2019 Chateau des Demoiselles Cotes de Provence 750 ml

There’s no wine more welcome in our glass than the bone-dry, mineral-laden, mouthwatering 2019 Château des Demoiselles Côtes de Provence rosé.

Château des Demoiselles isn’t just born of the salt-sprayed sunshine of Provence’s Esclans Valley, but the appellation’s most prestigious area, just a stone’s throw from where Château d’Esclans produces their world-famous Whispering Angel and $100-per-bottle Garrus rosés. 

The Château des Demoiselles sells out every year, leaving a trail of rave reviews from Wine Access members who love its Provençal character—and lament that their bottles went too quickly: “Loved it—light and refreshing,” “excellent value,” and “wish I could buy more,” are the words that accompany dozens of four- and -five-star member reviews.

With its fresh strawberry, watermelon, lemongrass, and lilac bursting from the glass, and focused palate of white raspberry, Rainier cherry, and herbes de Provence, this rosé shows why the Esclans Valley is the iconic heart of Provence. It will slake your thirst and make your food sing until (and well into) the fall, so pair it with seafood, pair it with salad, pair with anything, period. 

We went to see the source of this gorgeous value rosé a year ago, and our first glimpses of the charming Château des Demoiselles estate showed precisely what we’d imagined. Rows of vines stretched out under the azure sky, rooted in poor but well-draining brick-red soils of clay and limestone. The sun was beating down, and the vines were relieved by the brisk, cooling gusts of the Mistral. It’s no wonder some of the world’s greatest rosés come from this oasis in Provence.

Since Château des Demoiselles boasts such advantageous terroir, a lot of the work was done when Bernard Teillaud purchased the 740-acre estate in 2005. But the work continues on the crush pad and in the cellar, where the crew takes pains to transform the estate’s supremely concentrated grapes into a rosé of mouthwatering freshness.

The grapes are picked at night to prevent coloring and oxidation. Then they’re gently pressed, cold-stabilized, and allowed to settle for eight days, preserving the purity of fruit and aromatic clarity of the wine. Aging on the lees in stainless steel enhances body while retaining energy, and bottling occurs in an inert environment as a final safeguard against oxidation.

What results is the epitome of Provence rosé: a salmon-pink wine that boasts generous red and stone fruit, buzzes with energy, and is seasoned by the sea spray and cleansed by the constant Provençal breeze. Make sure you’re stocked up, instead of writing in “wishing for more.”