Whispering Angel, Chateau d'Esclans, Côtes de Provence (2025)

Whispering Angel needs little introduction. Sacha Lichine's Château d'Esclans turned pale, dry Provence rosé into a category of its own, and this is the wine that did it - now the benchmark every other rosé is measured against. It's a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Rolle, pale salmon-pink, properly dry, and all about freshness.

The style comes from cool, careful handling rather than oak. The grapes are picked at night to come in cold, optically sorted, then gently pressed and kept at low temperature to protect the aromatics. Fermentation and ageing happen entirely in temperature-controlled stainless steel, so nothing gets in the way of the fruit - the result is clean, crisp and bright.

In the glass that means red berries, white peach and citrus over a clean, mineral finish, bone dry from start to end. It's as easy to pour on its own as it is with a table of food, and it's at its best poured young while all that freshness is intact. Serve well chilled, around 8-10°C.