M. Chapoutier Château des Ferrages Mon Plaisir Rosé 2018 Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, France 75cl

Château des Ferrages sits in the Sainte-Victoire heart of the Cotes de Provence, halfway between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin, on prime plots selected by the Chapoutier family for their Provence rosé. The wine brings together the estate’s local knowledge with the Chapoutier name, long associated with fine Rhone wines a little further north. The vineyards sit on the limestone slopes below the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, a cooler, higher pocket of Provence that helps the wines keep their freshness.

Mon Plaisir is a classic dry Provence blend of Grenache, Syrah and Rolle, the local name for Vermentino. The fruit is gently direct-pressed and rested on its fine lees, then raised in stainless steel vats to keep the wine pale, fresh and precise, with the alcoholic fermentation run cool to protect aroma. The vines are farmed organically.

Provence rosé is at its best in its first couple of years, so this 2018 is a mature example. It is one to open sooner rather than later, while its delicacy and freshness still hold.

Expect a pale, almost silvery colour and a nose of red fruits and white flowers, with strawberry, peach and a citrus, grapefruit lift. The palate is fresh and smooth, dry through a gently fruity, quietly persistent finish rather than anything heavy or sweet.

If you love the pale, food-friendly style of Sainte-Victoire rosé, this sits squarely in that camp. Serve it well chilled, around cellar-cool, with grilled shellfish, white meats, a Nicoise salad, or simply as the centrepiece of a sunny lunch or picnic.