Château Sainte Marguerite returns to its roots with 2024 vintage
At a recent tasting in London, Sainte Marguerite released its 2024 vintage rosés, marking a return to its "Château" identity and full vineyard control. The post Château Sainte Marguerite returns to its roots with 2024 vintage appeared first on The Drinks Business.
The arrival of spring was felt at Somerset House on Friday (28 February) as Château Sainte Marguerite unveiled its 2024 vintage rosés. Sunlight filtered through the glass roof of Spring restaurant, illuminating tables covered with pastel floral arrangements, while guests sampled three wines from the latest release: Symphonie Rosé, Fantastique Rosé, and Marguerites en Provence Rosé.
While the tasting provided an opportunity for guests to assess the latest expressions of the Provence Cru Classé estate, the further news lay in a shift behind the scenes. The 2024 vintage marks a return to full vineyard control for Château Sainte Marguerite, allowing the Fayard family to reinstate the "Château" designation across its production.
Total vineyard control
“For this year’s harvest, we had total control of the vineyard, meaning that the ‘Château’ appellation can once again be used for all our production,” said Olivier Fayard. “I'm immensely proud of this collection, which reflects our quest for excellence and our wish to offer wines of great elegance, with an increasingly refined aromatic profile, perfectly mirrored on the nose and the palate across all cuvées, affirming the remarkable consistency and quality of this vintage.” The development is significant given the brand’s trajectory since being acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2022. While Sainte Marguerite has been known for its organic, vegan-certified rosés, past vintages of its flagship Symphonie cuvée contained a proportion of purchased grapes. With the 2024 release, this is no longer the case—Symphonie is now made exclusively from estate-grown fruit. The vintage itself reflects favourable growing conditions. A cool spring followed by a warm, dry season with fresh nights led to a balanced expression of fruit and minerality. The wines were harvested at night to preserve acidity and freshness, resulting in a profile of “vibrant intensity underscored by exceptional finesse,” according to the estate. This strategic consolidation of vineyard holdings also sets Sainte Marguerite apart in a competitive market. Just last year, the drinks business reported on the brand’s expansion beyond rosé with a new Provence range, suggesting a push towards diversification. However, the focus of this latest release is a reaffirmation of the estate’s core identity—its Cru Classé status and historic approach to terroir-driven rosé production.The Symphonie, The Fantastique and The Marguerites
Each cuvée revealed distinct characteristics of each wine. The Symphonie Rosé 2024 Cru Classé presented a floral bouquet with notes of white peach and grapefruit peel, offering a delicate freshness and an elegant, lingering finish. The Fantastique Rosé 2024, certified organic and vegan, showcased minerality alongside layers of white peach, pear, and subtle lychee notes. Its texture was notably refined, reinforcing its reputation as a gastronomic rosé suitable for both meat and fish pairings. The Marguerites en Provence Rosé 2024 stood out for its intensity and mineral-driven profile, displaying aromas of passion fruit, pineapple, and pink grapefruit zest. Its pronounced fruitiness was balanced by a crisp, refreshing acidity, making it particularly suited to sophisticated dishes like roasted veal or turbot with citrus. The strategic consolidation of vineyard holdings also sets Sainte Marguerite apart in a competitive market. Just last year, the drinks business reported on the brand’s expansion beyond rosé with a new Provence range, suggesting a push towards diversification. However, the focus of this latest release is a reaffirmation of the estate’s core identity—its Cru Classé status and historic approach to terroir-driven rosé production. The updated packaging for the 2024 vintage further reinforces this, with a deep blue cap adorned with a fleur-de-lys and a label that now prominently bears the Château Sainte Marguerite name. Fantastique Rosé 2024, meanwhile, continues its legacy as a gastronomic rosé, recommended by Raimonds Tomsons, the 2023 World’s Best Sommelier. “The 2024 vintage is a continuation of the House's unique signature, while pushing back the limits of aromas and organoleptic qualities,” he said. For Sainte Marguerite, the return to its original name is more than just a change in branding—it signals a renewed emphasis on estate-grown production, reinforcing its position within the high-end Provence rosé sector. With Pernod Ricard’s backing, the estate is now looking to build on this identity, both in France and internationally.
