Côtes de Provence Pétale de Rose 2025 Chateau La Tour de l'Evêque

The Côtes de Provence Pétale de Rose 2025 from Château La Tour de l'Évêque is a bottle steeped in history and emotion, the rosé that invented the category. It was Régine Sumeire who, in 1985, created the first pale Provence rosé at Château Barbeyrolles by experimenting with whole-bunch direct pressing of Grenache in a Champagne-style Coquard press. The juice that flowed had a strikingly pale colour and unprecedented length on the palate. This foundational gesture sparked a revolution in Provençal rosés, one the world has been imitating ever since. Forty years on, Pétale de Rose remains the original and the finest of its kind.

The terroir and vintage 2025

Château La Tour de l'Évêque sits in Pierrefeu-du-Var, in the Maurettes valley, less than 20 kilometres from the Mediterranean and some 30 kilometres from Saint-Tropez. This 89-hectare vineyard rests on remarkable schistose soils, Hyères phyllades and Permian red sandstone, ancient rocks whose friability and poverty naturally discipline the vines and concentrate the aromatic expression of the grape varieties. The 2025 vintage is marked by striking contrast: soils recharged with water after a very wet autumn and winter favoured remarkably early phenological development, with budbreak beginning on 13 March. The last rains fall on 20 May, then heat settles in until harvest, which begins on 15 August, concentrating warmth, ripeness and aromatic freshness in grapes of fine quality. The 2025 blend unites seven complementary varieties: 49% Grenache, 36% Cinsault, 9% Mourvèdre, 3% Rolle and 3% Sémillon, each bringing its dimension to the aromatic palette of this exceptional rosé. The domaine has been certified organic since 2005, without herbicides or chemical products, with ploughing and biodynamic infusions to enliven the soils.

Tasting profile

The colour is rose petal, pale, luminous and visually delicate, evoking the essence of Provençal elegance. The nose is airy, fine and of remarkable refinement: notes of grapefruit and blood orange mingle with the appeal of pomegranate and nectarine, with gentle floral touches that bring subtlety and freshness. On the palate, the texture is tapestried and silky, with pulpy, satiny flesh that imprints a vibrant softness across the mouth. Structure comes from lovely spiced bitters, pomegranate seed and blood orange zest, which balance the rich pulp and give the wine a grainy, zesty character of fine elegance. The finish is long, concentrated and salivating, with that rebound of fruit that immediately invites the next sip. Sapid, fresh and of great drinkability, a Provence rosé in all the nobility of the term.

The domaine

Régine Sumeire ensures continuity of work rooted in Provençal tradition: her father taught her the gestures and vineyard care, himself trained by his grandfather, a transmission passed down through generations with the same rigour for quality. Also owner of Château Barbeyrolles near Saint-Tropez, she takes advantage of two neighbouring, complementary schist terroirs to produce wines that are both full-bodied and taut. The Bettane & Desseauve Guide awards her 3 stars, honouring a vigneronne of strong character who fights rightly for recognition of Provence's great wines. Vinification is by gravity, direct pressing without crushing in the Champagne-style Coquard hydraulic press, with alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and ageing on fine lees in tank.

Food pairings

This Pétale de Rose will pair beautifully with crab meat in blood orange aspic, sea bream carpaccio with lime and ginger, quality sushi and maki, smoked salmon with fresh herbs, a gratin of sun-ripened vegetables or a prawn and mango salad. It will be equally delightful as an aperitif, served well-chilled between 8 and 10°C, in the luminous and delicate spirit that has made this cuvée legendary since 1985.