Sylvain Pataille is big on tradition, and his Fleur de Pinot Rosé pays homage to a rare style of Burgundy that dates to Marsannay’s historically significant ‘vins de fêtes.' This rarely seen bottling has become one of the most difficult of Pataille’s wines to source, so we’re chuffed to receive an allocation this year. It’s a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Beurot (Pinot Gris). Half comes from a direct press of the grapes, and half from a three-day maceration on skins. The old Pinot vines are planted in rocky white marls, from limestone-heavy terroirs usually dedicated to white grapes—Charmes aux Prêtres (1949) and Champ Forey (1934)—helping to confer a texture that is more typical of a white wine. Pataille reckons these are the best vines of his entire Domaine! The Pinot Beurot comes from 1932 vines in En Blungey, on clay soils.

If the quality of grapes is not unusual enough, the wine also benefits from a two-year élevage, spending the first 12 months in older 600-litre barrels before finishing in a 48-hectolitre foudre. The result is a Rosé unlike any other, and a wine that, in 2000, Jancis Robinson described as, “Possibly the finest rosé in the world.” As delicious as the wine can be young, Sylvain recommends holding for at least two years after the wine is released. He believes the wine needs time for its terroir and minerality to emerge from behind the energy, tannin and fruit.

“This unique wine is more than your standard rosé—it shares the structure of a red wine and the racy tension of a white. The colour is deep, and the aromas exhibit a heady blend of red berries, floral notes, and exotic spices. The texture is lively and perfectly dry, with enough elegant substance to age gracefully (yes, a rosé!).” 94 points, Charles Curtis MW, Decanter