Roseblood Château d’Estoublon, Provence 2025

Château d'Estoublon has made wine in the Alpilles since 1489, and Roseblood is its modern rosé statement - a serpent-and-rose bottle backed by an ownership group that includes the Prats family of former Cos d'Estournel renown. The ambition is luxury rosé in the serious Provence mould, not the soft commercial style that fills most pink bottles. The fruit comes off the calcareous, mountain-cooled vineyards of Coteaux Varois en Provence, inland and high enough to hold its acidity through a hot summer. The blend leans on Grenache for roundness, with Syrah, Cinsault and a little Rolle adding colour, lift and a thread of white-flower freshness. Whole-cluster pressing and cool, protective handling keep the colour at the palest eau-de-rose and the aromatics intact. In the glass it is bright and high-definition: wild strawberry, white peach and a twist of citrus over a stony, saline minerality. The style is taut and dry rather than soft - relentlessly refreshing, with a clean mineral spine that runs the length of the finish. Serve well chilled, around 8-10°C.