Château d'Esclans and the Rise of Modern Provence Rosé
Château d'Esclans is located near La Motte in the Var, at the heart of Provence in southern France. Sacha Lichine acquired the estate in 2006 with an ambition to elevate rosé beyond its traditional seasonal image and demonstrate its potential as a serious fine wine.
That vision helped establish Château d'Esclans as one of the most influential names in the modern growth of Provence rosé. Through precise temperature control, careful handling of fruit and the considered use of oak across its upper-tier wines, the estate has developed a range that moves from fresh, accessible rosé through to complex, age-worthy expressions.
Whispering Angel and the Côtes de Provence Style
Whispering Angel is the best-known wine produced by Caves d'Esclans and has become closely associated with the pale, dry style of Côtes de Provence rosé.
Built principally around Grenache, Cinsault and Rolle, the wine is made for freshness, delicacy and balance. Pale in colour and dry on the palate, it typically combines red berry and stone fruit characters with citrus, florals and a clean mineral finish.
Whispering Angel offers the most direct introduction to the Esclans approach, prioritising fruit purity and freshness while retaining enough texture and structure to work well at the table.
From Whispering Angel to Rock Angel
Rock Angel takes the style in a more structured direction. Produced from selected fruit and incorporating barrel fermentation and maturation, it has greater weight, texture and savoury complexity than Whispering Angel while retaining the freshness associated with Provence rosé.
This added dimension makes Rock Angel particularly well suited to food, with greater depth through the palate and a style that moves closer to fine white wine in its structure and versatility.
For those exploring the range, Whispering Angel provides the fresher and more immediately expressive style, while Rock Angel offers a richer and more gastronomic interpretation.
Garrus and the Fine Wine Ambition of Château d'Esclans
Garrus sits at the pinnacle of the Château d'Esclans portfolio and represents the estate's most ambitious expression of rosé. Produced in very limited quantities from selected old-vine fruit, it is fermented and matured in French oak.
The result is a rosé with considerably greater texture, depth and complexity than the classic Provence style. Fruit, spice, fine oak and mineral characters are supported by the structure to develop further with bottle age.
Garrus has played an important role in challenging conventional ideas about rosé, demonstrating that the category can extend well beyond youthful, early-drinking wines.
Whispering Angel in Half Bottles, Magnums and Large Formats
Whispering Angel is available across an unusually broad range of bottle sizes. The Kent Street Cellars collection extends from 375ml half bottles and standard 750ml bottles through to 1.5L magnums, 3L and 6L large formats.
These larger bottles have become closely associated with the relaxed entertaining style of Provence rosé and offer an impressive option for lunches, events and larger gatherings. Six and twelve-bottle selections also make it easy to stock Whispering Angel in greater quantities across the warmer months.
