Whispering Angel Marks 20th Vintage as Provence Rosé Becomes a Luxury Staple

Château d’Esclans is marking the 20th vintage of Whispering Angel, the Provençal rosé that helped turn pale pink wine into a global luxury category and made the estate one of the most recognizable names in wine. The new vintage arrives in 2025 as the company looks back on two decades of growth that began when Sacha Lichine bought the property in 2006 and set out to make rosé from Provence a serious international brand.

At the time, rosé was still often treated as a seasonal drink with limited prestige. Lichine’s plan was different. He brought in Patrick Léon, the former technical director at Château Mouton Rothschild, and built a wine that would be consistent, polished and easy to recognize. Whispering Angel quickly became the flagship of that effort. Château d’Esclans says the wine is now sold in more than 100 countries and has become a reference point for premium rosé around the world.

The estate says production started at about 130,000 bottles in 2006 and expanded as demand grew in major markets including New York and London. By 2014, the wine had become a fixture in restaurants, private clubs and beach destinations tied to luxury travel and nightlife. It also gained visibility through high-profile placements, including Formula 1 events, where it was served from Monaco to Singapore, and at Buckingham Palace in 2022 for a Platinum Jubilee edition honoring Queen Elizabeth II.

The broader market changed with it. Château d’Esclans points to industry data showing that exports of Provençal rosé rose 547% between 2008 and 2017, while their value increased 1,020% over the same period to 226 million euros. The category now exceeds 1 billion euros annually worldwide, according to the company, with Whispering Angel remaining its best-known label.

The new vintage is being presented as one of the estate’s strongest yet. Lichine said it is “one of the best vintages of Whispering Angel we have made so far,” describing it as both “delicious” and aromatic. Bertrand Léon, the winemaker at Château d’Esclans, said the wine shows balance between ripeness and freshness, with citrus and red fruit notes, a smooth texture and a bright finish.

The anniversary release also comes with a new collector-style label that includes Lichine’s signature and the cherub emblem long associated with the estate. Those figures come from the chapel on the property and have become part of the brand’s identity. Château d’Esclans says they inspired the name Whispering Angel because they appear to whisper to one another.

The estate itself sits in La Motte-en-Provence, northeast of Saint-Tropez, overlooking the Esclans valley. Since Lichine’s acquisition, it has expanded beyond Whispering Angel with wines including Rock Angel, Château d’Esclans, Les Clans and Garrus. The company says those wines reflect different expressions of high-end Provençal rosé and help define its position in a market that now links rosé with fine dining, resort culture and luxury retail.

Whispering Angel has also become closely tied to places such as Saint-Tropez, St. Barths, London and Beverly Hills, where it appears on wine lists at venues including Loulou, Eden Rock, Annabel’s and the Beverly Hills Hotel. Its rise has been reinforced by celebrity visibility as well, with figures including Lady Gaga, Heidi Klum and Adele associated with the brand over time.

For Château d’Esclans, the 20th vintage is both a commercial milestone and a reminder of how much Provence rosé has changed since 2006. The company says its goal remains the same: to keep Whispering Angel at the center of a category that it helped redefine through scale, consistency and a clear luxury image.