THE VERDICT

The solid standard was further proof that Provence rosé is one of the most reliable wine styles. Though real excitement was harder to find, the 2019 cru classés do stand out, says Georgie Hindle

A‘really lovely and interesting tasting’, said Rod Smith MW. ‘It showed the quality of the 2019 vintage, which was clearly superior to 2018, with fewer issues of heat stress and cases where grapes were picked early at the expense of flavour, or less flavour at the expense of freshness.’

Liz Gabay MW agreed that the 2019s ‘really stood out’ and, despite some ‘cut-and-paste’ wines, praised the diversity of style throughout the tasting. ‘This year I felt we were getting more regional definition and varietal character – a massive plus and very promising.’

Joanna Simon equally reiterated the quality of the 2019s, which she ‘wasn’t aware of prior to the tasting’.

For Gabay, the cru classé wines were ‘the biggest surprise’. ‘The classification is historic, with wines quite often a higher price because of it,’ she said. ‘There is scepticism in Provence that they don’t produce anything different, but as a range here they had much greater intensity of fruit, so they are clearly trying to live up to that cru classé standard.’ Simon equally ‘wasn’t expecting quite that definition of quality’, or ‘the very distinctive profiles – I’ve not seen that before, they really were a step up’.

Low points were the ‘similar, identikit wines’, said Smith. ‘It seems as if everyone was trying to make the same wine, and succeeding – and that applied to 60%-70% of them. It arguably shows consistency, but it’s a little bit boring, especially given that some of these will be quite expensive wines.’ Gabay added: ‘There weren’t any that were bad, it’s just boredom.’

So, how do producers stand out? ‘With great difficulty,’ said Smith. ‘The wines are reliable, but just a little bit safe. There’s room within rosé for a little bit more – not risk, but not to rest on their laurels either.’

He added: ‘Provence can’t just trade on reputation, especially given the prices charged for just being good and from Provence – and the consumer is discovering that. The best are very good and they fulfil the stereotype, but the blandest aren’t, and as wines they don’t necessarily compete in terms of price.’

Ste-Victoire was praised as a ‘go-to’ appellation, as was Bandol, the two regions notching up three and six wines respectively in the top 13 that scored 91pts or more. But the judges warned it’s still not enough on which to generalise, so it’s worth knowing producers and reading the notes here.

Colours ranged from dark pink to pale blush. ‘Sometimes it becomes confusing for consumers to see such diversity, because they think all these wines should be pale,’ Smith noted. ‘But pale doesn’t always mean good

‘As a range, the cru classé wines here had much greater intensity of fruit’

Elizabeth Gabay MW

– once you’re stripping out colour you’re also homogenising flavour.’

Smith flew the flag for the Tibouren grape. Though it’s difficult to grow, ‘all the wines that had a high percentage did well – they really worked, coming across as very floral’. A Sangiovesedominant wine also piqued the judges’ interest, as did the IGP wines, leaving them wanting to see more submitted for this tasting in the future.

For the perfect rosé, Smith said you need ‘creaminess from the lees, phenolics from the skin giving enough but not too much fruitiness, acidity and weight, and many of them had all of those in good harmony.’

As for what to drink when, Smith said: ‘At the beginning of the summer, try drinking the end of last year’s rosés rather than the early new ones [2019], especially if they’ve only just been bottled. People think it has to be the youngest vintage, but it doesn’t.’ 178 wines tasted Exceptional 1 Outstanding 4 Highly Recommended 32 Recommended 95 Commended 40 Fair 5

Poor 1

Faulty 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest- release dry, still Provence rosé wines from any Provence subappellation

98–100pts ancient variety Tibouren – not widely planted outside Provence, this is an intensely aromatic black grape with a thin skin, which is notoriously difficult to grow. The family still champions Tibouren, which makes up 90% of its vineyards, and some plots are more than 50 years old.

Elizabeth Gabay MW Orange. Lots of new oak on the nose. New oak on the palate gives richness and oomph. Oranges, dried apricots, long saline mineral acidity balancing new oak.

Joanna Simon Orangey. Deep and complex nose of spice, dried peach and oak. Concentrated, complex, richly textured palate with spicy, dried-flower notes and baking bread; breadth, length and graceful mineral-fresh notes.

Rod Smith MW Oaky and slightly spicy aromas: plenty of honeyed, rich straw, baked fruit underneath. Complex, delicious and deeply flavoured with baked citrus, honey and apricot. Good balance and lovely phenolic grip on the finish. Certainly approachable now, but no hurry to drink.

Drink 2020-2024 Alcohol 13%