Winemaker Notes
Clear pink bouquet, a finely spiced citrus nose, slightly lemony, floral. The palate is taut, white fruits, citrus, hint of fennel … a rosé for every occasion and any meal!
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A mix of Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Clairette and Vermentino, all sourced from vines planted on clay-limestone and stony soils, the 2022 Cotes de Provence Rose Corail displays a lively, very fresh bouquet with aromas of peach, red berries, lemon and spring floral. Tense and perfectly balanced with racy acids and a moderately weighted structure, it’s fresh, juicy and supple, with gorgeous notes of grapefruit and red berries on the finish. I have a weakness for this small estate in Roquefort La Bédule.
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.