why this area, which covers 120,000 hectares of the Languedoc-Roussillon, is ideal for making pale, dry pink wines.
10. Calmel & Joseph, Villa Blanche, Grenache, 2020
- Grape varieties: 100% Grenache
- ABV: 12.34%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Screwcap
- Soil type: Clay and limestone
- UK retail price (approx.): £9
A brilliant example of the type of inexpensive, good, pale, dry rosé that the Pays d’Oc does well. Hailing from the reliably good Languedoc négociant Calmel & Joseph, it’s packed with hallmark Grenache rosé characters, from crushed strawberry to peach and pink grapefruit, with a zesty clean finish.
9. Jacques Frelin Vignobles, La Marquette, Grenache, 2020
- Grape varieties: 100% Grenache
- ABV: 12.7%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Clay and limestone
- UK retail price (approx.): £5
A creamy and berry scented rosé with a light, dry, refreshing taste, combining red berries and cleansing citrus. Pale and delicate in style, and, like all the wines under the La Maroutte brand, this Grenache rosé is organic.
8. Les Caves Richemer, Marselan rosé, Marselan, 2020
- Grape varieties: 100% Marselan
- ABV: 13.6%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Screwcap
- Soil type: Clay, limestone and silty clay sandy soils
- UK retail price (approx.): £5
Marselan is a Grenache-Cabernet cross that produces fruity-fresh reds in the Pays d’Oc, and, judging by this rosé, excellent pink wines too. Made by the Richemer cooperative, which specialises in wines made from Marselan, it’s a delicious rosé with ripe, gently jammy red fruit and a dry, apple-fresh finish to prepare the palate for another sip.
7. Serre de Guery, Piété, 2020
- Grape varieties: 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Malbec
- ABV: 12.5%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Limestone clay
- UK retail price (approx.): £7
From a brilliant producer in the Minervois, called Château Guery, this Piété rosé is a benchmark Pays d’Oc pink wine, with layers of fruit from raspberry to peach and grapefruit, and, while it has a gently oily texture, it’s finishes dry and zesty.
6. Villa Noria, Grande Tradition Rosé, 2020
- Grape varieties: 50% Pinot noir, 25% Grenache Noir, 25% Grenache Gris
- ABV: 12.3%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Basaltic flows (around Pézenas) and clay-limestone.
- UK retail price (approx.): £9
Here is another example of an affordable, pale, dry, fresh Pays d’Oc rosé that’s also organic. It also has plenty of flavour and depth from its blend of Pinot Noir and both Grenache Noir and Gris. Laden with ripe characters from strawberry to peach, it finishes dry with a refreshing redcurrant note.
5. Delta Domaines, Cante Cigale, 2020
- Grape varieties: 100% Petit Verdot
- ABV: 13%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Volcanic soil
- UK retail price (approx.): £12-15
This is certainly a rarity in the world of rosé: a pink wine made entirely from Petit Verdot. The grape, a late-ripener grown with great results in the Pays d’Oc, produces a lovely deep pink wine with lime zest, apple and raspberry characters, making it a fruity but highly refreshing drop.
4. Valensac Rosé, 2020
- Grape varieties: 83% Syrah, 17% Grenache,
- ABV: 13.1%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Limestone clay
- UK retail price (approx.): £10
Produced from a high-quality family domaine in the Languedoc, this rose has masses of ripe, juicy crushed strawberry characters and a clean, dry finish, making for an appealing, crowd-pleasing and inexpensive aperitif.
3. Les Domaines Barsalou, Grenache Gris, 2019
- Grape varieties: 100% Grenache Gris
- ABV: 13.5%
- Vintage: 2019
- Closure: Screwcap
- UK retail price (approx.): £10
The extremely pale rosé is a lovely and great-value showcase of the quality of Grenache Gris from the Languedoc, with masses of ripe peach flavour, and a nice round, textural mouthfeel, along with a fresh, gently bitter finish.
2. Famille Fabre, Grande Courtade Instant rosé, 2020
- Grape varieties: 52% Merlot, 41% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 7% Pinot Noir
- ABV: 12.5%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Limestone, clay and alluvial silts.
- UK retail price (approx.): £10
A brilliant find from the Pays d’Oc in a pretty package too, with the appeal of a top bottle of Provencal rose, but at half the price. Plus it’s organic. In terms of taste, it’s a lovely combination of ripe white peach and citrus zest – so it’s soft and juicy, while finishing bone dry and bright.
1. Domaine La Provenquière, Achilleus Rosé, 2020
- Grape varieties: 80% Pinot Gris, 20% Vermentino
- ABV: 13%
- Vintage: 2020
- Closure: Cork
- Soil type: Clay-limestone soils and limestone hillsides exposed to the north
- UK retail price (approx.): £20
If you thought Provence had a monopoly on top-end, barrel-fermented rosés, then think again, as this Pays d’Oc from Domaine La Provenquière uses oak in the winemaking to produce an indulgent, creamy, gently toasty style of pink wine, with masses of peach and pear fruit too, and a cleansing freshness. Delicious, layered, powerfully-flavoured, but bright too, this is a highly versatile wine style – it could be a cooling aperitif, or a perfect partner to strongly flavoured foods.
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