Triennes Rose 2023

Triennes is proof that even Burgundy's most revered names can't resist the pull of Provence. In 1989, Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti — arguably two of the most respected winemakers on the planet — teamed up with their Parisian friend Michel Macaux to go hunting for a southern French property, drawn by the idea of exploring what Mediterranean terroir could do. They found it in Nans-les-Pins, a south-facing hillside at 350 to 400 metres elevation, thirty kilometres from the coast, with clay-limestone soils that immediately reminded them of home. They named the estate Triennes, after the Triennia — ancient Roman festivals held every three years in honour of Bacchus — with the "tri-" prefix doing double duty as a nod to the three founding partners. Today the 46-hectare, fully organic-certified estate is still shaped by Burgundian hands: Jacques's sons Alec and Jeremy Seysses (Jeremy now runs Dujac itself) remain frequent visitors with a direct hand in the winemaking. The rosé — mostly Cinsault, rounded out with Grenache, Syrah, and Merlot — is harvested at night to keep the fruit cool, given a brief skin maceration, then fermented dry in stainless steel.

The result has become one of Provence's genuine benchmark rosés, and remarkably good value given the pedigree behind it. Expect a pale, delicate hue with a nose of strawberry, white flowers, and a whisper of vanilla, opening onto a fresh, juicy palate of red fruit, pomegranate, and citrus, lifted by a distinct mineral, saline edge and a long, mouthwatering finish. Jancis Robinson has called it a rosé with "more about it than most pink wines from Provence," and it's easy to see why — dry, textural, and precise rather than simply pretty.