The Story:

In a country that is famed for its charming, handsome men, it is hard to think you’ll find anyone more charming and more handsome than Olivier Coste, who heads up Domaine Montrose. But it’s not just courtesy, looks and charm that run this place; it’s a serious operation, and in the last decade they’ve capitalised on their positioning as the kings of rosé, in a sector of the wine market that’s surging ahead.

So let’s start there. Their basic Rosé is good (Price Band A) – a grenache, cabernet sauvignon and syrah blend - but things go up a serious notch with their Prestige Rosé (Price Band C), a fascinating wine, largely from grenache but balanced off with a bit of vermentino. It’s got a tremendous long finish, genuine complexity but crucially as well as being interesting it remains utterly lovable; terrific stuff, especially at this price point. Definitely worth spending the extra money if you can. Then, you could also go even higher with their 1701 Rosé (Price Band D), where the grenache is topped off with roussanne, and some of the grapes have barrel ageing; this has got genuine zing, as well as complexity (without losing the drinkability of rosé).

Mind you, the story doesn’t end there. In the spirit of innovation, they’ve put some of their ‘Solis Lumen’ rosé (where some of the grapes are bought in from other domains) into cans, as well as bag in a box. This is easy drinking fun, with a hint of bubble gum on the palate. Don’t be put off: this would be perfect for a picnic, or just when you want a smaller container. (Price Band A)

But now on to the rest, there’s perfectly decent single varietal chardonnay (unoaked) and viognier (Both price band A), and then, they start having some fun with their ‘Stars’ range, essentially made up of traditional or underappreciated Languedoc grapes. There’s a single varietal Carignan Blanc called ‘Rare’, and as there are only 200 hectares left of carignan blanc in existence, you see what they mean – my note says, ‘floral but a hint of kick’ – as well as single varietal ‘Illegal’ made from Mourvedre, ‘Old Star’, from carignan noir, and ‘Cinsault’ (made from cinsault!) I enjoyed the last one the most, spicy but easy drinking. (All the above are Price Band B).

Don’t ignore their basic Domaine Rouge, the type of knockbackable blend (syrah-cabernet sauvignon-grenache) that the Côtes de Thongue is so good at, on a good day (Price Band A). And their more prestige cuvee is called ‘Salamandre’ (Price Band D) made from cabernet sauvignon and syrah, with a lovely nose and offering a wine that’s full bodied, but not de trop.

There are also some AOP Faugeres wines, which offer a slightly fresher side of the appellation, but that’s a story for another day.