This house favourite is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and the rare Tibouren grape, an indigenous variety said to bring aromas of garrigue–the herby scrub of southern France. There’s also a splash of Syrah. The grapes are sourced from organically managed chalky/clay parcels in the heart of the Côtes de Provence, around the picture-perfect commune of Puget-Ville. Jean-Christophe Audéoud looks after the winemaking, using the traditional direct-press method, followed by maturation in concrete and stainless steel.

This current release is a racy, crunchy and flawlessly balanced rosé, laden with citrus, mandarin, melon flesh and floral aromas and flavours. The texture is fine and delicate with a white wine-like finesse from go to whoa. It finishes completely dry, with a twist of white pepper and some gentle grip that nips in on the mouthwatering finish. A super consistent wine with genuine character and interest.

Organic. 65% Mourvèdre, 35% Cinsault. Pibarnon’s distinctive Mourvèdre-rich rosé is drawn from the Estate’s old, low-yielding vines set in the stunning amphitheatre of terraces amid the pine-covered hilltop of La Colline du Télégraphe. Altitude (at 300 metres, it is one of Bandol’s highest vineyards) and moderating sea breezes ensure cool nights and fresh conditions. But it’s not only elevation and proximity to the sea that make this vineyard so special; a peculiar soil type predominates: les marnes bleues. This uncommon and highly chalky, blue-tinted clay—rich in microfossils—is also encountered in Jura and Pomerol, where it is prized for its low pH, water-retentive properties and influence on a wine’s freshness and structure. The wine matured for six months in neutral oak, and the result encapsulates everything that’s so great about French wine culture.

Sylvain Pataille is big on tradition, and his Fleur de Pinot Rosé pays homage to a rare style of Burgundy that dates to Marsannay’s historically significant ‘vins de fêtes.' This rarely seen bottling has become one of the most difficult of Pataille’s wines to source, so we’re chuffed to receive an allocation this year. It’s a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Beurot (Pinot Gris). Half comes from a direct press of the grapes, and half from a three-day maceration on skins. The old Pinot vines are planted in rocky white marls, from limestone-heavy terroirs usually dedicated to white grapes—Charmes aux Prêtres (1949) and Champ Forey (1934)—helping to confer a texture that is more typical of a white wine. Pataille reckons these are the best vines of his entire Domaine! The Pinot Beurot comes from 1932 vines in En Blungey, on clay soils.

If the quality of grapes is not unusual enough, the wine also benefits from a two-year élevage, spending the first 12 months in older 600-litre barrels before finishing in a 48-hectolitre foudre. The result is a Rosé unlike any other, and a wine that, in 2000, Jancis Robinson described as, “Possibly the finest rosé in the world.” As delicious as the wine can be young, Sylvain recommends holding for at least two years after the wine is released. He believes the wine needs time for its terroir and minerality to emerge from behind the energy, tannin and fruit. 

Spinifex’s provençal-styled rosé is among the best this country offers, and 2025 is another stellar release. This year, the blend comprises Grenache (45%) and Mataro (55%) sourced from four dry-grown sites in Angaston, Ebenezer, Vine Vale and the southern end of the Bethany foothills. Soils vary across the sites from gravelly sand to red clay, and vine age ranges from 25 to 90 years. The (predominantly) bush vines are dry-grown. 

Each batch spent two to six hours on skins before being pressed to tank for fermentation. A small portion of the wine went through malolactic conversion, and maturation took place on lees in tank for six months. The resulting wine offers the kind of energy and snappy, crunchy lines that were once the exclusive domain of the finest Provence rosés.

Once again, Grenache plays the starring role in Bondar’s Rosé, weighing in at 90% of the blend with the balance Cinsault and Mataro. Most of the fruit comes from Andre and Selina Bondar’s Rayner vineyard, with a small portion of Grenache sourced from an old sandy site in Blewitt Springs. Most Grenache vines at the sandy Rayner Vineyard are 55 years old, with a small block of younger material also included in the mix. The Cinsault and Mataro are grown on the home site.

The '25 vintage was dry, warm and calm. Harvest started early on the 30th of January- 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. A four day-heatwave in February also tested the team, but the fruit held up well on the sandy soils. Harvest was well-concluded by late March. 

Andre used a variety of techniques to build complexity and texture. The young-vine and grower Grenache alongside the Cinsault fermented at cool temperatures to preserve bright, primary characters. Then, for weight, texture and savoury character, the older-vine Grenache from the Rayner vineyard and the Mataro fermented at warm temperatures in old oak. The result is a pure, fresh, layered rosé packed with juicy red fruit flavour, chalky, pithy grip and a refreshingly long watermelon drenched close. 

100% Pinot Noir from the Waipara Springs vineyard in Waipara, North Canterbury, which is sustainably farmed with no artificial chemicals or fertilisers. Old-vine 10/5 Clone Pinot Noir was planted in the early 1990s, and the site is managed by Pyramid Valley. The fruit was picked on 11th April. The grapes were pressed as whole bunches before fermenting with indigenous yeasts in a combination of concrete tulips and old puncheons. The wine aged on its ferment lees without sulphur for six months before blending in November. The notes below do not oversell this outstanding wine—we haven’t tasted a more exciting rosé from New Zealand. Structured and vinous it may be, yet it is also seriously addictive.