Whisper Whis campaign
Rosé-loving New Yorkers make pilgrimages to Whispering Angel’s South of France estate
ROSÉ-drinking season may be nearly over, but things are just heating up at Château d’Esclans, a sprawling estate in Provence that produces Whispering Angel, one of New York’s most ubiquitous pink-hued wines.
For many true devotees, it’s not enough to just sip chilled glasses of Whispering Angel ($24.99 for a bottle). You’ve make the pilgrimage to its homeland (which is admittedly more costly at, say, about $1,000-plus for a round-trip).
Vineyard head Sacha Lichine says it’s hosted a who’s who of oenophiles, from Blackstone private equity boss Steve Schwarzman and Walmart’s Walton family to LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault and glassware magnate Maximilian Riedel.
“They learn everything from A to Z as to how rosé is made,” Lichine tells The Post. “Obviously, we are a bit of a Heinz 57 ketchup. We don’t tell everything!” (Funnily enough, Lichine adds, the former president of Heinz has even stopped by for a Whispering Angel fix.)
Born in France to late wine mogul Alexis Lichine, Sacha Lichine purchased the 667-acre property
for about $13.5 million in 2006.
Since then, it’s become a destination for rosé aficionados in the know, as there is minimal publicity for the chateau’s tours
“I don’t like to call them ‘tours,’ ” demurs Lichine, “I prefer ‘visits.’ ”
This season, Chateau d’Esclans hosted more than 2,500 visitors — 1,000 more than last year. “Hopefully my liver will hold up,” he says.
Hour-long visits to the property are free and include an explanation of the viticulture, a cellar tour and a tasting. Only special guests — like Sam Nazarian of SBE Entertainment Group — get to visit the chapel where the name “Whispering Angel” was born, after two cherubs carved on the walls. But all visitors get a peek at the wine-making process, including kosher barrels specially produced and blessed by rabbis for mega-fan Ron Perelman, the billionaire banker.
On site, there are 72 hectares of planted vines that go into the winemaker’s other brands, but Lichine purchased additional hectares nearby that feed rosé labels such as fan-favorite Whis pering Angel. The buttercup-yellow chateau, surrounded by blue hydrangeas, was built in the mid1800s. Before Lichine purchased the land, it was owned by a Swedish pension fund. Then, despite snobs who thought he was crazy to abandon his father’s Bordeauxwine legacy for, gasp, rosé, Lichine turned the pink drink into an American summer staple.
But even as visitor numbers grow, the experience remains sacred for those who drink Whispering Angel, a k a “Hamptons water,” like it’s, well, water.
“It felt very exclusive,” says Manhattan fashion editor Kristen Ingersoll, who visited the chateau last June and was struck by the high-tech wine-making process.
During her 2018 visit, Los Angeles-based jazz singer Angie Wells sang for her vino. “I tasted the Garrus [the world’s priciest rosé at $100 a bottle] and you’re only supposed to get one taste of certain things,” she recalls. “But it was so amazing. We were like, ‘Boy, can we can get another taste of that one?’ And the gentleman said, ‘If you sing, maybe we will open another bottle.’ ” Wells belted out a ballad that left the room in tears.
Lichine says some VIP guests have bodyguards sweep the property before their helicopters land. (Visitors arrive at least once or twice a week via helicopter, per Lichine.) The busiest season is summer, Lichine adds, but fall is prime time to see the grape harvest. To visit any time of year, book a direct flight to Nice on United or La Compagnie (the latter serves the rosé on its businessclass-only flights). Chateau d’Esclans is a one-hour drive — and Uber is available — from South-of-France cities including St. Tropez and Antibes. Email ChateauDEsclans@SachaLichine.com to book a tour.