The Book of Rosé: Reading About Rosé While Sipping Rosé

For someone who appreciates wine, time spent reading a beautiful book about rosé, while sipping rosé, makes for an enjoyable afternoon. The book now in my lap, published by Rizzoli New York, The Book of Rosé: The Provençal Vineyard That Revolutionized Rosé, is just such a book. The glossy pink cover is adorned with what looks like an ecru wine label printed in gold and black that announces the book’s title with the by-line Whispering Angel and Château d’Esclans. We received a complimentary copy of The Book of Rosé for review.

The Book of Rosé is a substantial 240-page, hardcover book that tells the story of Sacha Lichine and Château d’Esclans. It may take you more than an afternoon to read, and certainly it will take more than an afternoon to enjoy all the photographs, but The Book of Rosé: The Provençal Vineyard That Revolutionized Rosé can be enjoyed little-by-little, a glass of rosé at a time.

The author of the text is Lindsey Tramuta, a Paris-based journalist, and French photographer Martin Bruno’s artistic photos grace nearly every page of the book. The book is more heavily weighted toward photos than text. As the text sets the scene for winemaking in the first chapter, Setting The Scene: Making Wine in Provence, by briefly describing the history of Provence, the many photos give the reader an excellent feel for the lay of the land — its rugged coastline, forests and hills. 

Next comes Waking A Sleeping Beauty, which begins with the story of Sacha Lichine, without whom the modern story of Château d’Esclans cannot be told. And Sacha Lichine’s path to Château d’Esclans cannot be told without telling the story of his father, Alexis. Beyond Alexis’ significant influence in introducing French wine to the United States after coming to the states in 1934, he was an educator, wine importer and respected authority on French wine. That wine influence and education extended to Sacha and set him on his own path in the wine world and to Château d’Esclans.

The history of Château d’Esclans stretches back to the 12th century. The estate is located in the Esclans Valley within the department of Var, “just far enough away from the energy of Nice, the festive vibes of Saint-Tropez, and the jet-setters of Monaco”, to quote the author. By the time Sacha Lichine purchased the Château in 2006 its original size had been reduced by the sale of parcels of land over time; it was also in desperate need of renovation. 

Along with a complete renovation of the Château, Lichine set about purchasing parcels of land sold off over the years. With the purchase of Domaines de Grands Esclans in 2020 and Domaine du Jas d’Esclans in 2023 the Château is essentially restored to its historic size at almost 610 hectares. The photos in this chapter introduce the reader to the Lichine family, give a picture of the estate over time and provide a detailed account of the Château’s restored opulence.

Bringing Rosé to Life dives into how Sacha Lichine realized his belief that rosé could be a serious wine worth respect in the wine world. Key to that realization was the skilled team he assembled to make rosé using innovative techniques. This combination allowed the team to craft rosé using the diverse collection of grape varieties, including nearly one-hundred-year-old Grenache, planted in the equally diverse terroir of the estate’s vineyards.  

In addition to beautifully showcasing Château d’Esclans’ vineyards throughout the seasons, the photos in this section of the book also provide a look at harvest, take you inside the wine cellar and introduce the reader to some of the people behind the wines.

The next chapter, The Wines, might be my favorite. I honestly had no idea the range of wines made by Château d’Esclans was so broad. The chapter begins with the most highly-regarded wines made in the most complex way and finishes with two fun rosé wines. The range demonstrates quite a wide style of rosé.

• Garrus: Château d’Esclans’ tête de cuvée sourced from the estate’s nearly one-hundred-year old Grenache as well as Rolle (Vermentino), made with 90 percent free-run juice and oak vessels.

• Les Clans: a blend of largely old vine Grenache and Rolle, using 90 percent free-run juice and oak vessels.

• Château d’Esclans: a blend of Grenache and Rolle, made using a mix of free-run juice and first slight pressing in both stainless steel and oak vessels.

• Whispering Angel: a blend of free-run and pressed juice from Grenache, Cinsault, and Rolle sourced from the Esclans Valley and Cótes de Provence region, made in all stainless steel. This is Château d’Esclans’ flagship rosé and the one we are all most familiar with. 

• Rock Angel: a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Rolle sourced primarily from Château d’Esclans’ vineyards, raised in both oak and stainless steel.

• The Beach: a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah sourced from Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, vinified in stainless steel.

• The Pale: a blend of Grenache, Rolle, Syrah and Cinsault, sourced from Vin de Pays vineyards in the Var region, vinified in stainless steel.

Getting It Off The Ground includes a discussion of Sacha Lichine’s his vision of how to sell quality rosé. In addition to getting the wines in front of wine’s gatekeepers (respected reviewers and sommeliers), he understood the importance of placing his wines in the most exclusive resorts and locations around the world. He understood that seeing the rich and famous sip his rosé wines could essentially make them ambassadors for his brand. It was an uphill battle to establish Château d’Esclans’ rosé wines as serious, but ultimately it was the wines in the glass that made the sale according to Lichine.

The Book of Rosé finishes with A Rosy State of Mind — a celebration of the quality and success of Château d’Esclans’ rosé wines. This section of the book is heavily weighted toward photos of glasses of pink wine, pink clothing, celebratory gatherings, beaches, polo grounds and delicious meals. There is a Château d’Esclans rosé for every kind of event and gathering!

What did I sip while reading The Book of Rosé: The Provençal Vineyard That Revolutionized Rosé? See below. We found The Beach ($14.99) to be fruit forward, fresh and crisp. Whispering Angel ($22.99) was a bit less obvious, but nevertheless very complex with an appealing minerality. 

Thanks to Rizzoli New York for the opportunity to read The Book of Rosé: The Provençal Vineyard That Revolutionized Rosé and for providing images of the book for our use. The Book of Rosé retails for $75 in the US, $100 in Canada.

Cheers!