Chateau D'esclans Rose Les Clans Cotes De Provence 2018 (750ml)

 

Rated 94 Points by James Suckling

 

Loads of pretty coconut oil, crushed stones and cherry blossom.  Dense and flavorful on the palate for a rosé, but vibrant and agile.  Cutting acidity drives home layers of nectarines and the finish is textured and phenolic.

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

This wood-aged wine has a good balance between spicy toast and ripe red fruits.  It is rich, with a dense structure and impressive concentration.  The extra year after harvest has given the wine depth and a smooth maturity.  Drink now.

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Spectator

 

A stylish rose, with richly textured layers of ripe mango, vanilla cream and glazed peach flavors, cast with white tea, honeyed brioche and floral undertones.  Impressive.  Grenache and Rolle.  Drink now through 2022.  G.S.

 

Chateau d’Esclans Rose Les Clans

 

Cotes de Provence 2018

 

Epitomizing a sophisticated, food driven wine made from Grenache and Rolle (Vermentino), Les Clans (entirely fermented and aged in large French oak barrels) represents a particular disconnect with rosé in general as it is quite remarkable with potential to age or, if tempted, to enjoy with great pleasure sooner rather than later.  This wine is both rich and exotic while being full bodied and elegant.

 

Cotes de Provence Wine

 

Côtes de Provence AOC is the largest appellation of the Provence wine region in south-eastern France.  It covers roughly 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of vineyards, which produce the vast majority of Provence's rosé wine.  This appellation includes most of the viticulture in the Var department – essentially the eastern half of the Provence wine region – apart from 2250 hectares (5500 acres) due north of Toulon which is set aside for the Côteaux Varois en Provence appellation.

 

Harvesting

 

Château d’esclans harvesting takes place from sunrise to noon to avoid the heat of the day.  During the harvest, grapes that are selected and picked are put in small (10 kilo) crates which are deliberately that size in order to prevent grapes placed at the bottom of the crates from getting crushed.  Caves d’esclans Whispering Angel grapes are handpicked and mechanically harvested.

 

Sorting

 

Once the grapes arrive to the cellars, they are sorted manually and then go through optical sorting.  All grapes which go into vinification are perfectly de-stemmed and resemble each of the correct physical characteristics dictated by the wine maker including shape, size, color and general condition.  This is verified by an optical eye which is programmed to detect whether grapes ‘make the grade’.

 

Cooling & Pressing

 

The grapes are then sent through the heat exchange system which reduce their temperature from what can be as high as 29 degrees c down to 7-8 degrees c followed by a soft press which produces 3 grades of what is primarily free run juice.

 

Barrels & Vats

 

Subsequently, depending on which grade of juice the press produces, the wine makers determine which will be used to make barrel fermented (aged) wine or stainless steel fermented wine.

 

Wine Lab

 

Laboratory testing and analysis is conducted throughout the vinification process.

 

Assemblage

 

Both Sacha Lichine and Patrick Leon oversee the blending for Chateau d’esclans and Caves d’esclans – Whispering Angel wines.

 

Bottling & Packaging

 

Bottling and packing take place at Caves d’esclans.

 

 

Château d’Esclans

 

Château d’Esclans, a magical property, is situated in the heart of Provence, northeast of St. Tropez overlooking the Esclans Valley with the Mediterranean coast in the faint distance.  The vision of Sacha Lichine with his acquisition of the Château in 2006 was to create the greatest rosés in the world igniting the “Rosé Renaissance”.

 

 

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

This wood-aged wine has a good balance between spicy toast and ripe red fruits.  It is rich, with a dense structure and impressive concentration.  The extra year after harvest has given the wine depth and a smooth maturity.  Drink now.