Château Gairoird Rosé, Côtes de Provence 2024

On his 45 hectare domaine Olivier Duffort of Château Gairoird grows numerous Provençal grape varieties, led by Grenache, Cinsault and Vermentino, many of which go into this deliciously tasty rosé. After being night harvested the juice is cool fermented before resting on its lees until bottling the January after harvest. This gives it a little extra body and depth of flavour. It's got fresh aromas of grapefruit, peach and strawberry bursting out with floral notes that follow through to the palate. Crisp and with a nicely clean mouthfeel it has a satisfying lengthy finish.

Classical Provençal style done very well. This is also a good rosé to drink with food, think all sorts of meaty, full flavoured fish.

On the outskirts of Cuers, you'll find Château Gairoird, a 45-hectare organic estate owned by the Counts of Pierrefeu. Despite the noble heritage, it a pretty down-to-earth place these days and Olivier Duffort, the current count, is a quiet and thoughtful man. The Mediterranean climate is just what you'd expect, but to offset the temperatures, the vines benefit from the cooling, drying Mistral winds and the terroir is classically Provençal with well-draining chalky-clay soil. Having once been seller of wine in bulk, they've now really made a name for themselves with their own estate bottled wines.