Château d'Esclans

Chateau d'Esclans is a mythical name for all Rosé enthusiasts. It is a historic domaine, producing excellent wines in the heart of the marvellous Provence region. The estate is located in an extraordinary place, some twenty kilometres north-west of Fréjus, a small village of ancient Roman origins. Viticulture has ancient origins in these lands. In 600 B.C., the Phocians founded the city of Marsilia, bringing to the new lands the Greek culture of vine cultivation, which was later resumed and expanded under Roman rule. Already in the time of the Gauls, the site where the domaine now stands served as an observation tower to keep the entire Gulf of Frejus under control. The foundations of the cellars of the present building rest on the original ancient structures and symbolise the deep connection with the traditions of the area.

Château d'Esclans represents one of the best of the South of France and is famous for its outstanding production of top-of-the-range Rosé wines. The estate covers a total area of 267 hectares, 74 of which are vineyards. The most cultivated grape varieties are the classic ones of Provence: Grenache, Vermentino, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Tibouren and the ubiquitous Merlot. The richness of the domaine lies in a heritage of old Grenache vines over 90 years old, producing grapes of the highest quality, with particularly intense and elegant aromas. To maintain the integrity of the grapes, harvesting takes place only in the early hours of the morning, with careful selection of the bunches in the vineyard.

The grapes are selected again on arrival at the winery, using a manual and optical sorting table, to ensure that only the perfect bunches continue in the production process. Prior to vinification, the grapes are destemmed. The grapes undergo cold maceration at a temperature of 8 °C before being pressed very gently to extract only the flower must. To make the Rosés, a short press contact with the skins is used to obtain wines with a very pale pink colour and subtle, fresh and elegant aromas. The labels of Château d'Esclans represent an indispensable model for anyone in the world who wants to produce rosés.