Thirsty? Try an Exceptional Rosé with a Chanel Pedigree

When you arrive at Porquerolles, via train from Paris and ferry from the Côte d’Azur, you’ll already be thirsty for a glass of cold rosé. They will have one waiting for you on this island off the south coast of France in the Mediterranean Sea. And it just might be the chicest rosé of them all.

Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale of a monsieur named François-Joseph Fournier, who made a killing in gold in Mexico and acquired the entire island in 1912. He gave it to his wife as a wedding present. Fournier quickly noticed the same thing about Porquerolles that you will: Water is everywhere. You will see it on hikes, at the foot of steep cliffs, and when you walk along the sandy beaches. His vision was to manage the water and preserve the landscape. He decided to build channels on his estate’s farm plots. It was a practical undertaking, but it led to the planting of vines on Porquerolles. Thank him when you’re there.

Fast-forward to 1957, when the island was shared among four Fournier women, each with her own area. Three of them sold their land to the French state, but one held her ground. As legend has it, she replanted vines on the Brégançonnet plain and passed the estate down to her son, Sébastien Le Ber, who built upon the family’s work, creating the iconic Porquerolles vineyard Domaine de l’Ile. After a life devoted to the vineyard and the sea, in 2019 Le Ber started a new chapter in the estate’s story by entrusting its heritage to Chanel. (Now you see where we got the chicest rosé in all the land idea, right?)

This is not the only vineyard owned by Chanel—there are Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Canon, and Château Berliquet in Bordeaux, and St. Supéry in Napa—but somehow, with its pale pink color and freshness (and discreet but notable label), we suspect Domaine de l’Ile is the one you’re going to want to drink this summer. And while doing so, contemplate this question: How is a rosé most like a couture dress? Listen to winemaker Nicolas Audebert consider the terroir, and watch him feel the soil of the island in his palm, and the parallels are surprisingly clear. Like a Chanel creation straight out of the atelier, this too is shaped by time, craftsmanship, quality materials, the hand of the maker, and respect. And it pairs better with a cheese plate. For more information go to domainedelile.com.

This story appears in the Summer 2023 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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