Meet Selladore: The Provence Rosé Estate Nobody's Heard Of - Yet
There's a reason Provence has become the benchmark for rosé. Few regions have shaped modern pale, dry rosé quite like Provence. The best wines from the region aren't about colour or sunshine appeal alone; they come from a specific patch of ground and the people working it.
That's why we've fallen for the wines of Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze.
Featured in this article
The estate sits in the hills of the Haut Var, 350 metres above sea level, surrounded by pine forest, truffle oaks and wild countryside. It looks like the postcard version of southern France: stone buildings, evening light, vineyards half-hidden in the trees. It also happens to make some precise, modern Provence wine.
And right now, hardly anybody in the UK knows about them.
Outside a handful of London listings, we're the only stockist in the North of England. If you like finding a wine before everyone else does, this is one of those.
Why Provence Rosé Tastes Different
Most people picture pale pink wine on a sunny terrace when they think of Provence rosé. What actually sets the region apart is the balance between freshness, delicacy and texture.
At Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze, that balance starts in the vineyard.
The estate's altitude means cooler nights than coastal Provence, so the grapes ripen slowly and keep their acidity. Limestone and clay soils add minerality and a gentle weight to the wine, and the surrounding hills shelter the vines from the Mistral without much need for intervention.
The result is fresh, elegant fruit shaped by where it grows.
More Than Just a Pretty Bottle
The new Selladore Rosé 2025 joins our by-the-glass line-up this season. It keeps the pale colour, crisp style and elegant presentation people already loved in our previous premium rosé - the pale colour, crisp style and elegant presentation - it adds something more meaningful behind the scenes: a genuine single-estate story.
The name comes from "Selle d'Or", the Golden Saddle, after the hills around the estate that catch the light at dusk. It's a romantic name, but an honest one: there's an actual hill it's named for.
The rosé itself is exactly what you want from top Provence pink wine:
- pale salmon in colour
- fresh citrus and wild strawberry aromas
- dry, refreshing and balanced
- soft white peach fruit on the finish
It's a style that feels right at home across all four of our wine bars.
At Altrincham Market House, it's made for sunny afternoons on the terrace alongside Honest Crust pizza, tacos from Pico's or mezze and gyros from Ruben's.
Inside the energy of Mackie Mayor, it works with a steaming bowl from Taiko Ramen, fried chicken from Mumma's, Neapolitan pizza from Honest Crust or steak and burgers from Tender Cow.
At Macclesfield Picturedrome, a chilled glass fits the relaxed food market atmosphere, whether you're sharing pizza, digging into Thai food from Chilli B or ordering gyros and mezze with friends.
And in West Didsbury, Selladore feels right at home alongside cheese boards, gourmet tinned fish and long catch-ups in the tasting room on Burton Road.
Sustainability at the Estate
One of the things that stood out most about the estate is the sustainability work they're doing.
The domaine is in organic conversion, and farming works with the landscape rather than against it. About 80% of the property is protected wild forest, home to wildlife including the rare Hermann's tortoise.
Grapes are picked by hand at night, which preserves freshness and aromatics and cuts energy use in the cellar. The surrounding hills and woodland also shelter the vineyard, reducing how much irrigation and treatment it needs.
The Winemaker Bringing Precision to Provence
The wines are made by Australian-born winemaker Dale Clark, who has worked with Maison Chapoutier in the Rhône as well as in Alsace and Australia.
What we like about Dale's approach is the mix of Provençal ease and real technical precision: hand-harvesting at night, gentle pressing, careful blending, all aimed at preserving freshness, texture and balance.
These are Provence wines with easy appeal, made with real care.
More to Discover From Domaine Saint Jean de Villecroze
The Selladore Rosé is likely the first wine most people try from the estate, but there's more to the range.
The crisp, citrus-led Selladore Blanchas bright Provençal freshness, delicate floral notes and fine minerality, and pairs well with seafood, oysters and lighter dishes.
Alongside the Selladore wines, we're also bringing in the estate's more gastronomic Côtes de Provence range. These are slightly more layered, food-focused wines designed for longer lunches, dinners with friends and slower drinking.
The Côtes de Provence Rosé adds extra texture and savoury depth without losing the freshness Provence is known for. The white offers fuller stone-fruit character and the red brings dark fruit, spice and soft oak structure.
They're wines that show another side of Provence beyond simple poolside rosé.
Why We're Excited About These Wines
We’ve been working on this for months, tasting, re-tasting… just to make sure. (Kate has been making super ultra sure indeed, to the point we had to stop her drinking the stock😉)
We're excited about this wine because:
-
It is EXCLUSIVE to us in the North.
- It looks gorgeous,
- It tastes gorgeous
- It's made sustainably by people focused on producing a top-notch bottle of wine
Everything we love.
We can't wait for you to have a sip, so come and see us. Grab a glass or a bottle at any of our bars, take one home, or order online.
We're super proud of this one. See you at the bar 😉
Leave a comment (all fields required)