2024 Château d'Esclans Côtes de Provence Rock Angel Rosé 750ml

Overview

Rock Angel is a premium Côtes de Provence Rosé from Château d'Esclans, offering greater richness and structure than the estate’s Whispering Angel. Primarily sourced from the château’s vineyards and selected sites around the Esclans Valley, it combines ripe fruit, partial oak fermentation and flinty minerality in a powerful yet elegant style.

Vineyard and Harvest

The blend is based on Grenache and Rolle, also known as Vermentino. Estate-grown grapes were harvested in the morning, while fruit from selected neighbouring vineyards was picked at night. Avoiding the heat of the day helped preserve freshness and aromatic clarity.

Winemaking

Fruit was assessed with optical sorting before gentle crushing. Its temperature was reduced from approximately 20°C to 7–8°C to retain freshness and vivacity. Closed-circuit pressing limited oxidation and produced free-run juice.

Vinification took place primarily in temperature-controlled 600-litre oak demi-muids, with a portion fermented in stainless steel. Bâtonnage was conducted twice weekly over six months before bottling, contributing texture and integration without obscuring the fruit.

Producer Tasting Notes

Delicate red berry aromas with mineral notes, along with floral hints and a subtle spice.

Rich and racy on the palate. The use of partial oak aging adds a creamy feel and texture to this wine, and the flinty minerality embues it with another layer of complexity.

Powerful and elegant. Firm acidity with a long and silky finish.

Critic Reviews

92 Points – Tom Cannavan
Tasted January 2025
Rock Angel, made from estate-grown fruit at Chateau d'Esclans (Grenache and Rolle), and partly barrel-fermented. That adds no perceptible 'oaky' quality beyond a slight creaminess to the aromas that are otherwise of ripe but keen red berries and hint of peach … Acidity is defined, and there's a hint of spicy tannin, perhaps from the fruit, perhaps from the barrel, but adding a pleasing edge of chalky grip.

Awards

• Silver Medal: The Global Rosé Masters 2025
• 90-Point Medal: Meininger’s International Rosé 2025

Specifications

• Vintage: 2024
• Producer: Château d'Esclans
• Wine: Rock Angel
• Varieties: Grenache and Rolle
• Appellation: Côtes de Provence
• Region: Provence
• Country: France
• Harvest: September 2024
• Fermentation: Primarily in 600-litre oak demi-muids, with a portion in stainless steel
• Lees Management: Bâtonnage twice weekly for six months
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Residual Sugar: 1.3g/L
• Total Acidity: 3.5g/L