2017 Château Sainte Roseline Lampe de Meduse Cotes de Provence Cru Classe Rouge

A few estates in Provence make red wines of such spectacular quality that you could forget this is the kingdom of rosé.

The sensational 2017 Château Sainte Roseline Lampe de Meduse Rouge, which won 96 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, is the best of both worlds: a coveted, hard-to-find release backed by some of the best pedigree in the region.

Crafted by a chateau that dates to the 11th century and is one of just 18 Cru Classé estates in Provence today, this mix of 75% Syrah and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon drinks like a Crozes-Hermitage or Saint-Joseph that went on summer vacation. It wowed the DWWA judges with its combination of “plush texture” and cellar-aged sophistication: “At 5 years old,” they said, “it is just getting going.”

The same conditions that gifted Provence with the world’s greatest rosés—a hot, dry climate and fierce mistral winds that boost concentration in the grapes—have made for this mouthfilling Château Sainte Roseline Rouge. Densely studded with scents of muddled blueberries and woodsy evergreen, it has a palate replete with dark, compacted fruit and flavors of dried sage, fresh violets, and peppercorn.

This scintillating release can be difficult to find outside of the best restaurants in St. Tropez—that’s why when our friends at the château made us an offer on this astounding, ageworthy 2017, we leapt at the chance to lock it away.

Under the dynamic leadership of Aurélie Bertin-Teillaud, Château Sainte Roseline’s wines have only grown more terroir-transparent. The Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon for today’s 2017 Lampe de Meduse teem with vitality, power, and the tannic sturdiness that will allow it to drink beautifully through the end of the decade.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.50%
• 30 mins
• Now – 2030
• 75% Syrah25% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork