Régine Sumeire, the presiding figure of pale rosé in Gassin, emerges from her vines with a small, knowing smile. "We had the right rains in March, then three weeks of sun. The vines are off to a fine start." She is already speaking of 2026 as a year worth watching closely, perhaps a vintage the peninsula has not seen since 2019.
At Château de Barbeyrolles, everything is still done by hand. Régine was among the first to champion rosé pale as a tear back in the 1980s, when everyone else was still churning out vivid scarlet. Her Pétale de Rose became something of a legend. You find it on the tables of most starred restaurants along the coast.
What does that mean for the rest of us? A harvest likely by the end of August, two weeks earlier than the norm. All going well, a 2026 ready to drink by spring 2027. Mark it: Barbeyrolles usually opens its primeur tastings in late April. Régine pours her own pastis and talks about her vines like a novelist. Worth the drive.
