I’m quite a fan of Provence rosé, which is one of the wine world’s big success stories. Quality has improved, and although it’s rare to find an example that stops you in your tracks – it’s not a geek wine – there’s a real consistency to these wines. They are context wines, and in the right context you want the wine to do the job it is chosen for. And Provence rosé does this brilliantly. In Provence, there’s a huge resonance with the wine and the place, and this is one of the secrets to its success. I tried 24 well regarded examples, and these are my notes. They are stratified by score, but within each score category order is random.

 92
Château Léoube Secret de Léoube 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Textured, fresh and pure with lovely elegant fine pear fruit with nice nutty hints. A very fine, elegant style. 92/100

91
Château La Coste Bellugue 2015 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
Lively and fresh with a nice citrus edge to the fresh cherry and raspberry fruit, showing lovely textureand brightness. 91/100

Château du Galoupet Tibur 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
90% Tibouren, 10% Grenache. Very pure, lively and linear with subtle, elegant cherry fruit, with green apple and citrus notes. Lovely. 91/100

Château Calissanne Clos Victoire 2015 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
Fresh and bright with citrus and pear fruit. Textured and elegant with nice precision. Bright fruit: a lovely wine. 91/100

Château Peyrassol 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Lively and complex with nice citrus, tangerine and herbs, alongside red cherry hints. Has brightness and focus, but also elegance. 91/100

90
Château Thuerry Les Abeillons 2015 Coteaux Varois en Provence, France
Bright with nice sweet cherry and pear fruit. Lovely texture here: rounded and quite full. Lemony finish. 90/100

Hecht & Bannier 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Bright with nice fresh cherry fruit with lovely soft texture. Pure with lovely balance. 90/100

Domaine de Valdition Vallon des Anges 2015 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
Subtle and fine with nice pear fruit. Rounded and textural with a pithy, waxy undercurrent. 90/100

Château d’Esclans Rock Angel 2014 Côtes de Provence, France
Very bright and fresh with pure red cherry fruit and a citrus core. Linear and lovely. 90/100

Estandon Héritage 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Very pale. Nice rounded cherry fruit with some pear fruit. Textured and attractive. Delicate and rounded. 90/100

Saint André de Figuière Premiére de Figuière 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Pale colour. Fresh, bright and pure. Linear with textured pear, strawberry and cherry fruit. Fresh. 90/100

Château Léoube Rosé de Léobe 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Rounded and textural with nice pear fruit, together with some strawberry and cherry. It’s a tiny bit creamy with a lovely rounded character. 90/100

Rimauresq R 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Fresh, open and a bit stony with bright red cherries and nice tangerine notes. Quite mineral. 90/100

89
Domaine des Sarrins Grande Cuvée 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Textured, bright and fresh with nice vivid, open fruit. A touch of herbiness. Attractive. 89/100

Château La Coste Rosé d’une Nuit 2015 Château Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
Pale and textureal with fresh cherry fruit. Rounded with nice balance. 89/100

Château Pigoudet Classic 2015 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
Very pale in colour. Taut citrus fruit with nice brightness. Lively, zippy and a bit mineral. 89/100

Château Sainte Roseline 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Fresh and bright with red cherry and pear fruit. This has some texture. Quite pure and has a long finish. 89/100

Rimauresq Quintessence 2014 Côtes de Provence, France
Stony and mineral. Linear, citrussy with subtle nuttiness. Ambitious. 89/100

Ferry Lacombe Naos 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Lively with nice cherry and some raspberry. Vibrant with nice texture. 89/100

Château La Mascaronne Quat’saisons 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Very pale in colour. Nice apple and pear fruit with a hint of citrus. Nice weight. 89/100

88
Famille Sumeire Château Coussin 2015 Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, France
Bright and stony with lively citrus notes, some pear, and nice freshness. Linear style. 88/100

Château Roubine La Vie en Rose 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Lively and bright with nice citrus fruit. A bit nutty, in a nice precise style. Distinctive packaging. 88/100

Château Vignelaure Source de Vignelaure 2015 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France
Slightly creamy edge to the focused cherry and pear fruit. Has a soft dairy edge but bright, elegant fruit. 88/100

Minuty Prestige 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Bright and lively with nice pear and citrus fruit. Rounded texture: very attractive. 88/100

Château de Pamleonne 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Lively with a hint of tangerine and nice pear and citrus fruit. Attractively textured and pure. 88/100

87
Château de Saint-Martin Eternelle Favourite 2015 Côtes de Provence, France
Tibouren and Syrah. Distinctive bottle shape. Very lively and herby. Bright and focused with slight creaminess. 87/100

See also: Selling Pleasure: a series based on a visit to Provence to look at rosé

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