A dozen luxury rosés for fine wine drinkers

CHÂTEAU MINUTY 281, 2023

• Producer: Château Minuty
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 90% Grenache, 5% Rolle, 5% Syrah
• ABV: 12%
• Residual sugar: 0.51g/l
• Approx. retail price: £55

One of the highest-scoring wines of this year’s competition, this top-end expression from Château Minuty – called 281 after the Pantone number for the blue on the bottle – uses a prized plot of old-vine Grenache, complemented by a touch of Rolle and Syrah. The combination yields a wine with depth, featuring lovely peachy notes, along with white cherry and wild strawberry, complemented by some zesty grapefruit and delicate, white pepper-like spice. A bone-dry, persistent and intense rosé with plenty of flavour, but delicacy and elegance too. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

YSIOS ROSÉ, 2023

• Producer: Bodegas Ysios
• Region: Rioja
• Country: Spain
• Grape variety: 100% Garnacha
• ABV: 13%
• Residual sugar: 1.6g/l
• Approx. retail price: £40

A fantastic find from Spain, this pure Garnacha rosado from Rioja’s Bodegas Ysios comes in a beautiful bottle that’s completely clear to show off the pale pink liquid – a much lighter shade than one would expect from Iberia. Taste-wise, it’s rich in flavours from white cherry to sweet red berries, with a touch of pomegranate too, while the finish features lingering characters of pink grapefruit, peach, then redcurrant and lemon zest. Intense and fruity, but bone-dry and deliciously refreshing. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

LE CIRQUE DES GRIVES, CHÂTEAU LA GORDONNE BIO, 2022

• Producer: Château La Gordonne
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 60% Cinsault, 40% Grenache
• ABV: 13.5%
• Residual sugar: <2g/l
• Approx. retail price: £50

A magnificent rosé using very old-vine Cinsault and Grenache from the great organic Provençal estate that is Château La Gordonne. Layers of flavour feature, from ripe melon to white-fleshed peach, lemon zest to orange blossom, along with a touch of white pepper and redcurrant. While zesty and slightly chalky in texture, this refreshing rosé has plenty of fruit to make the mid-palate full and soft, without any sweetness. Delicious. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

WOMEN OF THE WORLD, PINOTAGE ROSE, 2023

ROSA CÉLESTE BY QUINTA DA GAIVOSA, 2021

• Producer: Alves de Sousa
• Region: Douro
• Country: Portugal
• Grape varieties: 80% Tinta Cão, 20% Touriga Nacional
• ABV: 13%
• Residual sugar: 2g/l
• Approx. retail price: £25

This wine’s name, Rosa Céleste, comes from an ancient shrub rose plant with grey-green leaves and sweet-scented, pale pink flowers. The wine is appropriately named. Delicate, with a very pale rose-gold hue, it exhibits white and red cherries, accented by hints of vanilla pod. Dry, the palate has racy acidity and a hint of tannin giving a little grip to support the deep, concentrated and elegant flavours. This is an exceptional wine that indicates what careful vinification and well-judged oak can do for top-class rosé wines. A revelation, the wine will work well with mushroom-asparagusgreen pea risotto or Beijing Chinese dim-sum. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

BY CAVES D’ESCLANS, ROCK ANGEL, 2022

• Producer: Cave d’Esclans
• Region:  Côtes de Provence
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 48% Grenache, 24% Rolle, 13% Cinsault, 6% Tibouren, 3% Syrah, 3% Carignan, 3% Mourvèdre 
• Abv: 13.5%
• Residual Sugar: 0.3g/l
• Approx. retail price: £26.50

Sacha Lichine, from a long-standing internationally-renowned wine family, produces fantastic wines. This wine is no exception. Pale peach-pink in colour, the wine has strawberry, raspberry and cranberry fruit with gently used creamy oak and a crushed yellow rose petal accent. Just dry, the mid-weight palate is beautifully balanced between fruit, oak and lively acidity. Textured and layered, this wine is exemplary. A really good choice for Provençal bouillabaisse. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

MARCHESI FRESCOBALDI, AUREA GRAN ROSÉ 2022

• Producer: Marchesi Frescobaldi
• Region: Tuscany
• Country: Italy
• Grape varieties: 70% Syrah, 30% Vermentino
• ABV: 12.5%
• Residual sugar: 2.3g/l
• Approx. retail price: £30

With a well-established history dating back to at least 1300, the Tuscan house of Frescobaldi has little to prove. This pristine gem is a tribute to the many artisans who have fashioned the Frescobaldi wines for centuries. Very pale peach in colour, the wine shows wild strawberry and vibrant red cherry fruit, accented by gentle, creamy oak. The mid-weight palate is well-defined, with fresh acidity and a hint of grainy texture adding interest. Concentrated and lingering on the finish, the wine will be an excellent match for chicken salad with red capsicum and celery in choux pastry. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

CHIVITE COLECCIÓN 125 ROSADO, IGP RIBERAS, 2022

• Producer: Bodegas Chivite
• Region: Navarra
• Country: Spain
• Grape varieties: 57% Garnacha, 24% Tempranillo, 19% Syrah
• ABV: 14%
• Residual sugar: 0.4g/l
• Approx. retail price: £25

Bodegas Chivite has been located in the Navarra town of Cintruénigo since 1637, and doing a cracking job of wine production for 10 generations. Renowned for rosados, Chivite lives up to expectations with this wine, which has a pale salmon colour with intense summer pudding fruits, and a soft meringue and vanilla pod overlay. Dry, the palate shows lively acidity supporting the well-defined flavours. Sappy and savoury and showing a little astringent tannic grip, the wine will suit grilled lobster with clarified butter. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

LES CLANS, 2022

• Producer: Château d’Esclans
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 86% Grenache, 12% Rolle, 2% Tibouren
• ABV: 14%
• Residual sugar: 0.4g/l
• Approx. retail price: £65

If you’ve never tried barrel-aged rosé, then you should give Les Clans a go. At first surprising, the aromatics are reminiscent of white Burgundy, or perhaps a fine Bordeaux blanc, with notes of ripe citrus mixed with toasted marshmallow. These are far removed from the typical scents of pink wine, let alone the delicate characters of Provençal rosé. But then, when you drink it, you see how high-quality oak and great Grenache-based pink wines can be a wonderful marriage. Not only do the white cherry and peachy flavours nicely complement the vanilla pod and white chocolate notes, but there’s also a lovely textural union, as fruit, oak and acidity combine to produce something fleshy, creamy and zesty. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

CHÂTEAU GASSIER, ELEVAE, 2019

• Producer: Château Gassier
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 45% Syrah, 45%
• Grenache, 10% Rolle
• ABV: 13.5%
• Residual sugar: 1.26g/l
• Approx. retail price: £60

This fascinating rosé, which is aged for two years in Austrian oak barrels, is a top expression from the great Château Gassier, and a notable addition to the world of ‘serious’ pink wines. Not only is the rosé already almost five years old, but it also employs a range of vessels, including wooden demi-muids, to ferment and age the wines. The result is a complex rosé with a very pale peach and salmon colour, and characters that are a mix of juicy berries and oxidative, dried fruit flavours too. In some ways reminiscent of a classic white Rioja, there is a combination of nuts and vanilla, with some peach and pear, then apple skin and a sour cider-like note on the finish, giving the rosé a refreshing and slightly bitter edge. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

GARRUS, 2022

• Producer: Château d’Esclans
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 83% Grenache, 15% Rolle, 2% Tibouren
• ABV: 14.5%
• Residual sugar: 0.4g/l
• Approx. retail price: £120

The great barrel-aged rosé that is Garrus is still a benchmark in the niche world of fine, age-worthy pink wines. Loaded with lovely fruit flavours of white-fleshed cherry, juicy pear and ripe peach, along with redcurrant and ruby grapefruit, one can also expect to find oak-sourced characters of vanilla and toast, and even a touch of meringue, as well as some fine tannins to bring a pleasant, drying sensation to the finish. A delicious drop that’s pretty and serious at the same time. Perfect for summer salads, creamy fish dishes or just sipping in the sun with nothing more than a plate of grilled almonds. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

CLOS DU TEMPLE, 2023

• Producer: Gérard Bertrand
• Region: Languedoc
• Country: France
• Grape varieties: 46% Cinsault, 38% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 1% Viognier
• ABV: 14%
• Residual sugar: <1g/l
• Approx. retail price: £220

The ultimate statement rosé, Clos du Temple is striking for its high price, distinctive packaging and powerful flavours. It’s the latter that gained it the title of Global Rosé Master in this year’s competition and, if one looks at the scores, the highest average of the tasting – making it our best pink wine of 2024. So, what do we love about this rosé? It’s a more-ish mix of grilled nuts, charred bread, creamy vanilla and then a combination of peach and lemon, wild strawberry and pineapple, redcurrant and white pepper. And it’s not just full in flavour, but texture too, with a lovely, soft, oily mid-palate mouthfeel, but a fresh finish, with a hint of bitter grapefruit to make you salivate. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

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About the competition