2016 Chateau Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose 750 ml

A Rose for All Seasons: 2016 from Provence Superstar Chateau Miraval

When the June 2014 issue of Wine Spectator hit newsstands, many wine industry veterans rolled their eyes — not us. The oversized glossy cover featured a tanned and casually dressed Brad Pitt sipping rosé with Marc Perrin of Château de Beaucastel fame, which Robert Parker has made clear is one of his all-time favorite Châteauneuf-du-Papes with four 100-point scores. The headline read “Pitt & Perrin: Superstars in Provence,” but the story was anything but a fluff piece.

The Pitts bought the historic land on which Château Miraval sits in 2012, and their partner Perrin’s golden touch ensured a stunning debut vintage of Miraval Rosé. The 90-point elixir Perrin crafted landed a coveted spot on the Wine Spectator Top 100 List. Each year since, Wine Spectator and Parker’s Wine Advocate have tripped over themselves to praise Perrin’s supple, silky, gulpable rosé off this exceptionally unique estate, and we can’t wait until they taste the 2016.   

“Château Miraval is its own valley, with exposures in all directions," Perrin told Wine Spectator. “There are few estates in the world that have their own valley. A winemaker could never own this, unless it was in the family for something like 20 generations.”

Despite what you’ve read in the tabloids, the Pitts have not sold the sprawling estate and the Perrins are firmly running the show. The Hollywood heavyweights may not even be the most historically interesting owners, with one in the ‘70s converting a water tower into a recording studio where Pink Floyd recorded songs for “The Wall,” Roman-era aqueducts, and a man-made lake all speaking to the property’s rich history. But the real stars are the sun-drenched vines planted in protective terraced plots at around 1,150 feet in elevation, surrounded by oaks and garrigue, and cleansed by a constant Provençal breeze. The soils are rich in clay, chalk, and most critically, limestone, which delivers a prodigious mineral vein.

The weather of 2016 did not pose the biggest challenge to the region’s winemakers; no, it was Provence’s wild boar population that was a menace. In late April, a freak bout of frost chipped away at fruit-set, while drought conditions in the spring further reduced yields. The summer was warm and hot, and the wild boar were thirsty and ravenous for the region’s tiny, thick-skinned, supremely concentrated grapes. What was left on the vines proved to be of exceptional quality, so we can’t completely blame the boar.

If the 2016 Château Miraval Rosé is any indication, the critics will heap mounds of praise on the vintage and some producers will be keen to increase prices to make up for lost yields. Beautiful, rose-petal pink with shimmering hues. Bright and complex aromas of white flowers, stone fruit, and fresh minerality. Luscious and juicy on the attack with the sumptuous weight of fleshy pear and strawberry flavors, balanced by mouthwatering acidity, finishing with great tension and a persistent saline thread. An extraordinary wine that shouldn’t be relegated to summertime quaffing, but to be enjoyed year-round.

The best offerings from Château d’Esclans and Domaines Ott will run you $60+ per bottle. Ahead of the reviews, we expect this vintage to be the highest-rated yet. But we’re not waiting for high scores to spike demand. On this first-to-market WineAccess offer today, a mouthwatering $23.99/bottle for the most supple, silky, gulpable Miraval yet — at the best price in the country. Shipping included on 6. We’re starting the 2016 vintage off with a bang.