Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Pale in color. The elegant, aromatic nose shows stone-fruit peel, pink strawberries and rose petals. Fresh and medium-bodied, with light rainier cherries and peach skin in the refined, perfumed finish.
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.
A source of delicious rosés, the Coteaux de Varois en Provence is distinguished by calcareous soil and mountainous isolation. Raised on a plateau inland from the Mediterranean, the region’s maritime climate and clay/limestone soil impart a brisk acidity to its wines.
Red varieties here (for rosés and reds) include Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Tibouren (a heritage variety) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Soft and delicate, with rose, cherry, and strawberry, the rosés boast a clarifying minerality while retaining the charming Provencal food-friendliness and quaffability. While the region puts 90% of its vinous energy into rosé wine, the remaining ten percent is divided 70/30 between red and white. The robust reds of Coteaux de Varois reds, if given the chance, show improvement with time in the cellar. The charming whites, based in Rolle (Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Sémillon and Ugni Blanc have an affinity for seafood.