Wednesday Wines – Episode 271 – A Summer Rosé Newsflash: 14 stunning wines!

After the recent heatwave, the skies (at least in Battersea) have decided to water the plants and give us all some respite.  So, I have taken this opportunity to gather together a collection of rather lovely rosés that have crossed my tasting bench this year.  I am sure there are more to follow, but this is a collection of the very best, and here are my knee-jerk reaction notes!  They are listed in price order! P.S. – There are plenty more rosé recommendations on this website!

2024 Rock Angel by Whispering Angel, Caves d’Esclans, Côtes de Provence, France (£27.50, reduced to £24.50 until 29th July, www.waitrosecellar.com; £24.95, www.finewinedirect.co.uk).

Rock is another wine that often needs a year to relax into its couture trappings, but this time, the oak nuances are subtle, sublime, and fully integrated into the fruit.  This is a first!  You can open a bottle of this wine today, secure in the knowledge that it is already up to ramming speed!  Layered, luxurious, this is a true big brother to the brilliant 2024 Whispering Angel – see my notes here.  But there is more.  While this wine was originally designed to be the foodie version of Whispering, it has moved closer to the estate wines (Château, Les Clans and Garrus) than ever before.  This is a genuinely great Rock Angel!