Everything about the Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle restaurant is elevated. The ceiling of the old Victorian chapel is high and the private dining room sits elegantly on stilts in a corner above the other diners. But the weather outside is decidedly wet and wintry. So can the Château Sainte Marguerite’s new 2025 vintage wines that are on show transport us to summery Provence?
launch of the new Château Sainte Marguerite wines, Galvin La Chapelle, February 5
The winery is part owned by the Fayard family and, since 2022, part owned by the big drinks business Pernod Richard. The latter, I assume, must be eager to add some truly premium rosés to its portfolio, just as the other titans in the premium sector have done. Since its inception in1977, the château has grown to more than 450 hectares. Sited between Toulon and St Tropez, Sainte Marguerite is one of the just 18 crus classés estates in the Côtes-de-Provence region, the spiritual home of rosé. (The winery also makes reds and whites in low volumes but these, sadly, don’t make it across the English Channel).
There are three rosé ranges. Olivier Fayard, the winemaker who also runs the wine side of the business, tells me that the celebrated Symphonie Fantatisque by French composer Hector Belioz is credited with the names of the first two, Cuvée Symphonie and Cuvée Les Fantastique. The third and top range is simply called Collection Marguerite de Provence.
Colour me pink
You should, I suppose, come to a tasing with a completely open mind. But on my agenda is something specific: identifying premium rosés which are both a tribute to the winemaker’s art but also remain approachable. Something that will appeal to the trained palate but also impress the casual rosé drinker who has elevated this category from nothing to something in 30 years.
We start with the Symphonie 2025 (Grenache 50%, 45% Cinsault, Rolle 5%, ABV 13%). With a RRP of £27, this is the cheapest of the three wines and comes entirely from Sainte Marguerite’s estate-owned vineyards in La Londe and Pierrefeu.
The wine makes an instant impression with its freshness and notes of white peach and citrus. Fayard explains: “It has very explosive fruit and brings immediate pleasure.” This is a true crowd pleaser and its quality should be apparent to any rosé fan. And… it has that all-important pale hue beloved by so many devotees of provençale pinks.
Served with this foodwise are La Perle Noire Oysters with finger lime, foie gras on toast with Moroccan spices and a novel pastry sandwich with honey and truffle ricotta – the ricotta squidges out delightfully at the sides when you take a bite.
Only connect the heart and the head
We move up a step with the Fantastique 2025 (Grenache 45%, 45% Cinsault, Rolle 10%, ABV 13%). Made from grapes grown on the old vines of historic vineyards, the grapes were picked at night-time and macerated on their skins at a cool temperature. On the nose there are hints of pear, alongside the white peach and citrus. Here what’s marked is the existence of notable structure and a new complexity.
With a RRP of £45, this will be well above the price point that most casual rosé enthusiasts are used to pay but they should try it: it would be a revelation to them. It’s truly “sunshine in the glass” but it also has a finesse, something to engage with thoughtfully. In other words, it satisfies the heart and the head. A palpable hit.
The food pairings continue to pitch the standard high. We have Cured Yellow Tail (aka Seriole) fish with a sublimely mouth-watering dressing that shows the sort of tension between acidity and sweetness that many a great wine displays. Then on to grass-fed steak and a memorable seaweed tartare.
Finally, on to the Marguerite en Provence 2025 (Grenache 60%, 20 Cinsault, 20% Rolle, ABV 13%). The grapes come from the La Londe AOC and cold maceration is undertaken. The colour here is so pale that the wine would easily pass as a white. On the palate the most pronounced feature is a remarkable salinity on the close. At £80 a bottle, we are clearly entering the territory of those buyers with discerning, educated palates. This is a gastronomic wine to think about, deftly paired with rhubarb tart and kaffir lime.
La terrace en rosé
Contender for a caption competition? Olivier Fayard, Château Sainte Marguerite's boss and winemaker
The three wine ranges are beautifully crafted by Fayard who seems to adore Rolle (aka Vermentino) even though the authorities limit the proportion that can be used. And even the bottles designed by one of his brothers are classy – a contemporary take on something elegantly old-world. Still, the most gratifying thing is the sheer approachability and the immediacy of the wines’ appeal which will be apparent to any lover of rosé.
Luckily, guests will be able to quaff the wines al fresco on a dedicated Château Sainte Marguerite terrace at Galvin Bistrot over the summer.
Château Sainte Marguerite wines are distributed in the UK by Berkmann Wine Cellars.
