Celebrity Rosé Wines of Provence

American rapper Post Malone has just become the latest celebrity to introduce a rosé wine from Provence. Rosé + Provence + Celebrity seems to be a thing these days.

As Malone puts it, “Rosé is for when you want to get a little fancy.” Let’s take a look at some of these celebrities and their “fancy” wines.

Château Miraval

Any story about celebrity rosés from Provence has to start with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Château Miraval. The couple bought the estate and its vineyards in 2011 when it was already considered one of France’s top 500 wine producers, then they brought in famed winemaker Marc Perrin of Château Beaucastel to further up the quality. Add to that the star power of “Brangelina” and it’s no surprise that the first vintage of their rosé sold out within five hours.

What do the critics think? Reviews have generally been positive, like this one from Decanter Magazine: “There’s no doubt about the quality of this fresh, elegant, wild strawberry-scented rosé.”

Despite the couple’s recent divorce, they remain committed to the winery, so you can count on a steady supply of rosé for your upcoming summer parties.

Les Quelles de la Coste

While Château Miraval has focused on glamour, classy marketing, and broad appeal, actor John Malkovich of Les Quelles de la Coste has gone the opposite direction—he makes what he likes and doesn’t care what anyone thinks.

The actor, who specializes in eccentric roles, owns a winemaking estate near the village of Lacoste in Provence’s Luberon Valley. Malkovich loves Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and so he does something unheard of—he blends them together. This man knows what he likes. His rosé is also an outlier, made from pure Cabernet Sauvignon.

Are the wines any good? One wine writer calls them “interesting.” Hmm.

Diving into Hampton Water

While not technically from Provence (the grapes are sourced from nearby Languedoc), singer Jon Bon Jovi’s Diving into Hampton Water is a classic southern French rosé. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvedre, it was an immediate hit when he introduced it in 2018. How big a hit? Let’s just say it was the highest-ranked rosé in that year’s Top 100 Wines from Wine Spectator Magazine, giving it the unofficial title of World’s Best Rosé. Not a bad start!

LVE Wines

Singer John Legend joined the rosé club with his LVE Wines rosé, made from grapes sourced “a few miles from the Mediterranean.” Legend’s entry into the wine business shouldn’t come as a surprise, as wife Chrissy Teigen is a noted foodie.

How’s the wine? Wine.com calls it “excellent,” with “savoury spices and mineral notes.” Legend will soon be introducing a sparkling French rosé as well.

Maison No. 9

Rapper Post Malone’s Maison No. 9 winery is named after his favourite tarot card, the Nine of Swords. His rosé is made by talented winemaker Alexis Cornu and includes traditional Provençal grapes, plus a small amount of Merlot. Malone’s goal is to make “a light, accessible rosé.” It will be available this summer and can be pre-ordered via the Maison No. 9 website.

Photo Credits

Miraval wine: Château Miraval Facebook page
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: Creative Common License attribution Georges Biard (via Wikipedia)
John Malkovich: Creative Commons License attribution Elena Ringo (via Wikipedia)
Jon Bon Jovi: Diving into Hampton Water Facebook page
John Legend: LVE Wine Instagram
Post Malone: Maison No. 9 website

Experts on Rosé Wines from Provence

For a deeper dive into rosé, read Elizabeth’s book “Rosé: Understanding the pink wine revolution (The Classic Wine Library).” She spent an entire year tasting rosés worldwide to write the book.

Victoria James is a Certified Sommelier in New York City. She is also the author of “Drink Pink a Celebration of Rosé.” she agrees with Elizabeth that the rosé category is here to stay. Read our interview with this talented lady here.

In her article on Exploring Why Rosé Matters, wine writer Jill Barth wrote the following: “I don’t think there is a topic I’ve covered more than rosé. Part preference, part probability, it seems only natural that a Provence wine specialist would document the past, present and future of vin trois, the third colour of the wine trinity.”