Critic ratings
vinous
2018
Rating:
94
–94
Light, bright orange. Smoky, mineral-accented raspberry, tangerine, pear and floral scents are complicated by suggestions of vanilla and honey. Densely packed and gently chewy in the mouth, offering concentrated red fruit, pear nectar and blood orange flavors underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Shows fine detail and powerful, smoky thrust on the finish, which hangs on with noteworthy tenacity. - Josh Raynolds
robert_parker
2020
Rating:
93
–93
The barrel-fermented 2020 Cotes de Provence Rose Garrus is another beautiful effort. A wine that has helped redefine Provence rosé, it's toasty and vanilla-laden, yet also balanced and successful, with notes of tangerine, peach, raspberry and lime in abundance. Medium to full-bodied, ripe and generous in feel, it finishes long, with echoes of allspice and citrus.
robert_parker
2019
Rating:
94
–94
A pale, coppery rosé, the 2019 Cotes de Provence Rose Garrus is largely old-vine Grenache with a splash of Rolle (Vermentino). Barrel-fermented and aged almost a year in a mix of new and used demi-muids, it's silkier and more refined in feel than the Les Clans, with the oak playing more in the background. It still hints at pencil shavings on the nose, paired with white peach, cantaloupe and citrus notes, and it is still full-bodied on the palate, but it's silky and fine, with a gentle underlay of stone dust and a long, lingering finish. It should drink well for a couple more summers.
robert_parker
2018
Rating:
93
–93
From a single parcel of old-vine Grenache, plus the addition of some Rolle (Vermentino), the 2018 Cotes de Provence Rose Garrus was entirely fermented and aged in new and second fill demi-muids. It's fresher and peachier than the Les Clans, with more nuanced fruit and complex notes of peach and strawberry that are nicely complemented by the toasty oak. Full-bodied, silky in feel and long on the finish, it's a terrific rosé that has aged beautifully to this point. That said, I'd drink up any remaining bottles this summer.
robert_parker
2021
Rating:
92
–92
Château d’Esclans’s premium cuvée, the 2021 Cotes de Provence Rose Garrus, which was matured in French new oak, bursts from the glass with aromas of pear, grapefruit, vanilla, spices, lime, red berries and thyme flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textured, ripe and round, it’s built around racy acids and a seamless palate. This vintage can be approached with pleasure even if it has 3-5 years of evolution ahead of it.
robert_parker
2016
Rating:
93
–93
The 70% Grenache for the 2016 Cotes de Provence Rose Garrus comes from the estate's oldest vines. It's barrel fermented with 30% Vermentino, resulting in a toasty, honeyed wine reminiscent of pink grapefruit. It's medium to full-bodied, round and ripe feeling, then finishes long, with echoes of pencil shavings, citrus and melon. It's a paradigm-shifting rosé, but one that resembles an excellent barrel-fermented white wine as much as anything else. I tasted a 2014 at the estate, which left me unconvinced about the cuvée's aging potential.