What does your rosé say about you?

It’s peak pink drink time — and your blush brand of choice speaks volumes

By Kate Spicer

Provençal rosé rarely invites conversations about what time in the morning the grapes are picked, or even what grapes are used. All anyone wants to know is: what colour is it? Any shade of pale pink with a gemlike clarity will do. Basically, is it “nice rosé”?

Exports from Provence — pink makes up 90 per cent of the region’s wine output — have increased 500 per cent in 15 years, and the UK is one of the world’s biggest importers: 12 million bottles in 2022, second only to the US. Last month Waitrose revealed it is mainly drunk at a particular time too — apparently rosé sales soar by 150 per cent when the temperature hits 20 degrees.

Nice rosé is now the accessible luxury statement drink that helps you semaphore who you are while getting gently pissed in the sun. But what does your choice say about you?

Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel

The Manchester United of nice rosé (its cult stretches from Cheshire to Dubai), this was the first to convince men that rosé was manly, hence the nickname “brosé”. Blatant dupes abound, including Lidl’s Breath of Paradise and Asda’s Screaming Devil, while the Whispering Angel brand now includes The Beach for all-day drinking and the richer Rock Angel. (The estate’s premium cru, Garrus, is loved by Lady Beckham.) £22.50, sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk

Wine advocate 2025 ratings estate collection

By Yohan Castaing

The 2023 Cotes de Provence Rose from Château d’Esclans reveals a delicate, perfumed bouquet of red berries, pomegranate, grapefruit and peaches, delicately intertwined with discreet oaky notes. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and sappy, it’s seamless and pure with a fleshy core of fruit and a lot of freshness, culminating in a mineral, spicy and nicely oaky finish. This is a real effort.

91+ Points

Drink Date: 2025 – 2033

Composed primarily of old-vine Grenache Noir and Vermentino, the 2023 Cotes de Provence Rose Les Clans opens with a delicate, refined bouquet of strawberries, gooseberries, spring flowers and subtle hints of spice and oak. Medium- to full-bodied, it’s round and supple, with an elegant core of fruit and a fleshy mid-palate that leads to a long, mouthwatering, mineral-driven finish. It should age gracefully for at least 2–3 years and beyond.

92+ Points

Drink Date:  2025 – 2035

The 2023 Cotes de Provence Rose Garrus is a true success, offering an alluring bouquet of pomegranate, spices, ripe orchard fruits and red berries, delicately framed by subtle oaky nuances. Medium- to full-bodied, sappy and ample, it is layered and textural, with a tactile core of fruit and a touch of freshness that lifts the finish. This is a structured, sophisticated rosé that can age gracefully, promising to reveal further complexity over the next 4–5 years.

93 Points

Drink Date: 2025 – 2030

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.