Mark Newman, a pal of mine of many years, who was with Apogee 21 Holdings Inc at this year’s Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America convention, presented me with four organic Rose wines from Chateau d’Astros in Provence to review. They were all wines I’d never had before so I welcomed a chance to review them. The vintage year on all four wines, 2025, is listed on the back of each bottle. Sharing tasting notes from the website, let’s see how they match up with mine:
2025 La Belle Vie (With etching all around and no label) Grenache – Cinsault – MOURVÈDRE. This Rosé has a delicate, luminous pale lychee color with golden reflexes…aromas of ripe red fruit, juicy strawberries enhanced by white pepper. In your mouth a beautiful concentration of tangy red berries balanced with nice freshness…more on Club Lavender website.
EB: a nice deep peach color with a darker peach edge; nose was full of cantaloupe melon, followed by strawberry lemonade, sea air, white pepper and wet river stones; flavors reminded me of a freshly made fruit cocktail, lemon-lime soda, peaches in light syrup, with a slight minerality, mild acidity and a medium length. (We agreed on the strawberries.)
2025 Amour (white label with Chateau) Grenache – Cinsault – Tibouren. A complex, elegant palette of sun-kissed yellow fruit, a touch of nectarine and a hint of spice. Intensely aromatic around flavours of yellow fruit.
EB: A pretty peachy-pink hue, clear and clean; aromas of sweet peaches, rose petals, strawberry hard candy, dried pineapple, and smooth wet stones; on the mouth I was reminded of both tart and sweet nut fruits, Golden Delicious apple, a mild salinity, a light quality, and a medium to long finish. (Agree on the nectarine nut fruit, and highly aromatic.)
2025 Absolu (black label) GRENACHE – MOURVÈDRE – CINSAULT. Delicate hints of sweet orange and exotic fruits for freshness, nuanced by a light iodine note. A rich and complex mouth, remarkably balanced. Harmonious and lively, a subtle mineral flavor lingers for a fresh and enduring finish.
EB: Nice peach color with a deep tangerine edge, clean and clean; notes of raspberry, peach, banana, apricot, and sea air all hit me on the nose; the taste made me think of red cherry, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, lime, with a mild acidity and a very long finish. My husband Eddie liked this one very much. (We agree on lots of fresh fruit.)
2025 Aventure (white label) GRENACHE – CINSAULT – CALADOC. Tender, delicate notes of citrus fruit and white peach, enhanced by a hint of herbs that prolongs the freshness. An ample mouthfeel with a fruity expression leads to a long finish and good freshness.
EB: Rose gold color, very clear and clean; aromas that reminded me of fresh peach, tangerine, possible white strawberry, river rocks, perfumy, and highly aromatic; on the mouth I detected bits of fleshy stone fruit, Meyer lemon, cantaloupe melon, sweetened pink grapefruit, a medium acidity and lengthy finish. If I were to describe this wine with one word it would be: fresh. (Agreed on the freshness and finish.)
Conclusion: If you have the opportunity to taste wines from Provence, please do. France is where the Rose wine originated from.
Full technical sheets are more can be found online:
Distributor: https://www.apogee21holdings.com/copy-of-our-brands
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Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. Follow on Instagram and Facebook.
