And Is the First 2022 Rosé from Provence to Reach Global Markets
(NEW YORK) March 1, 2023 – Today, Château d’Esclans is thrilled to announce the seventeenth vintage release of its flagship wine, Whispering Angel, which has become today’s worldwide reference for Provence rosé. Whispering Angel continues the Rosé Renaissance with another exceptional vintage, marking the first 2022 Provence Rosé to hit shelves around the globe.
Upon Sacha Lichine’s acquisition of Château d’Esclans, situated in the heart of Provence, in 2006 he had envisioned creating the greatest Rosé in the world. Setting the tone for making rosé a world class wine with its top oak-aged Garrus, produced from 100-year-old Grenache vines, gave the category newfound cachet and, with Whispering Angel, offered an affordably luxurious wine which was instrumental in sparking the Rosé Revolution, while bringing notoriety to the Côtes de Provence appellation.
Now available in over 110 counties, Whispering Angel 2022 once again delivers the magic of Provence to discerning consumers throughout the world. From Après Ski soirées to seaside Beach Clubs, to the best international restaurants and resorts, to the finest wine shops Whispering Angel continues to build desirability and remains the world’s most popular rosé.
The 2022 growing season yielded small berries which is about a 25% drop in their average weight compared to previous years. While unprecedented, this was expected following the scorching hot summer. Spring frosts prevailed in certain areas of Provence but Château d’Esclans was once again spared. Their commitment to long-term and meticulous vineyard management, year after year, facilitated an untroubled vintage and the vast majority of their plots withstood this scorching summer very well.
“A pale and pure rosé with notes of fresh citrus, rose petal and red fruits on the nose and a palate that is round and well-balanced with great acidity and structure,” says Sacha Lichine of Whispering Angel’s newest vintage.
A blend of free-run juices and pressed juices consisting primarily of Grenache, Cinsault, and Rolle from old vines grown in La Motte, Provence. Fermentation and ageing take place in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks with twice weekly lees-stirring. The result is a pale and pure rosé with notes of fresh citrus, rose petal, and red fruits on the nose and a palate that is round and well balanced with great acidity and structure. A versatile wine that can be an ideal as an apéritif paired with a variety of foods, from herb-infused (Mediterranean) styled dishes to Pan Asian cuisine.
After another year of unprecedented growth in 2022, Whispering Angel is now the #1 best-selling French wine in the United States and outsells its competitors globally 4 to 1. Synonymous with a glamourous lifestyle and encapsulating the romance of the French Riviera, Whispering Angel will continue to propel the meteoric growth of the entire rosé category in 2023.
About Château d’Esclans
Château d’Esclans is situated in the heart of Provence, northeast of St. Tropez on an exceptional site surrounded by parkland, forest and gnarled old vines. The mid-19th century Château overlooks the bucolic Esclans Valley straight down to the Mediterranean coast. As one of the grandest Châteaux in all of Provence and inspired by Tuscan Villa design, Château d’Esclans had been owned by a handful of prominent people before Sacha Lichine acquired it in 2006, to begin what would become a new chapter in rosé. Among one of Sacha’s revealing statements of his odyssey at the helm of Château d’Esclans is: “We don’t own the Château; the Château owns us, and we are just people operating it during our lifetime.” Today that new chapter has burgeoned into a major story about creating a formidable range of rosé wines crafted for various tastes, styles, and occasions. And much about these fabulous wines can be owed to everything that has gone into “operating” this remarkable Château throughout Sacha Lichine’s involvement with it.
