The Latest Provence Rosé to Know

Where is your château? Is the first question posed to Anthony Carfantan, Founder of L’Exclusive, sister brand to the premium Provençal maison behind Eau de Provence Rosé. The answer is they don’t have one. Rather than operating within the traditional bounds of a château model, the 2024-born contemporary rosé takes a more flexible, modernised approach. 

As I speak with Carfantan, he tells me sommeliers are often resistant to non-traditional approaches, but that château-owned estates must work with whatever grapes are available on their land in any given year, leaving them vulnerable to crop variations. This lack of restriction is a key advantage for The Private Wine Collection, the brand umbrella behind EAU DE PROVENCE and L’EXCLUSIVE: “The beauty is we can source the best grapes from the best place.” Carfantan continues to explain that in piecing together the anatomy of EAU DE PROVENCE – a bespoke blend of Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Syrah and Vermentino – they visited around 50 wineries prior to launching the brand. Now, they work with a small network of trusted grower families across key Provençal zones, sourcing grapes from carefully selected plots chosen for the quality and characteristics of their terroir. In terms of future-proofing EAU DE PROVENCE in the ever-evolving rosé category, Carfantan explained, “It’s all about the quality of the distribution” to strengthen credibility and gain visibility in luxury circles.

Not forgetting its sense of place in the process, with its name translating to ‘water of Provence’, the wine hones in on the intrinsic qualities of minerality and freshness achieved from limestone-based vineyards. Having sold over 100,000 bottles in its first year, the rosé resonates with a broad audience of oenophiles worldwide. “The idea was to develop something not only easy to drink, but that could seduce both the top sommeliers and brand-conscious consumers,” says Carfantan. Poured in the capital’s most influential culinary settings, including collaborations with Michelin-starred chefs at Soho’s Carousel and new openings like Jul’s London, the approach is to maintain status as a wine led by high lifestyle but grounded in innovative viticulture.

In April 2026, Carfantan launched a sister brand to play alongside EAU DE PROVENCE named L’EXCLUSIVE, setting a new benchmark for what a Provence rosé can be as the first wine aged in a glass globe. “It was very experimental,” he said, “37% of the wine is aged in glass globes, 50% in stainless steel vats and the rest is aged in oak barrels to give a bit of structure.” The process of using the glass globes is also more sustainable as there is less cleaning to be done and therefore less water usage. By ageing with this technique, you don’t get any oxidation in the wine, which results in a final cuvée that is fresher and more fruit-driven with apricot and peach heart notes and a crisp, dry finish. “The reality is that the consumer doesn’t really like oak wine, as it can be a bit too heavy,” Carfantan reflects, “we wanted to have a fine balance between freshness and structure from the wood. I like to say we’ve got the perfect recipe!”

L’EXCLUSIVE sits as the brand’s highest expression: an ambitious, avant-garde interpretation that retains the modern Provençal ethos of EAU DE PROVENCE while being crafted with the connoisseur in mind.

Available at wanderlustwine.co.uk. Find out more at eau-de-provence.com.