BRANGELINA ROSÉ FIRST TO ENTER TOP 100

(TDB) - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Provençal rosé is the first pink wine to appear in the Wine Spectator’s annual Top 100 list of the most exciting wines of the year.

Château Miraval Rosé 2012 ranked 84 in the list with a score of 90 points, distinguishing it as “outstanding.”

The wines in the Top 100 list are chosen by the magazine’s editors on the basis of quality, value, availability and an X-factor defined as “excitement”.

Miraval Rosé 2012 is made from a blend of organically grown Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.

Managing editor Kim Marcus described the wine as: “reined and elegant, offering pure and concentrated flavors of dried red berry, tangerine and melon.

“The focused finish features flint and spice notes, with a hint of cream,” she added.

The wine is made in collaboration with Marc Perrin, owner of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône, and is distributed by the Perrin family.

“This great achievement demonstrates that a fresh and elegant rosé from Provence can compete with the best wines in the world. Wine is a matter of pleasure and Miraval is dedicated to bring the true experience of Provence in every single glass,” Perrin told wine website Vitabella.

In October, a 60-gallon autographed barrel of Château Miraval Rosé 2012 sold for €10,000 at a charity auction to support an agricultural project in Africa.

The 500-hectare estate, which Brangelina reportedly bought for US$55m, is based in the Côteaux Varois-en-Provence and Côtes de Provence appellations.

Back in March, the first 6,000 bottles of Miraval Rosé 2012 were snapped up within five hours of going on sale at €15 a bottle via the Perrin family website.

Despite enduring storms and the threat of mildew earlier in the year, Provence Wines reports that the 2013 harvest in the region is slightly up on last year, with the return of the “cleansing” mistral wind at the end of the season proving a “key ally” to winemakers in the run up to the harvest, which finished in late October.