JCP Maltus, Le Rêve Rosé Côtes de Provence, 2022

Pale pink with rose gold hues. The nose is intense, with notes of crushed strawberries, white flowers, red cherries, candied pears and a touch of mint. The palate is crisp and fresh, the fruit is beautifully balanced; an elegant wine with a refreshing, dry finish. Serious quality here from JCP Maltus, who is well-known as one of the finest winemakers in Bordeaux, even receiving 100 points from Robert Parker.

Coming from the South East of France, Le Rêve benefits from a warm and sunny climate during the day and cool at night. The soil is clay-limestone and offers delicate mineral notes to this elegant wine.

You would have thought Le Dôme would have been owner Jonathan Maltus’s dream, but no. Le Rêve rosé wears this monicker, and Jonathan, an international wine magnate of standing, has made just 500 cases of bottles and 600 magnums of this heavenly wine. This is Maltus’s first foray into rosé, and it is a fleshy, mid-way point between painfully thin Provençal wannabes and the more structured rosés from Bandol, and the quality of the strawberry fruit is second to none. Generous, ambitious and delicious, this dream is now a reality. Matthew Jukes