Palm Par L'Escarelle Rosé, Provence, France, 2021

Producer Profile

Chateau de L’Escarelle of one of the most prestigious wine estates in the heart of Provence, with 100 hectares of organically certified vineyards set in 1,000 hectares of beautiful woodland.

In the past year this property has made impressive steps to establish itself as a major player of sustainable agriculture in France. In 2016 the estate achieved Haute Valeur Environnementale certification (France’s most stringent environmental certification scheme, level 3), demonstrating their deep-rooted commitment to protecting the natural world. Their vines are planted at up to 500 metres above sea level, hugging the slopes of the Montagne de La Loube and adapting to the estates' clay and limestone soil profile. The terroir’s distinctive character is perfect for creating highly-expressive, elegant Rosé wines.

Viticulture

Chateau de l’Escarelle has 100ha of organically grown and certified vineyards, growing local varietals including: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Caladoc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rolle & Ugni Blanc. Their HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certification level three means their vines benefit from being in a very biodiverse habitat, with minimal use of herbicides, pesticides and artificial fertilisers. Their vines also benefit from being planted at an altitude of up to 500m above sea level, lengthening the growing season. The hot dry summers in this Mediterranean climate are offset by the cooling effects of the Mistral wind.

Winemaking

Mechanically-harvested in the early hours of the morning to obtain wine of an attractively pale colour. Grapes are completely destemmed. The approach to winemaking is by the traditional method in stainless steel vats: short period of skin maceration before pressing. Cold temperature settling is the next stage. Fermentation is temperature-controlled and malolactic fermentation avoided to retain those crisp, fresh aromas.