Château d'Esclans

Château d'Esclans is a rosé wine producer in the Côtes de Provence AOC in Provence, France. It is majority owned by LVMH.[1]

The château is credited with reviving interest in rosé wine.[2] It best known for producing the Whispering Angel brand of wine, which is priced expensively for a rosé to create the perception of a premium product.[3]

History

Château d'Esclans was formerly a residence of the Counts of Provence. It was later owned by Jacques Auxile Verrion, War Commissioner of Louis XV, who became Count of Esclans under Charles X.[4]

Sacha Lichine purchased Château d'Esclans in 2005, from a Swedish pension fund. Over ten years, he increased production from 135,000 bottles per year to 5 million bottles per year.[5] Lichine targeted the North American market, transforming rosé wine as a lifestyle accessory.[6] He brought in Patrick Léon as winemaker, who had retired from Mouton Rothschild.[7]

In 2019, LVMH acquired 55% of Château d'Esclans: 50% from Lichine's business partner Hervé Vinciguerra, and 5% from Lichine, with Lichine retaining 45% of the business.[8][9] The value of the deal was not disclosed but was estimated at €140 million.[6]

Products

The main wine of the estate is "Whispering Angel". The lesser wines are "The Pale" and "The Beach". "Rock Angel" is more expensive.[7] These wines are made with grapes bought in from other estates.[10] More expensive wines are made with grapes only from the estate: "Château d'Esclans", "Les Clans" and "Garrus". "Garrus" is one of the world's most expensive rosés,[11][12] made from almost 100-year-old vines and fermented in French oak barrels.

References
  1. Millar, Rupert (29 November 2019). "LVMH buys into Whispering Angel". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  2. Lyons, Will. "The best rosés aren't just from Provence". The Times. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  3. Hunt, Elle (17 December 2021). "From lockdown treat to Adele's fridge: Whispering Angel, the supermarket rosé that took over the world". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  4. "Des lettres de noblesse pour le Château d'Esclans". www.sommeliers-international.com. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  5. https://www.pointdevue.fr/lifestyle/visites-privees/univers-chez-sacha-et-mathilde-lichine
  6. "Moët Hennessy acquiert le Château d'Esclans, en Provence". avis-vin.lefigaro.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  7. "Sacha Lichine, VRP de luxe du rosé de Provence". Le Monde.fr (in French). 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  8. "Sacha Lichine cède Whispering Angels à LVMH". www.vitisphere.com (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  9. "Château d'Esclans : nouvelle acquisition de Bernard Arnault dans le vin rosé". La Revue du vin de France (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  10. "When Success is Not Enough: Dauphin of Wine Legend Alexis Lichine, Sacha Lichine Decants His Emotions". Une Vue de l'Esprit. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  11. "Can a rosé ever be worth £100+ a bottle?". Club Oenologique. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  12. Schmitt, Patrick (15 June 2020). "Here's what a new £100+ French rosé tastes like". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.