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The finest rosé wines money can buy

01 July 2026 By Patrick Schmitt

Yes, fine pink wine exists – and Patrick Schmitt MW has selected a handful of the finest, all of which earned top scores in this year’s Global Rosé Masters. Be warned, though: these wines aren’t cheap, ranging from £60 to almost £200.

The origins of the fine rosé category can be traced back to 2006, with the launch of Garrus, a Provençal pink from Château d’Esclans. Made by the late Patrick Léon – a gifted former Mouton-Rothschild winemaker – and fermented and aged in new French oak barriques in the manner of a top-end Chardonnay, Garrus rewrote the rules for rosé. Until then, pink wine had typically been made in neutral vessels, primarily stainless steel, to preserve freshness and lightness for immediate consumption.

But why should a wine’s colour dictate its winemaking methods? Given the benefits oak and lees ageing bring to fine whites and reds, it stood to reason they might enhance rosé too.

Garrus proved exactly that: it is possible to marry the ripe, juicy fruit of Grenache grown in a warm Mediterranean climate with the vanillin notes of fine-grained French oak. More than that, it showed a rosé could be enjoyed on release yet also cellared like any great wine, its flavours evolving slowly in bottle to develop greater complexity.

Luxury and pink

Once Château d’Esclans had made rosé in the image of a great white wine, it priced Garrus accordingly – it retails for more than £100 today – and in doing so gave rise to an entirely new category of luxury pink wines, including a niche club of bottles priced above £60.

Fast forward to today, and as this year’s Global Rosé Masters demonstrates, there is now a wide range of barrel-influenced rosés on the market, some at surprisingly accessible prices. Château d’Esclans remains at the forefront of the category, but others have since joined the movement — most notably Languedoc star winemaker Gérard Bertrand, who has made fine rosé a specialism of his southern French operation, and is now behind the world’s most expensive pink wine: Clos du Temple.

Gold to Grand Master

The following wines were the best-performers from the most comprehensive blind rosé-only professional tasting in the UK, starting with Golds and finishing with this year’s Grand Master – which is awarded to the best wine of the competition.

You can see the full range of medalists from the competition by clicking here, and our list of Golds priced sub £20 by clicking here, and our selection of top-scorers retailing from £20 to £50 here. Finally, scroll to the bottom to read more about the competition, where you can find out the list of judges, which included our longstanding chairs – Jonathan Pedley MW, Patricia Stefanowicz MW and Siobhan Turner MW – as well as respected somm, Matthieu Longuère MS, along with the leading authority on rosé – Elizabeth Gabay MW.

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MARGUERITES ROSÉ 2025

Producer: Château Sainte Marguerite
Region: Provence
Country: France
Grape varieties: 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 20% Vermentino
ABV: 13%
Residual sugar: 2g/l
Style: unoaked
Approx. retail price: £80
Medal: Gold

This barely pink, organic flagship expression from Château Sainte Marguerite is a serious drink, and more like a fine white wine than a rosé. Not only is it extremely pale, even by modern rosé standards, but the delicious fruit flavours are more light than red – so pear, pineapple and lemon, as opposed to cherry and pomegranate. Allied to such characters is a subtle note of white pepper, raspberry leaf, peach and rock salt, with a finish featuring further notes of mouthwatering citrus zest and palate-drying chalk. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

LES CLANS 2024

Producer: Château d’Esclans
Region: Provence
Country: France
Grape varieties: 53% Grenache, 47% Rolle
ABV: 14%
Residual sugar: 0.4g/l
Style: oaked
Approx. retail price: £60
Medal: Gold

In my mind, Les Clans offers a sweet spot in the Château d’Esclans range. It has the soft, ripe red berry and stone fruit of great old-vine Grenache, the bitter zest and freshness of Rolle, and creamy, toasty complexity from some French oak influence. And it’s around half the price of Garrus, its range-topping older sibling. In short, a delicious, full-bodied, food-friendly, refreshing rosé that’s far from inexpensive, but still cheaper than a village Meursault. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

CLOS DU TEMPLE 2024

Producer: Gérard Bertrand
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
Country: France
Grape varieties: 48% Grenache, 37% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 3% Mourvèdre, 2% Viognier
ABV: 14.5%
Residual sugar: 0g/l
Style: oaked
Approx. retail price: £170
Medal: Gold

This pricy and distinctively packaged biodynamic rosé is a serious wine that happens to be a pale poached salmon-pink hue. Barrel-aged, it has some notes of creamy coconut milk and vanilla pod, which pair well with the ripe citrus, cherry, peach and pear fruit. The finish is warming, with a touch of apricot jam and toast emerging, followed by some chalky phenolics and grapefruit pith to make one salivate. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

GARRUS 2024

Producer: Château d’Esclans
Region: Provence
Country: France
Grape varieties: 67% Grenache, 33% Rolle
ABV: 14%
Residual sugar: 0.3g/l
Style: oaked
Approx. retail price: £100
Medal: Grand Master

An outstanding wine that benefits from the visual draw of being a pretty pale pink – and our best rosé of 2026. Layers of indulgent and complementary flavours, from fresh grapefruit zest to white cherry, peach and bitter lemon, then toast and cream too – the latter a product of barrel ageing in French oak. There’s a lovely, soft mouth-filling mid-palate, but the finish is refreshing, with a gentle orange-like acidity to keep you wanting more. Lovely in its youth, but a wine that can still be enjoyed next summer or the following – if stored well. (Patrick Schmitt MW)