Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Tart cherries, gardenias and almonds become cantaloupe and acacia finishing with salivating acidity and juicy red fruit.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
When have you ever tasted the variety, Tibouren?—the winery says that this grape adds aromatic intensity to some of Provence's finest rosés. Well, the impressive 2015 Château de Pampelonne shows plenty of fine and attractive elements. Pair this one with game and see for yourself how well a rich and dry pink wine can handle those flavorful dishes. This wine exhibits a deep pink, orange color and explodes with and intense aromas of red to black fruit with notes of earth and chalk. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, with impressive length like few other pink wines. Dry, with medium acidity, the wine finishes with delectable red fruits and mineral. . (Tasted: January 13, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Cotes de Provence is an extensive but valuable appellation that includes vineyards bordering the main Provencal appellations. Its sites vary from subalpine hills, which receive the cooling effects of the mountains to the north, to the coastal St-Tropez, a region mainly influenced by the warm Mediterranean sunshine.
Here the focus is on quality rosé, as it defines four fifths of the region’s wines. Following in the rosé footsteps, a lot of new effort is going into the region’s red production as well. A new generation has turned its focus on high quality Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan. Cotes de Provence white wines, which represent a miniscule part of the region as far as volume, are nonetheless worthy of consideration and can include any combination of Clairette, Semillon, Ugni Blanc and Vermentino.