Château d’Esclans: The Rosé that Rewrote the Rules

By Fran Miller

20 years ago, rosé was a poolside afterthought. Then came Château d’Esclans—and everything changed.

The estate sits in Provence’s hinterland, northeast of St. Tropez. Vines stretch toward the Massif des Maures, with breezes off the Mediterranean. Château d’Esclans itself dates back to the 19th century, though its oldest Grenache vines are more than 100 years old. The land was always promising. It just needed someone to reimagine its potential.

Enter Sacha Lichine. In 2006, he bought the property with a singular mission: make the world’s best rosé. Lichine came from Bordeaux pedigree—his father, Alexis, helped reshape French wine in the mid-20th century. But Sacha had something else in mind: a chilled bottle of pale pink wine that could command attention, price, and placement.

It worked.

Today, Château d’Esclans produces a portfolio that ranges from accessible to extraordinary. Whispering Angel, its flagship, is an international phenomenon—served everywhere from yacht decks to downtown rooftops. Dry, elegant, and mercifully not too fruity, it helped define modern rosé’s signature style. It also showed that pink wine could be serious, without being pretentious.

“Why shouldn’t rosé have a grand cru?”

Sacha Lichine, proprietor, Château d’Esclans

The Pale followed: a lighter, more casual bottling with Art Deco-inspired branding. It’s the kind of wine that appeals across generations—bright, crisp, and not remotely stuffy. Meanwhile, Rock Angel adds a touch of oak and more structured fruit. It’s for people who want depth without losing the lift.

Then there’s the top tier. Chateau d’Esclans, Les Clans, and Garrus come from the estate’s oldest vines. The trio sees barrel fermentation and extended aging, more in line with fine white Burgundy. Garrus, especially, has caused wine professionals to rethink what rosé can be. With its creamy texture, wild strawberry notes, and long mineral finish, it has more in common with Montrachet than the beach.

Distribution has kept pace. The wines are now in more than 100 countries. Celebrity endorsements haven’t hurt. Nor has the sense that you’re drinking something culturally specific—southern France, in a glass—but universally stylish.

Critics once dismissed rosé as unserious. Château d’Esclans disproved that—with winemaking rigor, yes, but also with charm. The estate embraced modern marketing, sleek design, and clear messaging. It made rosé aspirational, without making it inaccessible.

Inspired by the estate’s chapel adorned with ethereal winged figurines, Whispering Angel was meticulously created and brought to life in 2006 by Sacha Lichine, son of the legendary Alexis Lichine (a Bordeaux baron in his own right), where since its luxe genesis has paraded its radiant stature as the crown jewel of Château d’Esclans, nestled deep in the Var region of Provence. It was here that Sacha Lichine had the invigorating vision of a dry, yet smooth delicate rosé flowing with the powerful sensuality of silk, entwined with the ravishing swagger of a Bond girl which now finds itself chilling away in gleaming silver ice buckets adorning pristine superyacht decks in the billionaire playgrounds of Monte Carlo, and passed around like heady fragrant perfumes atop London’s lofty, pulse-pounding rooftop havens.