Château d'Esclans Whispering Angel 2025, 20th Vintage Limited Edition, Côtes de Provence
Twenty years after its first vintage, Château d'Esclans is marking this anniversary with a limited edition of Whispering Angel featuring a redesigned label and Sacha Lichine’s signature. This Côtes de Provence, classified as a Cru Classé, is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle, and Syrah, including old Grenache vines up to ninety years old, planted on limestone soils. The 2025 vintage continues the legacy of a rosé that has helped establish Provence as a global benchmark for pale dry rosé.
Tasting the Whispering Angel 2025: a Côtes de Provence blending fruit and vibrancy
The Tasting
The color is a delicate, bright, and crystal-clear pale pink, with slightly salmon-hued highlights characteristic of great Provence rosés. The bouquet, expressive for such a young wine, opens with notes of citrus, strawberry, and raspberry, complemented by a hint of white peach and a subtle floral touch. On the palate, it stands out with a soft, silky attack, a creamy texture, and lively acidity that gives the wine structure without ever weighing it down. Flavors of red berries and ripe citrus come through clearly, supported by three months of ageing on the lees, which adds body without compromising the wine’s freshness. The finish is long, with a hint of minerality, leaving an impression of a rosé that is both full-bodied and refreshing.
- Color: Rosé
- Appellation: Côtes de Provence
- Classification: Cru Classé
- Grape Varieties: Grenache (including old vines up to 90 years old), Cinsault, Rolle (Vermentino), Syrah
- Terroir: Limestone soils
- Alcohol content: 13% ABV
- Winemaking: Nighttime harvest, manual and optical sorting, fermentation and ageing in temperature-controlled stainless steel cuves, stirring on lees for 3 months
Food and Wine Pairings
This rosé is a natural choice for a summer aperitif, a platter of fine charcuterie, or a Niçoise salad. Its creamy texture and liveliness also make it a solid pairing for grilled fish drizzled with olive oil, white meats lightly seasoned with herbes de Provence, or a platter of fresh cheeses. The crisp finish pairs well with lightly sweetened red fruit desserts.
Aging Potential
The 2025 Whispering Angel is best enjoyed over the next two to three years, a window during which the fruit and aromatic liveliness are at their peak. Stirring on the lees gives the wine enough body to withstand a few additional months of cellaring without losing its vibrancy. It should be served chilled, around nine degrees, in a wine glass rather than a flute, to allow the aromas to fully express themselves. Decanting is not necessary.
Century-old vines and Provençal expertise at Château d’Esclans
The Vintage in the Vineyard
The 2025 vintage in Provence benefited from the region’s characteristic Mediterranean climate: sustained sunshine, a steady mistral wind that plays a vital role in maintaining vine health, and nights cool enough to preserve the grapes’ natural acidity and delicate aromas. The wine estate’s limestone soils, combined with the maritime influence, helped produce healthy grapes with controlled ripeness. The harvest, conducted at night to preserve the berries’ freshness at picking, yielded high-quality grapes—the key to a pale, aromatic rosé.
Winemaking
The production of Whispering Angel relies on precise technical choices: the nighttime harvest is followed by both manual and optical sorting, ensuring that only healthy berries are selected. Direct pressing preserves the pale color and aromatic finesse. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel cuves, after which the wine is aged on its lees for three months with regular stirring—a technique that enriches the texture without compromising its freshness. Château d’Esclans blends Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle, and Syrah to create a cuvée, the limited-edition 20th-anniversary release of which bears the signature of Sacha Lichine.
